Pinterest’s AR shopping feature expands
Pinterest is working with a select group of US retailers expanding its AR shopping feature, allowing shoppers on the app to use the ‘Lens camera’ tool to see what items of furniture and soft furnishings could look like in their homes. Users then have the opportunity to purchase the item directly through Pinterest.
Pinterest’s AR shopping feature is already available for beauty and fashion shoppers, yet this roll out is Pinterest’s largest AR shopping investment to date, available across more than 80,000 shoppable pins.
For now, the AR homeware shopping feature is only available for US users on iOS and Android, but will soon roll out globally.
Spotify to invest in underrepresented creators
CEO of Spotify, Daniel Ek, has announced that Spotify will be investing $100 million in the licensing, development, and marketing of music and audio content from historically marginalised groups on the platform.
After receiving backlash due to concerns that podcaster Joe Rogan has been sharing offensive content in his podcast on Spotify, the platform is ensuring that the voices of those who are often underrepresented. Spotify will also be putting further support and guidelines in place on the platform to ensure that users are not consuming content that they deem to be harmful or inappropriate. Spotify has taken this opportunity to listen to the feedback of artists and creators on the platform, improving the space for users.
Tumblr introduces a way to pay content creators
With the rapid growth of social media platforms that offer benefits including monetisation tools, blogging site Tumblr is playing catch up. Tumblr has now launched its second monetisation feature within the past eight months – the tip jar.
When users see a post from a creator that they want to support, they can head to the newly added ‘tip’ tab and give up to $100. The full tip will go to the creator, as Tumblr clarified they will not be taking a cut.
The feature will initially be available to US Tumblr users, but will soon expand to encourage more creators to share and invest time into producing content on the platform.
Snapchat rolls out mid-story ads
Snap Inc.’s Snapchat is currently in the beta phase of testing mid-story ads. At present, a select number of US content creators on the platform can access the feature. In Snapchat’s statement announcing the launch of the test, it says, “Stories lower the barrier to content creation and engagement, and we believe placing ads within a Snap Star’s public story will allow an easier path to financial success,”.
The revenue gained from the mid-story ads will be split between the creator who shared the story and Snapchat. The introduction of the feature is set to encourage high profile, culturally relevant content creators on the app to share more, digestible content that will encourage their followers to spend more time engaging with content on Snapchat, in turn, increasing the earnings of the creators themselves.
SEEN Connects expands by opening NYC office
Influencer marketing agency, SEEN Connects, has opened a New York office as part of its plans to expand across North America. The opening of the office has resulted to show commitment to new clients in the region, including graphic design platform Canva, fashion brand Coach, and toy producer, Ravensburger.
Speaking about the New York office, Managing Director at SEEN Connects, Sedge Beswick, explains: “2021 was a brilliant year for the business, we have partnered with fantastic new clients and taken on ambitious colleagues who are embracing our entrepreneurial and exciting way of working. We are a people-led business and I genuinely believe that my people are the best in the market.
“The US will be the region that drives our international growth plans and to fully commit to clients and staff in the States, a presence in the US is vital. New York is a brilliant place to do business and we can’t wait to fully immerse ourselves in the opportunities the city has to offer.”
Facebook launches Reels feature globally
Facebook is introducing Reels to the platform, following in the footsteps of Instagram. Both platforms sit under the Meta umbrella.
Reels will soon become available to users in more than 150 countries for creators around the world to grow their communities. Users who use Facebook as a platform for content creation will also be able to earn money from their Reels as the platform will also be testing overlay ads, starting with banners and sticker ads. Following the success of Reels on Instagram, it will be interesting to see whether a similar amount of interest and traction picks up on Facebook too.
With so many of these industry news updates focusing on the US market, the Talking Influence team’s excitement about venturing to New York for the Influencer Marketing Show NYC in April is only increasing! We can’t wait to hear and learn more from marketing experts in the US about the continuing growth of the ever-expanding influencer space.
