Influencers Promote In-Person Shopping
Wendy Nguyen is used to being contacted by brands looking to promote their products. She is an influencer with 1.1 million followers on Instagram, after all. Recently, though, Nguyen received a very different call. She said Nordstrom extended a “very careful” inquiry gauging her interest in a campaign to advertise in-person shopping in the brand’s New York City flagship store.
Nguyen is just one of many influencers tapped to create this campaign. Instagrammer Aïssata Diallo showed off the Nordstrom x Nike sneaker boutique, while Kia Marie sat in the “Beauty Haven,” and Nguyen showed off one of the store’s many lounges. All of them wore masks and all of these spaces are notably spacious. All of the women praised the store’s safety measures. Nordstrom is following mandatory masking and social distancing guidelines, as well as offering copious amounts of hand sanitizer. Kia Marie said she could shop there “with peace of mind,” while Nguyen called the visit “so refreshing” after months of strict quarantine.
The virus has been hard on the in-person shopping industry. The New York Times says that even before the pandemic, physical stores struggled to get people into their spaces. However, now that the virus has hit, traffic to shopping centers, including those outdoors, is down about 30 percent from last year.
It is not shocking that stores have turned to influencers to encourage people to come back to physical stores. Social media campaigns have been successful at encouraging people to buy specific products, both before and during the pandemic—this is little different. Scott Meden, Nordstrom’s chief marketing officer, said that “the healthy and safety of our customers and employees is our most important priority.” “Partnering with influencers,” he says, “is a way to share their perspective on steps we’ve taken…to keep everyone healthy.” Nguyen seems cautiously optimistic, as long as people continue to follow C.D.C. guidelines despite stores like Nordstrom reopening in person. Her view is “the store openings can work if we are all active participants in how to protect others and ourselves.”