Snapchat today reaches 90% of the 13–24-year-old population and 75% of the 13–34-year-old population in 20+ countries. The equation of businesses present on Snap with their customer is very savvy and 34% of customers look to buy the products they see getting advertised on the platform. The era of immersive experiences is here and in conversation with Farimah Moeini, Head of Industry – Retail and eCommerce, Snap Inc. – MENA to decode how the platform is utilising technology to offer only the best to the customer.
The power of the video
“Customer today does not demarcate between touchpoints. They are always ready to jump the wagon to complete their purchase wherever they find it comfortable. This is where the power of videos come into play and a platform line Snapchat leverages this content stream to bring the audience of a brand closer to its products in just a click,” Farimah notes. Snap acknowledges and believes that immersive and predictive technologies provide the means not only to offer highly customizable and ethically sourced products, but also helps significantly enhance the in-store retail experience.
“Yet retailers in the region have been slow to implement these technologies. To build and maintain competitive advantage in the new era, retailers need to look at these technologies not as an add-on to their traditional business model, but as the backbone to new, hyper-responsive ways of working to attract and win the loyalty of customers that today have more choice than ever before,” she adds.
Adding value to shopping
“At Snap we regard the power of technology to be a superlative stream that helps us empower the customer on the one hand, letting them choose and visualise their product’s merit way before they decide to shop for it. This is the power of augmented reality, which helps one do trials on their products before they actually go ahead and shop for it. On the other hand, the whole world of AR helps brands leverage it to their interest to streamline content and make it more customer friendly. It is a win-win for both sides,” Farimah adds.
Among the whole MENA region, Saudi shoppers, as was acknowledged in 2018, have been the most connected and digitally savvy in the world. They are more likely to act as finders across all product categories, and across both online and offline channels. According to a latest report by PwC, 42% of Saudi consumers are shopping online via mobile phones and this makes them rely more on platforms like Snap to get their shopping done.
Taking the big leap
“Being futuristic is a no more a thing of the distant future. Rather, I would assure that it is happening now. 90% of our customers in Saudi Arabia use Augmented Reality on a daily basis and by 2025 we are sure that this region will be very special as 100% of GenZ in this region will totally depend on AR. However, what is lacking is education and still many brands refuse to see the power of immersive technology,” Farimah mentions.
Snap is trying to simplify the concept of ‘video power’ through its platform and their efforts are towards educating the industry regarding the simplicity of this tool. What seems complicated and a thing of the distant future is a very simplistic approach and it only requires a little bit of understanding, which Snap through their efforts is trying to establish.
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