Big Changes on Instagram, Google Search, and E-Commerce Announced

A weekly recap of major marketing news you may have missed

Oct 02, 2022

Hi there!

Welcome to “5 Minutes of Marketing,” a newsletter delivering the latest marketing, business, and technology news.

Last week was big for SEO strategists, content creators, and digital marketers as Google’s “Search On” event took place and some huge changes in Google Search were announced. It seems that Google is taking big steps to fight stiff competition in Search.

Here are the three stories from Week 39. Grab a cup of coffee ☕️ and let’s go!

🚀 Instagram extends Stories to 60 seconds

Those of you who have been following my content know that I’m a huge fan of Instagram. This is huge news - the IG Stories will now be up to 60 seconds long continuously without being broken up!

Previously, Stories were automatically cut at a 15-second mark; however, after some worldwide testing last year, Instagram has extended the duration of its Stories feature. Earlier this year, the duration of Reels was extended from 60 seconds to 90 seconds.

What does it mean to Instagramers like you?
🎥 Instagram is keeping its promise to shift more attention to video;
🤳 It’ll allow content creators to create better Stories and capture user attention without interruptions;
📱 Instagram wants its users to spend more time on the app engaging with the content. This is a great opportunity for content creators;
🧐 Content creators will have to think of the differences between Stories and Reels. Currently, Reels are videos of up to 90 seconds, and content under 15 min in length is posted as Reels, as well.

This change comes when Instagram puts more attention on the competition with its greatest rivals - YouTube and TikTok. This is a great opportunity for content creators to offer even more engaging and lengthier content.

😱 E-commerce loses its pandemic shine

Android-based e-commerce app installs dropped by 5% (excluding India, where installs were up 116%) in the first half of the year, compared with the same period in 2021; while IOS installs also dropped 4% globally over the same period, according to AppsFlyer’s 2022 State of eCommerce App Marketing report.

Is e-commerce losing its pandemic shine, though? 🤔

I believe that there is no single factor influencing the decline of app installs. The same report reveals that businesses reduced their new-user acquisition budgets by 50% from July 2021 to July 2022. It has negatively impacted the new acquisitions. However, other factors, such as the war in Ukraine, rising energy costs, disruption in the supply chain, and rising inflation, are to blame as well.

If you have noticed a slowdown in your e-commerce business, you should push for more attractive marketing campaigns in the upcoming year-end sales. Black Friday, Single’s Day and the World Cup may encourage more customers to shop. In the end, acquisitions are worthless if conversions don’t happen. Therefore, instead of spending the budget on acquiring more new customers, it’s now better to allocate more budget to driving sales within the existing user base.

It may also be true that the economic uncertainties are pushing consumers to shop less and reconsider their expenses - that’s where attractive offers can boost your sales.

I wouldn’t claim that e-commerce is on a downhill trend. Likely, the consumption is just stabilizing after the tremendous growth it experienced during the pandemic.

🥲 Time to rethink your approach to Google Search

This week Google held its annual “Search On” event, where it shed some more light on what’s coming to Google Search. Google has admitted that Internet users now search for information online beyond the textual Google Search bar.

Google is on a path to creating “search experiences that will work like our minds, that are as multidimensional as people are.” Google wants you to find what you’re looking for by combining images, sounds, text, and speech. They call it “making search more natural and intuitive.”

Google realizes the drop in search inquiries, especially from Gen Z, who are keener to search for new brands, restaurants, holiday destinations, and more on social media (TikTok and Instagram).

As Google puts it, “The age of visual search is here. Your camera is the next keyboard.”

For you as a marketer, it’s high time to start rethinking your Google Search strategies. Textual search won’t disappear, but it will surely decline in the upcoming years as more and more people will start using visuals for search.

These are the things that you should now pay more attention to:
📍 Optimize your presence on Google Maps
📷 Optimize videos and images on your website
🛒 Optimize your e-commerce website for “Shop” search queries
👩‍🍳 If you’re a restaurant, optimize your menu for search
🔈 Optimize your website for voice search

5 Minutes of Marketing

Big Changes on Instagram, Google Search, and E-Commerce Announced

A weekly recap of major marketing news you may have missed

🚀 Instagram extends Stories to 60 seconds

😱 E-commerce loses its pandemic shine

🥲 Time to rethink your approach to Google Search

Other interesting stories worth checking out: