In a nutshell

In February, TikTok shared a report, analysing how users discover and purchase new products through its platform. The app now provides insight into what happens after a purchase is complete and how users feel about promoted products they’ve bought. This could help brands improve their performance on the app.

What does this mean?

According to the market research provider Material’s data, 50% of TikTok users feel satisfied with their purchases via the app and they’re twice as likely to recommend products and services found on their feed. Creators and trending topics also play a key role in discovery, as the platform’s audience is 48% more likely to discover new brands from celebrities or public figures. But the most impressive finding is that users continue to engage with brands post-purchase, posting relevant content on social apps and convincing other users to buy the same products. This can be beneficial for businesses, as working closely with creators who recommend their products will help them drive brand awareness – on and off platform.

In a nutshell

Twitter is testing its new ‘Notes’ feature on selected user profiles, enabling them to create stories and lengthy blogs of up to 2,500 words. According to Rembert Browne, Twitter’s editorial director: “Notes will give people the ability to go over 280 characters on Twitter in a single piece of content, with the inclusion of photos, videos, GIFs, and Tweets.” They’ll appear on users’ timelines and can be written, published, and shared on the platform. The aim? To encourage users to spend more time on Twitter, preventing them from clicking away to other websites.

What does this mean?

“Twitter is reinventing blogging with this 'new’ feature – which isn't really ground-breaking. The platform is arguably a bit behind when thinking of how we’ve gone from digesting blogs on platforms like Tumblr in the early 2010s, to now consuming short videos on TikTok,” says iCrossing UK’s junior audience intelligence analyst, Tilly Clough. “It raises questions of ‘Will Twitter Notes start to pop up in the SERPs or not?’. So, it might be interesting to see how brands, marketers and consumers will adapt around this new feature.”

In a nutshell

Merchants will now be able to update their audience on upcoming launches, using Twitter’s new shopping feature. Product Drop includes a ‘Remind Me’ button, allowing users to get an in-app notification 15 minutes before a brand’s new product launch. To help them make informed decisions, followers will also be able to learn more about products. Clicking on the merchant’s Tweet, they’ll find the description, price and pictures as well as other people’s reviews.

What does this mean?

“People come to Twitter to talk about products and product drops every day. And merchants have long been dropping products on Twitter without any native product support. We’re excited to change that and introduce new shopping features that empower shoppers to stay on top of the launches that matter most to them and provide merchants with another way to engage shoppers around big product moments,” said Justin Hoang, Twitter’s staff product manager and Siddarth Rao, staff software engineer, on their recent blog post.

This means brands will have another way to interact with their audience and promote new collections and products, by setting up notifications to alert their followers. This could increase brand engagement and avoid disappointment around missed product drops.

In a nutshell

According to iCrossing UK’s ‘Evolution of the luxury consumer: post pandemic’ report, the pandemic has impacted the luxury market by accelerating trends. Luxury consumers are now focusing on conscious purchase decisions. They prefer businesses who have social and environmental goals and share their personal values – meaning that brands need to adapt, evolve and capitalise on new opportunities.

What does this mean?

In her article published on Creative Brief, Maria Bain, iCrossing UK’s head of audience intelligence, says: “Luxury buyers are striving to add good into their consumption, and 57% say their purchasing decisions are influenced by a company’s ethical and sustainability credentials. Of those asked, 86% think that brands should take a stand on social issues and the pandemic proved an opportunity for this – 54% could specify brands they saw support the fight against Covid. Yet again, luxury brands should be well placed to address these concerns. With less pressure on cost and greater focus on provenance of materials, luxury brands should have a strong narrative. However, if high price purely means high mark-up, those brands will be exposed.”