Verishop Adds More Social Features To Its eCommerce App

Social commerce platform Verishop is adding new social features to its app, allowing all users to share content and interact with other shoppers and brands.

What began as an eCommerce site has grown to include social elements, such as allowing users to upload photos and videos, tag products, and follow brands and other users, announced in a company press release. According to the release, Verishop believes it has identified the most important social features for an eCommerce app.

“Based on what we’ve seen from others who have tried to combine social and shopping, we thought we needed to nail an amazing commerce experience first, before layering on the social elements,” Verishop said in the news release.

In addition, users can create “collections,” where they can store favorite products in either private or public boards. Users will also now have profiles, where others can see their content, followers, and their collection boards.

“We think browsing photos and videos online is the new window shopping, and people are the new everyday stylists,” the release says.

Almost 1,000 direct-to-consumer and digital brands are now featured on the app, after being verified by Verishop.

Social commerce has gained traction as of late, pushed on by the pandemic-induced digital shift in shopping and the already-growing interest in combining social media and ecommerce. Instagram, and its large influencer community, have especially contributed to progress in monetizing their social media presence.

Facebook officially launched Instagram Shop in the U.S. this July, and plans to test shopping in Instagram Reels, its short-form video feature, later this year, according to reports.

The difference with Verishop, is that users visit the app with shopping in mind — whereas traditional social media makes it an additional offering on the side.