Cannes was an excellent opportunity to talk product roadmaps while also inspiring our social platform partners to continue innovating with new tools and practices. While brands are looking to enhance their channels with exciting new experiences, consumers are always on the hunt for new influencers to follow, ideas to advocate for and products to promote. The opportunity for platforms to enhance this engagement is abundant and although there are many up-and-coming innovators within the social commerce space, the major players are the ones who can implement change at scale – and are on the cusp of doing just that.

We’ve spoken in the past about how mediums, when not given the care and attention they deserve, will regress to a known format in the hands of marketers. For example: banners behaving like print, influencers becoming spokespeople and social posts becoming bland product listings. There is also the risk that players in the same segment fall into a trap of becoming clones of one another by competing for dominance with familiar features such as stories, disappearing messages and filters.

But there’s hope still for social platforms as they navigate through product puberty and grow into their full potential. All it takes is for each platform to recognize their unique magic and tap into it by optimizing on what makes them different from the rest. Here are a few updates from the major players at Cannes that put their magic on display:

TikTok and Community Commerce

We’re working closely with TikTok to mature the Community Commerce proposition. It’s about starting with creators – how they want to develop their narrative, acting as enablers to how they curate the world and make that an engaging ‘shoppertainment’ experience. It’s a whole new paradigm and we love experimenting at its forefront. Yes, it does make brands and buying tertiary to the creator and the content – but that’s the most authentic way brands can elevate the TikTok experience, and our partners are keen to see how we can push culture and invent even more fun ways to shop.

Pinterest’s Full Potential

Pinterest is about to unlock its full potential as the only place that begins purely from a place of extremely strong intention. There’s no other platform that instills as much excitement and creative expression as Pinterest. The entire concept and the way the platform is structured opens consumers’ minds to purchasing an entire lifestyle rather than just one product. We’re working with them to understand what drives and sparks that inspiration, and how to enhance their features for discovery and customer experience. When Pinterest is fully activated, we will finally have a place where the middle of the purchase funnel can be optimized.

Snap Keeps it Fun with AR

No collaborative session was as much fun as the Snap one. Don’t let the sad face selfies fool you, that’s just their amazing filters working their magic! Snap is really coming into its own as a camera company. They’re developing in many ways, but they’re especially thriving in optimizing the interactive shopping experience. Snap’s lighthearted nature and camera-first approach is a natural antidote of purchase friction. Replicating the emotive thrill and spontaneity of window shopping IRL is something brands are always looking to achieve and enhance digitally through social. Snap is currently the best platform to give you a similar experience. It’s exciting, it’s fun and it’s a place Snap will continue to own.

Twitter and the Power of Conversation

Lastly, Twitter is set to enter the ring, unlocking its role as a unique opinion shaper – allowing our partners to benefit from the massive power of conversation in shifting allegiances, reducing surprises post-purchase and ultimately having the most significant impact on seller profitability- a key theme going into H2 and beyond. Albeit subtle, conversation across commerce may be the single greatest opportunity for a sales org. We’re exploring that now with forward thinking brands who understand the holistic nature to developing an online commerce strategy.

All in all, creativity is strong amongst each social platform as they come into their own as true commerce platforms – and we’re excited to be at the forefront of that process.

This article is part of the Commerce at Cannes Trends Report – download the full report here.