Source: Decifrei promotional video – Ogilvy Brazil
Will ‘sound commerce’ make some noise?
Magazine Luiza, one of Brazil’s largest retailers, known locally as Magalu, has launched Decifrei, an e-commerce tool enabling shoppers to purchase instruments they hear in songs.
Described by Fast Company as “sound commerce” and translating to “Shoppin’ Inside Songs,” Decifrei represents a partnership with Deezer, a streaming platform similar to Spotify, and Ogilvy.
Consumers download the Deezer app, head to the Decifrei page and pick a song. As the song plays, instruments from guitars to microphones and amplifiers used or are similar to those used in the song appear on the screen and can be purchased directly from Magalu.
Ogilvy created the animated video amping up the experience.
The campaign is designed to highlight the musical instruments available on Magalu’s online site. Magalu’s over 1,300 stores focus primarily on home appliances and consumer electronics, and a much broader selection is available online.
“The impact and success of ‘Shoppin’ Inside Songs’ has far outstripped our expectations,” Magalu CEO Frederico Trajano, told Worth. “Not only did it drive unprecedented levels of traffic and sales through our musical instrument vertical, but it really reset consumer perceptions about Magalu’s product mix in our online marketplace — that was the overarching goal.”
Speaking to Adweek, Daniel Schiavon, Ogilvy Brazil’s executive creative director, said a goal was to think of fresh ways to help customers “relax and learn” during the discovery phase.
“The customers are not passive, they are not just [sitting] in front of the TV waiting for the commercials,” he said. “They are even more empowered with their smartphones. They can change the subject very fast, skip non-interesting content or simply block the ads. We, creatives, need to find new ways to make brands closer.”
The Worth article linked the technology to predictions heard in the early days of home shopping that consumers would be able to watch TV shows and purchase the clothing worn by the stars.
Mr. Trajano told Worth, “Some industry analysts believe that, by launching ‘Shoppin’ Inside Songs,’ we may have augured in a new way of thinking about e-commerce, and that’s just icing on the cake, as they say.”
- Brazil’s Answer to Amazon Develops a Mobile Feature to Shop Inside Songs – Adweek
- Magazine Luiza and Deezer launch “Decifrei” for musical instruments’ sale – Labs News
- Magalu e Deezer usam data intelligence para sound commerce – Fast Company
- Rock ‘N’ Roll Meets E-Commerce: How A Retail Giant Created A New Way To Shop Via Streaming Music – Worth
Discussion Questions
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS: What do you think of Decifrei and the potential for linking purchases within songs? Does Decifrei point to a bigger opportunity to align e-commerce to media?
Poll
Loading …BrainTrust
Karen Wong
Co-Founder & CEO, TakuLabs Ltd.
Jeff Weidauer
President, SSR Retail LLC
This is very interesting, not least because it represents another example of how media and commerce are becoming more blended. Commercializing the things we see, hear and experience is going to become much more significant — although it needs to be user initiated as no one wants to be bombarded with constant notifications and buying suggestions. For this particular application, I suspect the market is niche as it will likely be restricted to those who are musical and are in the market for instruments. That is far from being a large segment of the shopper population, but for the site doing the selling it will inevitably drive more traffic and help generate sales.
Love the innovation. It is a dream come true for instrument lovers and I can see the stores selling instruments adopting it big time, as the technology matures.
It is a category specific innovation, similar to shopping ingredients on a recipe or shopping clothes on a look. This is more complex than those and could spur similar thinking on other categories.
Sound commerce only makes sense in certain categories but there is generally a lot of promise with feed-based e-commerce. To me, sound commerce is simply a more immersive version of social commerce and what we used to call product placement!
As we unhook retail from the singular physical channel, a whole world of shopping channels have opened up. I can see a future where song writers are hired to integrate products into songs for product placement. Movies and gaming have been doing this for years with great success. We’re heading towards a time when environmental triggers, such as a song on the elevator or a video screen you’re walking past, integrate automatically with whatever activity you’re engaged with on your mobile device — so seamlessly personalized that you aren’t even aware of the influence your listening choices played in that personalization.
Another creative example of the power of product placement. Outside of YouTube and live events like sports, commercials are dying. We have to flip the advertising model: marketers must create compelling content that people want to consume that also by the way, promotes product.
