Snapchat has yet to make a big splash in e-commerce, choosing instead to keep the focus on its advertising business model for now.
Nike’s latest Air Jordan sneaker ‘drop’ showcased the potential of Snapchat commerce
Shopify and Darkstore helped bring the in-app shopping experience to life.
Jason Del Rey has been a business journalist for 15 years and has covered Amazon, Walmart, and the e-commerce industry for the last decade. He was a senior correspondent at Vox.
But a partnership between the social media app and Nike during the NBA’s All-Star weekend showcased Snapchat’s potential to become a home to exclusive commerce experiences in the future.
Over the All-Star weekend, Nike hosted a special concert in Los Angeles, the host city of the game. Attendees were guided to use the Snapchat camera to scan a code displayed on a basketball-hoop backboard to view the new Air Jordan III “Tinker” sneaker in the app.
Guests were then able to purchase the sneaker right within Snapchat with the help of technology from the e-commerce software company Shopify. And most of the kicks were delivered to customers on the same day, thanks to a logistics startup called Darkstore.
The sneaker drop comes a few weeks after opening up its own Snap Store storefront, where it sold some of its own branded sweatshirts and hats. For now, though, these launches come across as compelling one-offs rather than a cohesive online commerce strategy. But the potential is there for more.
This article originally appeared on Recode.net.
