OMD FWD w/c Nov 7th
Traditional e-commerce websites may be good for shopping when you know what you’re looking for. But for those times when you don’t, Instagram has introduced new features. These new features will help users identify products in Instagram photos from brands. Vishal Shah, Instagram’s Head of Product Management for Monetization, mentions that even though we have seen progress in mobile purchasing “these two things — discovery and the actual purchase — are just not well-connected like in physical stores”. The feature will enable retailers to price label their products on the platform and then direct customers to their mobile website – still not enabling users to purchase through the app. However, Shah does mention that commerce will evolve into big business in the future – either through ads or a cut in sales.
HEADLINES
- Facebook is a hive of activity, reporting very strong Q3 fiscal results, testing instant games it now wants to start selling TV spots on TVs through Apple TV and Roku
- In a move that will please e-commerce teams, Instagram is set to add some shoppable features
- WhatsApp tests Status, a new feature that’s like Snapchat stories as the platform continues to evolve
INSIGHTS
- The learnings from Google’s secret video tests
- Lad Bible sets out to modernise sports broadcasting, starting with table tennis
- Wrap up of the main AI systems and why Google will change the game
COOL
- More legacy preservation than digital transformation, looking at social media transition of the office of @POTUS
- Make me a sandwich! Meet the robotic chef that can cook more than 100 different meals
- Ever thought Alexa needed more personality?
DEEP READS
- Thoughts on why mobile first is superseded by mobile native and a great list of the ‘building blocks’ of mobile centricity
- Has media overtaxed our brains or undervalued our attention?
- Two interesting approaches to digital publishing, the associated press wants to use machine learning to turn print stories into broadcast ones and the Harvard Business Review considers its digital options in a post-print world
Share anything you see through the week with the hashtag #OMDFWD