Snapchat Offers Retailers Marketing Opportunity

Brick-and-mortar chains are finding Snapchat to be a gold mine for promotions.

August 10, 2016

LOS ANGELES – Merchants are missing out on a golden opportunity to connect with customers by not using Snapchat, Advertising Week reports. A new report from Placed revealed that 60% of the 65 most-visited retailers didn’t even have a Snapchat account. The mobile app has 150 million users around the world, mostly in the millennial and Gen Z demographics.

Retailers “don’t realize the incremental word of mouth Snapchat is creating,” said Kayla Green, director of digital strategy at Saatchi & Saatchi Los Angeles. “Most retailers are aware that shoppers are snapping in store, though it’s probably not top of mind for most,” pointed out Chris Gilbert, senior social strategist at Kettle.

Retailers who are popular with Snapchat users but who have neglected to market to them include Bath & Body Works, Cold Stone Creamery, Domino’s, Jamba Juice, Payless ShoeSource and Trader Joe’s. Many users send snaps (or posts) to others while shopping. Stores who have caught on to this trend include Foot Locker, Louis Vuitton, Macy’s Michael Kors and Walmart, which have bought ads on the popular app.

“Many retailers are eager to engage their audience on Snapchat but are weary of not being able to attribute foot traffic and sales to Snapchat impressions,” said Melina Ex, managing director of U.S. East Coast at Fetch. Snapchat has been slowly rolling out a measurement product called Snapchat to Store, which will help retailers with those metrics.

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