Missed our series on eCommerce moments on the week? Fear not – we’re back! And instead of tackling a week, we’re looking at the whole month. Discover some of our favourite online moments from January…
1. If you can dream it, tweet it
Twitter hasn’t had the best reputation as of late. Let’s just blame Elon Musk’s takeover of the platform, mass internal resignations and resulting questions of the app’s legitimacy.
Many young consumers have expressed their uncertainty about the platform, turning to other alternatives like Discord and Mastodon. Twitter’s financial results have reflected this change, with its share price currently below its 2013 public debut.
Usual remedies would be a push towards directing users to the product to drive revenue. But this time, Twitter went for something a little more unexpected. Twitter harnessed the power of emotion (and some good old nostalgia!) to launch their ‘If you can dream it, tweet it’ campaign. Billboards around the US were adorned with resurfaced tweets from celebrities, including Megan Thee Stallion, Demi Lovato and Matthew A. Cherry.
This move was a clever play on the ‘manifestation’ trend, which has exploded in popularity on social media, and also helped to reinforce Twitter’s standing as a place for positive growth for Gen Z consumers.
Brb, just tweeting our lifelong dreams…
2. TikTok tests a sleep reminder feature
Ever opened TikTok, scrolled for what felt like a few minutes, then realised two hours had passed? Us too.
TikTok’s bitesize content and addictive algorithm has users around the world hooked, regardless of what time it is. However, with the average adult needing 7-9 hours of sleep per night to function at their best, this perpetual scrolling is far from beneficial. TikTok have recognised this, and trialled out a new ‘sleep reminder’ feature.
The feature, which is currently being tested in Canada, includes a reminder for users to ‘put down’ their phones and unwind for the night. Users can customise the reminder to receive it at a specific time. TikTok has followed in the footsteps of other tech companies who are putting a new onus on wellbeing. Apple’s iOs system includes a ‘bedtime’ feature whilst those who own a Fitbit can customise their sleep notifications.
3. McDonald’s speaks “late night”
It’s 4am, you’re stumbling out of a nightclub and feeling as though you might die if you don’t consume some sort of greasy nutriment. Golden arches appear in a mist on the horizon… is it heaven?
Well, it may as well be. Fast food and alcohol represent a love story as old as time – and the campaign experts at McDonald’s showed they’re well aware of this intersection in their January campaign.
Making light of the late-night mumblings of drunken consumers, McDonald’s New Zealand launched a campaign that depicted some of the most popular products with hilarious mispronunciations overlaid on them.
Whilst this wasn’t specifically eCommerce, an honourable mention had to go to this campaign for its unique marketing aimed at younger audiences, sparking a lot of attention from Gen Z consumers.
4. Monzo shows humans still run the roost
Chatter around robots stealing our jobs feels never-ending at the moment. With the inception of ChatGPT sparking debate on its *arguably* human-superior skills (such as writing complex prose, solving equations and more in a matter of seconds), many feel nervous around what this could mean for the future of ecommerce.
The banking app Monzo recently gained attention for dipping their toe into this debate. After being called out on Twitter for a spelling mistake in their app update, Monzo showed their great sense of humour in their next update, writing:
“Thank you to Martin on Twitter for pointing out the typo in last week’s notes. At least you know your brand is run by humans”
This copywriting showcased their brand personality against a boring context (we can’t say we’re too crazy about reading app updates) – weighing in on a very real debate with a great sense of humour. Monzo is a bank with a significant Gen Z user base, so adding in this personalisation to their eCommerce is a great way to drive brand affinity.
5. eBay and Love Island re-couple
Macklemore might have made thrift shopping trendy, but Love Island has made preloved eCommerce a whole lot cooler.
In 2022, Love Island – the most watched television programme in the UK – announced eBay as their sponsor, breaking away from their history of fast fashion partnerships and positively changing the reputation of second hand clothes.
As Winter Love Island returns to our screens, the popular programme has made the decision to couple up with eBay again. This partnership has directly influenced the eCommerce habits of consumers, with searches for ‘preloved clothes’ up a whopping 1,600% more than last year.
We’re excited to see where this initiative goes, and are all for shopping sustainably – especially when pre-loved ambassador Tasha Ghouri makes it look this fashionable!
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