Over the last few years, Instagram has introduced plenty of new features to help brands with selling on Instagram but a number of small businesses keep it simple by taking orders via the platform's direct message feature. Max Blachman-Gentile began selling bread on Instagram last year and giving local buyers the chance to pick up their freshly baked orders at Brooklyn bar and restaurant Torst, which let Blachman-Gentile use its own oven for his independent bread business and benefitted by having a rotation of customers regularly brought into the restaurant.
According to Instagram, there are 25 million business accounts on its platform but just a small portion of them—only about two million—actually advertise using its services.
Social Media-Based Bakeries
This Small Business Operates By Selling Through Instagram DMs
Trend Themes
1. Direct Message Selling - A trend of small businesses leveraging social media platforms' direct message feature to facilitate sales and communication with customers.
2. Social Media Commerce - The rise of social media platforms as effective sales channels, where businesses can directly reach and engage with customers.
3. Collaborative Partnerships - The trend of businesses forming mutually beneficial collaborations, such as using shared facilities to cut costs and increase customer traffic.
Industry Implications
1. Food & Beverage - Opportunities for bakeries and other businesses in the food and beverage industry to use direct message selling on social media platforms to reach and attract customers.
2. E-commerce - The growth of social media commerce presents opportunities for e-commerce companies to leverage platforms like Instagram for direct sales and customer engagement.
3. Hospitality - Collaborative partnerships between small businesses in the hospitality industry, such as bakeries and restaurants, can lead to increased customer traffic and revenue.