Snapchat is looking to appease angry users—but it’s not backing down from its new path.
The social media platform recently met with backlash after a major overhaul of its app angered regular users, but instead of changing its design back to the original, Snap is instead offering users (and brand managers) additional features.
The first comes through a partnership with Giphy. Snap announced on Tuesday that users can now add GIF stickers in the app, which can be overlaid onto uploaded photos and videos.
To add GIFs to your posts, tap the Sticker icon and search for the image you want to add to a photo or video. You can scale the GIF sticker by pinching the screen with your fingers or add multiple GIFs. Also similar to Instagram, there’s an option to pin a sticker to something in your snap by pressing and holding the sticker to a spot in your video, and the sticker will move, rotate, or scale to whatever it’s pinned to.
Another feature aims to address users’ complaints surrounding the redesign and finding content.
While this Giphy functionality is available now, the second new feature is coming soon. A Snap Inc. spokesperson said tabs will soon be added to Snapchat’s Friends and Discover sections, allowing users to sort through their friends with active stories, group chats and their subscriptions in Discover.
The tabs feature will soon begin rolling out to iOS users, and it will launch on Android at a later date.
However, Snap is still controlling what content users see, probably in an attempt to keep them on the app as long as possible.
The Wall Street Journal reported:
Snap has made a small concession to its disgruntled users. On Tuesday, the company said a coming update will add tabs to the Friends and Discover screens. In these tabs, you’ll be able to tap to see only stories or group chats or Discover feeds you’ve subscribed to. They’re still all sorted by those algorithms, however.
Adding GIFs and tabs are only a few features that Snap has added to combat criticism and slowed user growth, but it’s doubling down on its decision to redesign its platform, despite angering a plethora of users.
The Verge reported:
Snap has recently introduced more features and updates as it battles anemic growth. Earlier in January, it introduced a major update to its Bitmoji app, allowing hundreds of new customization options.
Snapchat CEO and founder Evan Spiegel noted on the company’s recent quarterly earnings call that Snapchat remains convinced its recent redesigns have “made our application simpler and easier to use,” and also noted improved ad performance post-overhaul, despite vocal user complaints. Spiegel also noted, however, that Snapchat is “constantly monitoring the rollout of the redesign and making improvements based on what we learn from our community and their usage of Snapchat,” and this design tweak seems to fall into that category.
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The backlash over the redesign has even caused financial analysts to downgrade their stock forecasts for Snapchat.
The analysts Mark May and Hao Yan wrote: "While the recent redesign of [Snap's] flagship app could produce positive long-term benefits, [there is a] significant jump in negative app reviews since the redesign was pushed out a few weeks, which could result in a decline in users and user engagement, and could negatively impact financial results."
However, not all users hate the redesign—and in the battle for eyeballs and attention spans, Snap seems to be deliberately differentiating itself from Instagram (even though the apps have been copying features from one another).
“If you can’t beat ’em...pivot,” wrote Wall Street Journal’s David Pierce, who continued:
For certain things, Snapchat is now a far less useful platform. It’s not the best place to keep up with celebrities or view the videos your influencer-wannabe friends are posting publicly.
But to me, the infamously inscrutable app is now far easier to understand, especially for new users. It’s no longer “Instagram only confusing.” Snap is doubling down on being personal, and we need more of that on the internet. It’s exploring how photography, chat and even TV change when we’re all on our phones all the time. I’ve found myself using Snapchat far more since the redesign.
Opportunities can abound for brand managers using Snapchat, too, despite the redesign backlash.
For those wondering how to navigate the changes, The Sun published instructions on how to see the users who viewed your Snapchat Stories—important for brand managers and influencers alike.
Other marketing and PR pros might be excited about the ability to partner with Snap to sell merchandise, too. Snapchat recently offered its users the ability to purchase not-yet-released Jordan sneakers.
Technically, fans couldn't buy the shoes on site -- they had to scan a QR code that then allowed them to purchase a pair of the AJ III Tinkers, which are slated to go on sale March 24th in Snapchat's merch store. Sneakerheads are used to using apps to pick up shoes, so it makes some sense to lure them into using the in-app storefront. But it's also a hint that Snap likely has more planned than just hot dog merch -- and will probably roll the product releases in with other events that combine ephemeral events with e-commerce.
Here's a tweet from the company, which it sent alongside its Snapchat offering:
Introducing A/R Jordan.
— Jordan (@Jumpman23) February 19, 2018
That iconic '88 dunk like you've never seen before. pic.twitter.com/V5Q0mttQpr
Dan Neiweem, co-founder and principal of Avionos , said that social commerce is an important element of marketing—but brand managers, not influential social media users, are wielding the power to influence a sale. That means that for social media marketing campaigns, Snapchat might grow to become a platform that can boost your organization’s bottom line.
Neiweem says:
Consumers seem to be more influenced to buy from a brand on a social platform than an influencer sharing a product. So, as Snap furthers their move into the eCommerce space, it will be interesting to see how the brand performs.
Another interesting facet of social commerce is the idea of impulse purchases. It's more difficult for brands to incite impulse purchases online than in a brick-and-mortar setting simply due to general human tendencies. However, SnapChat is rooted in very immediate and spontaneous interactions. Take a look at the limited content that people tend to share or the length of time they share it for when using the platform. That usage pattern could quickly translate into eCommerce and result in users making more 'snap' decisions in purchasing.
What do you think of Snapchat’s new features, PR Daily readers? What are your plans with the platform in the upcoming months?
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