Snapchat vs FB/IG: Which Platform Best Creates Merch Sales?

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Wavo Labs: This series shares the results of our music marketing experiments and how they inform artist media strategy.

What We Tested

In this case study, Wavo Labs compared the performance of Snapchat merch sales campaigns, relative to similar Facebook/ Instagram merch sales campaigns.

This comparison seeks to identify which platform creates merch sales results most cost effectively, with the key metric being return on ad spend, otherwise known as ROAS. The data from this test will help inform our best practices on how we prepare merch campaigns, with the intention of driving the most value for artists.

The Results

  • Ultimately, Facebook and Instagram generates 37.3% more Return on Ad Spend relative to Snapchat.

    • FB/IG users were 59% more likely than Snapchat users to add an item to their cart.

    • 43% more people initiated checkouts, and 54% more people purchased products from Facebook rather than Snapchat.

  • On Snapchat, our qualified Retargeting audiences were 120% more effective at creating Return on Ad Spend relative to broader, unqualified audiences.

  • Snapchat serves 80% more Impressions per dollar and drives 60% more Clicks per dollar compared to Facebook/ Instagram.

The Takeaway

We recommend a Snapchat conversion campaign that features 1st party retargeting as a supplement to a larger FB/IG merch campaign. The combination of Snap and FB/IG seeks to ensure we reach the most of an artist’s core audience and generate maximum total Return On Ad Spend.

Facebook and Instagram’s unique custom audience targeting, platform demographics, user intent, and ad formats all combine to create a more effective platform for selling music merch.

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