Why Did Snapchat Update?
As we all noticed in the past couple weeks, Snapchat redesigned its whole layout. This update was not popular among users as there is a petition going around online with over 1.2 million signatures in favor of Snapchat removing the update according to Jerry Ascierto in his article, “Never Mind the Snapchat Petition, Here Are the Redesign’s Benefits.”
Snapchat caused quite the uproar when they slowly released their new update. Little by little, everyone got the update and more and more complaining was happening. I saw it all over twitter at the time and there were two sides. One side had the update and hated it and the other side bragged about how they turned off automatic updates and didn’t have to go through the agony. Soon to find out, this tactic didn’t work. I too turned off my automatic updates to avoid the mass chaos but after closing out the app and reopening it a couple minutes later, the whole app had changed and the old snapchat was nowhere to be found.
After a couple days of getting used to the update, I really didn’t mind it. It organized everything together where it really should’ve been but it was an unpopular opinion after 1.2 million people say they want the old version back. But Snapchat obviously wasn’t deliberately trying to disappoint its users. There are actually benefits to this frustrating facelift and while the majority of them pertain to advertisers and influencers, the app is moving in a direction for bettering the platform for what it’s meant to do: sharing.
The most exciting of the updates is analytics. Anyone taking a position in social media marketing or advertising needs to see analytics in order to better their content and effectively share and grow. The new analytics consist of gender, age and interests according to Ascierto. This gives advertisers better opportunity to reach out to certain markets and get the most out of their work.
Another feature Snapchat unveiled is a store accessible through the app itself. This came about three weeks ago according to Ascierto when snapchat started selling authorized merchandise to users including t-shirts and plush characters from popular filters on the app. But one of the coolest things happening within snapchat this past weekend was a partnership with Nike. It was all-star weekend and as most of us tuned in to watch the dunk contest- 3-point contest and all-star game, Snapchat hatch an idea. Not only were they able to sell their own merchandise but Nike had access to this marketplace where they unveiled pre-order access of the upcoming Jordan III release to all who were attending the game. Ascierto says, “While it was a one-off promotion, the partnership pointed to a future where brands could sell products and services within the app itself, beyond just advertising it.” This would change everything for consumers who spend time scrolling through the explore page and get caught up in the ads. Now, one click through a brand-sponsored story and the item catching your eye can be on its way to your door without even leaving the app.
While this update may be frustrating to a lot of users, it does serve a significant purpose in the business world and I say we give it a chance. We might just find out the convenience of the services offer outweigh learning a new way to navigate the app.
Snapchat caused quite the uproar when they slowly released their new update. Little by little, everyone got the update and more and more complaining was happening. I saw it all over twitter at the time and there were two sides. One side had the update and hated it and the other side bragged about how they turned off automatic updates and didn’t have to go through the agony. Soon to find out, this tactic didn’t work. I too turned off my automatic updates to avoid the mass chaos but after closing out the app and reopening it a couple minutes later, the whole app had changed and the old snapchat was nowhere to be found.
After a couple days of getting used to the update, I really didn’t mind it. It organized everything together where it really should’ve been but it was an unpopular opinion after 1.2 million people say they want the old version back. But Snapchat obviously wasn’t deliberately trying to disappoint its users. There are actually benefits to this frustrating facelift and while the majority of them pertain to advertisers and influencers, the app is moving in a direction for bettering the platform for what it’s meant to do: sharing.
The most exciting of the updates is analytics. Anyone taking a position in social media marketing or advertising needs to see analytics in order to better their content and effectively share and grow. The new analytics consist of gender, age and interests according to Ascierto. This gives advertisers better opportunity to reach out to certain markets and get the most out of their work.
Another feature Snapchat unveiled is a store accessible through the app itself. This came about three weeks ago according to Ascierto when snapchat started selling authorized merchandise to users including t-shirts and plush characters from popular filters on the app. But one of the coolest things happening within snapchat this past weekend was a partnership with Nike. It was all-star weekend and as most of us tuned in to watch the dunk contest- 3-point contest and all-star game, Snapchat hatch an idea. Not only were they able to sell their own merchandise but Nike had access to this marketplace where they unveiled pre-order access of the upcoming Jordan III release to all who were attending the game. Ascierto says, “While it was a one-off promotion, the partnership pointed to a future where brands could sell products and services within the app itself, beyond just advertising it.” This would change everything for consumers who spend time scrolling through the explore page and get caught up in the ads. Now, one click through a brand-sponsored story and the item catching your eye can be on its way to your door without even leaving the app.
While this update may be frustrating to a lot of users, it does serve a significant purpose in the business world and I say we give it a chance. We might just find out the convenience of the services offer outweigh learning a new way to navigate the app.
Unlike you, I still do not like the Snapchat update. I understand the idea behind it, but I don't think it's a very successful update. After reading this post, it makes more sense; however, my stubborn self is going to continue to bash on it. I agree, though, that the longer I use the app, the more normal the update will feel and maybe then I won't have it AS much. No promises though.
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