How is social media changing our shopping habits?

This week I read a brilliant article on the Nylon Magazine website about how social media is changing our shopping habits. Today's millennial's are not choosing to shop direct from brands and stores instead they're picking up on-trend, new and used items from their favourite Instagram influencers. By the means of marketplace app Depop. 

Nylon explain how it all works “The app’s users follow each other, message each other, and “like” each other’s items for sale in a feed not unlike Instagram’s layout. And, of course, like Instagram, the most influential users—from bloggers and vloggers to celebrities—are the ones racking in hundreds of thousands of likes, as well as sales”.

I was a member of Depop for a short while approximately a year ago, but it wasn't for me. I'm not really an eBay shopper either and to be honest online shopping has always proven difficult.

Depop has 5.5 million users and is an innovative way of selling. Social media is constantly influencing what we wear, either through style inspiration from those we follow or via the advertisements that have slowly appeared on our feed over the last year. 

However, there is pro’s and cons to this new shopping movement. Would buying pre owned goods from our Instagram influencers cost us our individual style? or does it promote re-selling second hand clothes instead of buying new ones? and what impacts might this have on retailers? 

I personally enjoy gaining style inspiration from those I follow on Instagram but I’m not on board with shopping that individual closets. Nylon explain this as “owning a part of their personal brand”, but I also think this means you are owning their individual style whether this be from an up-and-coming fashion brand or a piece of rare vintage. Fashion is about personalising your style and expressing who you are. Buying clothes from our Instagram followers could cause the younger generation to become clones of one another and imitate their style without finding their own. 

I do however think it is important to reuse our second hand clothes and not just dispose of them and this is something Depop promotes. The fast fashion movement of ‘buy in bulk’ is having lasting impacts on the environment and changes need to be made. The younger generation are enjoying shopping from their favourite bloggers and vloggers and this is without a doubt going to impact on high street retailers and brands.

Founder of Depop Simon Beckerman says “I see the future of retail being much more about connecting people together, rather than brands and companies.” From now on retailers will have to find new ways of engaging with customers to ensure sales remain positive. This may be done with brand-sponsored Instagram and Twitter content which builds synchronicity between retailers and social media.

Technology is constantly changing and this is forcing brands and retailers to evolve, if not they might find themselves falling behind in the fashion race. 

Nylon Article http://www.nylon.com/articles/simon-beckerman-depop-interview

Ph Credit aboutfitsdotcom.wordpress.com via Pinterest