Now you can make money being your own social commerce fashionista. Image Source: Stylinity.com
While your friends may tease you for all those selfies, you may now have the last laugh as these new apps let you turn your selfies into cash. Now don’t get too excited, not all your selfies will bring you the cold hard coin, but some will. Social commerce is a new marketing trend that partners would-be fashionistas with retail shops to sell clothes and other products using social media.
Social commerce takes advantage of the power of friendship in marketing. Studies show you are much more likely to buy products suggested by trusted friends and family than from a slick Madison Avenue advertisement. New fashion apps monetize the trust dividend by allowing users to post photos on social media for their friends to see and buy.
Many retailers have partnered with social commerce companies to provide incentives for users to click and post products for purchase on their social media sites. Image Source: Stylinity.com
How It Works
There are several tech companies that have made social commerce apps and are partnering with big-name retailers like Target, Nordstrom, Urban Outfitters, and Ann Taylor. While there are several apps, most use the same process. First, fashionistas grab their GoPro Pole and take a picture of their outfit and use a barcode scanner to identify the item’s unique product information. Next, the self-employed fashion entrepreneur shares the image on a social media platform like Instagram, Facebook, or Twitter. When a friend or social media surfing shopper clicks on one of the items they are taken to the retailer’s Web site where the item can be purchased. Lastly, for the click-through referral, the retailer rewards the social commerce fashionista with cold hard cash, store credit, or shopping discounts.
In the dressing room or on the street, now you can make money selling your friends on your cool new look. Image Source: Stylinity.com
While the apps are new to the social marketing playbook, tech companies like Curalate and Stylinity are seeing rapid growth and the concept is spreading to the social media platforms. Twitter is testing its own version of a “buy” button that would allow shoppers to select products directly from a Tweet. The commission on such click-through sales can be significant depending on the retailer’s relationship with the app company. So will the social network fashion maven replace the runway model as the face of retail style? With the unlimited growth potential for user-generated retail content the answer is – Maybe.
