What the F***

What would it look like if the increasing amount of shopping content on TikTok and Instagram was the entire app experience? That’s ‘Flip’.

Like those platforms, it’s an easily scrollable feed of videos, but where it differs is it is entirely creators and other users recommending and reviewing products.

Let’s dig into what this is and why it matters…

My Weakness Is None Of Your Business

There has been a spike of interest in the two markets where it is currently available (U.S. and Canada), driven by an aggressive viral referral program focused initially within the beauty category. It has also tapped into the weaknesses of the duopoly in this social commerce space: Amazon and TikTok. To quote Bloomberg (paywall):

“Amazon’s user experience… has deteriorated, having spent the last few years leaning hard into expanding its selection with foreign sellers and serving up a slop of untrustworthy sponsored listings. TikTok’s Chinese ownership, meanwhile, is a persistent cloud and, on a more practical level, the app has a challenge in injecting shopping functions into a platform known for its dancing and comedy.”

Hooked On A Feeling

While Instagram, YouTube and even TikTok are becoming increasingly filled with more polished content, this is a potential sign that it might not be the right approach for every category. What captures consumer attention is the hook in the first few seconds. Marketers might decide that the sale is more important than brand safety, especially for fast-moving products. To quote The Verge:

“The whole experience of watching these videos is painfully awkward and a little surreal… yet Flip also feels, in some ways, like a harbinger for social video to come.”

Risk Vs. Reward

Flip can feel a little spammy at times, like when it keeps asking you to share your contacts for free credits. Its TrustPilot rating supports this. And it would be easy to argue that the feed is mainly selling people products that they don’t really need. Much like appearing on the QVC Shopping Channel, marketers will have to decide if this is a media environment that they are happy to be part of if Flip becomes a genuine channel in other parts of the world.

Why does this matter for marketers?

The rise of Flip is a reminder that younger people, who - for better or worse - grew up with a phone in their hand, know when a brand is trying to sell in an inauthentic way. That’s why much of the paid content on TikTok, Instagram and other platforms doesn’t work in the way it’s intended to.

But if the platform is brazen about what it is selling (because that is the entire premise on which it was built), then potential customers are less bothered.

Will Flip burn out, fade away or get bought by a bigger rival? Only time will tell, but it is worth keeping an eye on for anyone interested in the future of social commerce.