Polish online stores are selling on Instagram

"She had 2 million fans, didn't sell 36 shirts." - such a headline circulated the web recently, suggesting that Instagram influencers can't sell. Meanwhile, 41 percent of sellers on the platform Shoper are using the site to promote themselves, and the success of the Nancy Accessories store shows that Instagram can significantly impact store growth.

The famous story of 18-year-old influencer Aria and her failed attempt to cash in on online popularity could be discussed in college - as an example of how not to use social media. The Instagram star apparently believed that millions of profile fans would replace a good marketing strategy. She released her "own" collection of printed clothing, but it did not match the style presented on her profile, and then hardly promoted it. As a result, she failed to get the minimum number of orders required by the clothing manufacturer to start production in pre-sales.

This doesn't prove that Instagram doesn't sell, but it does show that providing fans with entertaining content is different than engaging them. "The key aspects are: profile name, profile photo, specific bio, link to the site, incorporate shopping features, and a consistent account strategy." - suggest experts at Shoper University in a guide for marketers. Meanwhile, Aria's profile is full of flashy photos, but lacks a description or link to a related site, thus failing to inspire confidence in potential buyers.

- The fact that promotion on Instagram makes sense is convinced by the involvement of online store owners in this service. Our survey shows that as many as 41 percent of stores on the platform Shoper have profiles on Instagram. In turn, 29 percent of sellers run paid advertising campaigns there. It is worth remembering that while they increase reach, they are not a substitute for a sales strategy, notes Dominik Cisoń, Customer Success Specialist of the Shoper platform .

Above all, the community

A model example of the development of an instagram profile linked to online sales is the Nancy Accessories store. It offers colorful cases for smartphones, tablets and laptops, giving similar gadgets an individual look. Mostly women are interested in them, so the ideal communication channel is Instagram - according to a NapoleonCat study, 59 percent of its Polish users are the fair sex.

Magdalena Kucia-Ochal launched the @nancyaccessories profile before her current online store was even launched. So for a while the main channel for placing orders was private messages on Instagram. To reach new people she partnered with influencers.

- Influencers themselves decided which products from the store's assortment I should send them. I cared about the products to appear on their profile on predetermined dates. In this way, every day a photo appeared on Instagram with one of the unique hashtags #nancyaccessories or #nancygirls. As brand recognition grew, female customers began to tag my product themselves in their photos, creating a community around the brand," says Magdalena Kucia-Ochal.

Customer part of the brand

Surprisingly, after launching the actual store at nancyaccessories.co.uk, sales dramatically... dropped. According to the owner, the appearance of the site was to blame, especially the photos of products on a sterile white background, which made her store similar to other online businesses, losing the individual character she had developed earlier.

- It was a lesson for me that when you create a community and get it used to a certain style, and my clients were used to lifestyle photos showing Nancy's accessories in everyday life, you must not radically change it," says Magdalena Kucia-Ochal. - During this time, I also matured to show myself on Instagram. I began to share my experience of starting a business and running a store with my customers. Every Sunday I made chats in which I talked about it and made them featured accounts on my profile. Thanks to them, the girls began to identify with me, the engagement under the published posts increased and the community itself grew," Magdalena recalls.