Instagram has teamed up with US food delivery platform ChowNow to help local restaurants market themselves, by making Instagram stories and pictures of their food shoppable. As of this month, restaurants can add an ‘order food’ sticker or button, which diners can click to immediately order that meal from ChowNow. The goal of the offering is to help restaurants survive the pandemic, boost order volume, and inform customers that they’re still open for business. ChowNow does not take a commission on diners’ orders; instead, it charges a fee for restaurants to access its platform.
This is a case-in-point example of how businesses can learn from industries outside their own. Since Instagram debuted shoppable posts with around 55 fashion influencers and retail partners, these are the sectors that have typically used it since. Yet the success of Instagram marketing is compelling; one survey found 46% of users have been prompted to purchase after seeing Insta ads and content. So really, why shouldn’t restaurants apply this same tactic? Livestream platform Taobao demonstrated a similar line of reasoning, shifting to help China’s COVID-19-impacted farmers showcase their produce via livestream - effectively, turning farmers into influencers!
Now is not the time to limit your thinking. If you represent a small business affected by the pandemic, take a look at some best-practices and overwhelming successes from other industries. Which could you apply to your own? And even if you aren’t at a B2B brand...could ChowNow inspire you to pivot, and help struggling businesses put their best faces (or food!) forward?
Stay healthy,
The TrendWatching content team