Interesting concept. For the micro-niche market that is interested in musical instruments, I think this will be very effective. It’s not exactly new though. Am thinking about how many Fender Telecasters and off brand knock offs were sold when I was young because that natural finish Tele that Bruce Springsteen played had a twang that we just couldn’t get anywhere else?
This is a novel approach for an extremely niche market. The carry-over effects to other applications will be interesting as the tech gets better and new ideas are born.
Very creative way to simulate trial of a product without being in a physical store. Shoppers being able to actually hear the instruments in action demonstrates a new avenue of try before you buy in the virtual world. I’d encourage retailers in other categories to think outside the box to find ways to simulate trial virtually like this.
Your comment about hearing the instruments in action makes me wonder if the RIAA is going to want a piece of this, since Decifrei is using an artist’s performance to facilitate a sale? Granted, the Spotify model would suggest an artist will only get a penny off a guitar’s sale, but these folks might be wading into an alligator-infested swamp.
I LOVE this. This checks all the boxes for retail today. For example: a) going to where the customer is; b) instant gratification; c) use of video/audio for commerce. Also, this takes something thought to be primarily an in-person selling experience (to hear the instrument) and made it digital. Great!
Isn’t this just a logical digital extension of what Wired magazine tried to introduce years ago? For those old enough to remember, they gave away a scan technology called a “Cat” (as in cat and mouse). It was a feline shaped scanner that you were supposed to run over print ads to connect you to products. It’s also a bit like those early video technologies that allowed you to freeze a film, scan a room for a product — anything from CPG products to clothing — click and connect to a buying platform. Those early examples had clunky (that’s a hi-tech term for the uninitiated) interfaces and failed almost as soon as they were introduced. Decifrei seems to have improved the interface, so there is no reason why it shouldn’t work. The important note here is that improved interfaces allow streaming content to be interactive and immediately monetized. So let’s not focus just on sound, but on other applications. Who knows? Smell-O-Vision may make a comeback soon.
For products related to sound, such as instruments or microphones, this makes sense as a long-term and short-term strategy. For other products, such as clothes or jewelry of performers, it may be more of a fad or require coordination of too many supply chains to be practical.
Noise maybe, Guitar Center will think about this type of sound engagement. However, not sure it will be a strong enough signal to drive substantial value for retailers or customers. Beyond the sound component, a large percentage of instrument sales come through other mechanisms than sound quality and tone. I would even argue that a customer buying a new guitar or set of drums is just as if not more interested in how they look on the stage and video or photogenic factors that make an instrument work. It will be the true musicians that will find their way to the sound. I seriously doubt the average person will be able to distinguish (or care to distinguish) between a Fender Stratocaster and a run of the mill guitar based on music sounds alone — especially over streaming channels.
This is a subset of media engagement and perhaps mixed with other avenues, Decifrei can see real returns.
It is interesting to how personalization is becoming more and more sophisticated. And why not? Brands that are paying attention to the way consumers interact with their products in a personalized way earn more loyalty and command higher pricing. There are more and more interesting examples we are hearing every day of personalization at the intersection of media and retail.
1. Walmart partnered with eko on shoppable videos where their customers can get inspired by participating in live (e.g. cooking) shows, get product recommendations interactively helped by a celebrity and, try before they buy (interact with a product like they would do in a store fully controlling the experience),
2. Ulta partnered with supergreat for shoppable livestreaming with influencers
This example of Magalu is another step in progress on the same journey.
Oof. My thoughts are very split. On the one hand, they’ve played this well to get headlines and get the store name in print. On the other, the predictions in their press statements are way beyond what’s possible given the campaign.
This is simply another new campaign for another season and they’ve smartly done some PR. There’s no reason to believe it will dramatically change the game. And that will be clear a year from now when they release the new campaign — and the sounds of silence will make it clear.
This certainly works for aspiring musicians and curious music aficionados, but I’m not sold on it compelling the average consumer to go by a saxophone. Still, this does nudge the door open a bit on a new/different kind of commerce in the experiential space. Music is a universal connector and there are so many ways to connect music to commerce and experience. This one is interesting, even if not extraordinarily scalable.