Weekly Digital Breakdown – 7.25.19

Amazon Invests In Homebuying

Buying a home can be a daunting and stressful process. Amazon has recognized the struggle and is extending their services to include real estate. With a partnership with Realogy, the nation’s largest residential real estate brokerage company, The two have created TurnKey for real estate shoppers. Potential home buyers will be able to find and purchase a new home primarily online with access to top real estate services such as Coldwell Banker, Century21, Sotheby’s, etc. Those that complete the process through TurnKey will receive credits that can be used to purchase Amazon Home Services and smart-home products.  

The process will begin by asking users to answer preliminary questions around their desired location and house requirements. Once completed, a Realogy agent will contact the prospective homebuyer to further evaluate their timeline and seriousness to purchase. Home service and smart-home product coupon values will vary based on final home cost but could be valued at as much as $5,000.  

The partnership gives Amazon access to a desired vertical to promote its smart home devices and home services. It also opens up extended advertising opportunities for a niche market with specific interest. From Realogy’s perspective, it’s a much needed branding boost in response to a slowing housing market and increased competition from sites like Zillow. By working with Amazon, they will now be associated with the retail giant’s captive audience and brand enthusiast.  

The TurnKey program officially launched in select cities this week with expansions planned in the future.  Amazon’s direct access to real estate shoppers expands the company’s ability to be a one-stop shop for all things and further hold on the retail market.

https://www.curbed.com/2019/7/23/20706958/amazon-realogy-turnkey-real-estate-industry

Snapchat Continues Record Success

Snapchat just released record user and revenue growth in their Q2 results and marketers are taking note. The company added 13 million daily active users making the platform a welcome alternative to others which have previously dominated the space. 

After a significant decline in users following a 2018 app redesign, the rebound in momentum magnifies the company’s determination to be a key industry player. The company attributes the record success to new filters, Android app improvements, and expanded advertising opportunities. 

The investment in Android paid off with app downloads increasing 37% over prior year.  App users are experiencing a faster mobile experience and as a result, are sending 7% more posts. The popularity of new filters, such as gender-swapping, has also enticed new users to the platform. As for advertisers, Snap added Snap Select, a premium ad service that offers ads in bulk for a fixed price which play during popular content. 

Much of the success can also be attributed to the apps increasing popularity among teens, which are the platforms fasting growing demographic. Snapchat estimates 90% of 13-24 year olds are reached through the platform, making it ideal for marketers to capture this audience and cultivate brand loyalty as these users age.

Snapchat has no plans of slowing down as they continue to gain a larger share of the social media market. The rapid and significant growth shows the company’s commitment to evolving the platform based on user engagement. The company plans to continue to ride the momentum and set the bar high with the Q3 goal between $410 million – $435 million, far exceeding original projections. 

https://www.mobilemarketer.com/news/snap-adds-record-13m-users-in-q2-as-revenue-jumps-48/559387/

Facebook Mobile News Feed Has A New Look

Facebook is optimizing its mobile ad experience in August to match the recently redesigned mobile app, with a direct effect on advertisers. The update aims to create a less intrusive user experience. As users have become less receptive to traditional advertising and younger audiences continue to steadily decline, Facebook has made platform innovation a primary focus to attract and retain users.

The changes to the mobile ads will impact the aspect ratios of photos and videos as well as the amount of text available in the ad on mobile news feed posts. The most substantial of the updates being the decrease in available text to just 3 lines. Advertisers will now need to be extra clean and concise on their images, video, and text selection in order to make the most impact with less space and cause users to stop mid-scroll to engage.

The new dimensions are intended to allow advertisers to use assets across Instagram and Facebook without the need for adjustments. The consistency and simplified format will make thumb-stopping content more critical than ever.

https://www.mobilemarketer.com/news/facebook-shrinks-ad-space-on-mobile-news-feed/559194/