Old Navy Using Instagram's Newest Advertising Platform "Carousel" To Connect With Customers

By Megan Zielinski, contributing writer

Old Navy, a Gap Inc. brand, is one of the first leading retailers to incorporate Instagram’s newest innovative form of advertising to deliver visual content in a story-like way.

In mid-March, Instagram introduced Carousel, a new, multi-page ad layout designed for brands to showcase their products in an engaging slideshow format. Interested viewers can view up to four images by swiping their finger starting with the first picture displayed. The end of the ad features a link directing viewers to their website for purchasing information. Old Navy will promote their line of Baja clothing in a sequence of real-life settings that consumers can relate with, in particularly, millennial consumers.

Instagram, a visual social media platform with nearly 300 million users and growing is shaking up the world of retail shopping. Big brands such as Old Navy are effectively using visual content to advertise and interact with mobile consumers, creating convenient ways for users to seamlessly browse and shop in a matter of seconds straight from their devices. Gap is dedicated to making the shopping process as easy as possible by creating unique, high-quality photos and videos conveying a powerful punch of information to the viewer’s eye. In a fast-paced generation, consumers do not have time to search for products and will often forget or not even bother to go through steps to purchase an item they’ve seen earlier. In February, Gap launched like2b.uy, enabling Instagram followers to go far beyond just liking and commenting on posted pictures as clothing can be ordered right from the picture.

So just how important is including visuals on social media sites? A study revealed that after Facebook introduced its timeline layout allowing brands to include more visuals on their pages, consumer engagement increased by a whole 65 percent. Upon recognizing the impact of visual marketing, Facebook acquired Instagram — the best digital platform for brands to use for connecting with consumers. Up to 67 percent of online consumers consider visuals to be more valuable than product description and even ratings.