Instagram puts gift cards in the frame for businesses
Instagram is rolling out a new feature to help small and medium-sized businesses weather the coronavirus crisis.
Live videos and conference calls have been a hallmark of time in isolation, becoming the substitute for everything from gym workouts to cooking classes, and art lessons to book clubs.
So much so that views of Instagram’s live feature more than doubled during the lockdown, with small businesses taking to the platform to maintain some semblance of normality.
But the social media giant, which rose to popularity for its showcase of travel snaps and food photos, has had to face its own disruptions from the large-scale economic shutdown.
Despite that, local head of market operations Kaylie Smith told The Australian the platform was committed to helping small and medium-sized businesses to weather the downturn.
Ms Smith said new features rolled out during the pandemic were a marked departure from pre-COVID-19 plans.
“We’ve moved really, really quickly, first in the US and now to Australia. We pivoted from our previous road map to build these tools,” she said, adding that 90 per cent of Australians followed at least one small business on the platform.
“What we are seeing is that millions of businesses are using our tools to connect with their audience or build a following easier. We want to enable that and make that as easy as possible.”
As cafes and local shops slowly return to trade, Ms Smith said the worst was not yet over, with businesses set to feel the hit of the economic slowdown even when restrictions eased, Instagram and parent company Facebook are levelling up their support, announcing on Tuesday the ability to share gift cards across both platforms, to provide a direct revenue boost for businesses.
Business accounts have been given the ability to add a gift card feature to their Instagram stories, where users can click through to third-party sites The Fork, Neto or Gift Up! to complete their purchase.
In addition, Instagram users can add a “Support Small Business” sticker to give a shout out to business accounts or use the recently launched “Order Food” feature to be linked directly to third-party food delivery sites.
Sydney restaurant owner and caterer Michael Rantissi was forced to shutter his restaurants due to the restrictions, but opened up a deli in their place to provide his traditional Israeli food but with a difference.
He used the extra time away from his restaurants to hone his presence on the platform, and provides step-by-step instructions for his deli offerings directly to his customers.
“It was not as easy as just taking the food you were serving before and putting it in a takeaway container — a steak on a plate just doesn’t translate to a delivery environment,” Mr Rantissi said.
“We changed our offering and have been making fresh deli meals on a rotating basis, with specials promoted across our social media channels. I set out all the steps to make our traditional moussaka — you just can’t do that on a static website.”
The deli offerings have been so successful that now he’s asking customers if products like homemade hummus, smoked eggplant dips or sardines should stay — even as trade starts to returns to “normal”.