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Snapchat opens commerce to Snap influencers, starting with Kylie Jenner
Snapchat has released a new tool to appease its wavering influencer community. Following Snap’s big push into commerce, the company is now making its native commerce feature available to top creators.
The program began on June 28 with Kylie Jenner as the launch partner. Within a snap video posted around 6 p.m. Eastern time that showed The Sorta Sweet Palette for Kyshadow, Snapchat users could swipe up to buy the product. The experience is akin to the native commerce function Snapchat has in its own in-app store and its recent partnership with SeatGeek to sell tickets. Users add and can choose to save all their credit card and shipping information in Snapchat without having to go to another site.
A Snap spokesperson said Snap is not taking a commission. The choice of Jenner to try out the new service is notable since she helped wipe $1.3 billion off Snap’s market cap. The Snap spokesperson said the commerce for creators program is now in open beta.
For Snapchat, the commerce for creators experience is another way to keep them on the product. Snapchat-focused creators have debated abandoning the platform or at least spending more of their time on Instagram. Instagram continues to add far more users and introduce new experiences like long-form video with IGTV and its own commerce features. Snapchat also has been testing commerce with publishers.
During VidCon, the annual conference for online video, a Snap executive said it had launched an ad revenue sharing program with creators. Now, introducing commerce is yet another way for creators to make money. While not every creator designs and sells merchandise — or has their own beauty products like Jenner — the launch does diversify revenue options within Snapchat. Former reality TV star Spencer Pratt uses Snapchat not only as a place to lip-sync Taylor Swift songs, but also to announce promotions for his crystal store.
Shopify’s technology powers Snapchat’s experience. While Shopify can power creator’s websites, Loren Padelford, vp and gm of Shopify, said his company has been betting on social commerce, and partners like Jenner show the potential.
“Through the power of social media, Kylie has been able to generate both hype and demand for her products in a very unique way, and this is taking it to the next level,” Padelford said. “We see the future of commerce as becoming intrinsically connected to our everyday social interactions.”
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