How a TikTok ban could open the door for brands to other platforms

With an innovative move that combines commerce with short videos, Orme is a new type of marketplace that improves how brands interact with potential buyers. Powered by Xcel Brands Inc. and developed in partnership with KonnectBio Inc., Orme aims to not only raise the brand’s profile, but also offer financial rewards to buyers and influencers.

By integrating e-commerce with social networking elements, Orme leverages the ever-growing popularity of video content to engage consumers. Faisal Ahmed, co-founder and CEO of Orme, said the platform goes beyond traditional online shopping. “It’s more than just a marketplace. “It’s a community where social sharing and referral incentives reward buyers and influencers,” Ahmed told WWD earlier this year.

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Here, Ahmed discusses social commerce trends, the implications of a possible TikTok ban in the U.S., and how Orme can help brands leverage video content.

WWD: How important is TikTok to brands and creators, and how will a ban on the platform impact the influencer economy?

Faisal Ahmed: TikTok has changed the way brands, creators and consumers interact with each other on social media. However, uncertainty about the future of the platform is giving many brands and influencers a chance to reconsider where they want to build their business.

Consumers have a strong appetite to engage with short-form video content and we expect brands and influencers to begin increasing their presence on other platforms such as Orme, which has a similar format and ROI. Orme rewards consumers for sharing short shopping videos featuring their favorite brands and enables these brands to maximize their influencer marketing investments.

It also democratizes the social media shopping experience by offering all users of the platform performance-based cash rewards for their content, rather than limiting these financial benefits to paid influencers.

WWD: What can brands do to prepare for a possible TikTok ban in the US?

FA: Brands should hedge their bets and expand their content and social media strategies across multiple platforms, including Instagram Reels and YouTube Shorts. Orme makes it easy for brands to bring content they’ve already created for other social media platforms to the Orme app, where users can quickly add and share those videos to their social network.

It incorporates the best of live streaming video shopping and leverages the persuasive power of video to increase conversion rates that far exceed the e-commerce average of 2.5%.

WWD: Are brands and creators looking for alternatives to TikTok? Are there viable alternatives that can provide a similar return on investment?

FA: Retailers and brands invest billions in influencer marketing, but the return on investment is often lacking in impact. Only 23 percent of brands run influencer campaigns to increase sales. Given the money invested in influencer-led content, brands need to increase both reach and ROI on video. Many social commerce experiences are woefully inconsistent, which stops consumers from acting on their purchase intent.

Shoppers expect to know exactly how much of a product is available so they can make informed purchasing decisions. For example, Orme is the only social commerce solution that connects to a brand’s API and updates inventory levels in real-time, providing users with transparency when making in-app video purchases.

WWD: How can brands diversify their social media marketing spend?

FA: Using your own content on platforms that generate real ROI is one way for brands to diversify their social media marketing spend. Influencers have achieved virtually all of the benefits of the social commerce movement, reaping the lion’s share of the financial benefits from sharing and promoting brand content. However, everyday consumers are becoming influential content creators in their own right.

Brands may see these customers as a way to increase their influencer marketing spend. Professional influencers shouldn’t be the only ones monetizing the content they post when the average consumer’s videos also drive visibility and engagement. Buyers deserve performance-based cash rewards for their content, democratizing social commerce once and for all.

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