3 minute read
Connell Sanders
CONNELL SANDERS
Sweet Jane’s and the case of the vanishing Instagram
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SARAH CONNELL SANDERS
Sweet Jane’s Designer Consignment was the first local shop to leverage Instagram as a means for driving the bulk of its sales. Sure, there were other small businesses posting clever and engaging content to build brand recognition and get customers through the door. But, Sweet Jane’s owner Amanda Setaro was successfully hawking Louboutins and manufacturing a sense of urgency around luxury goods in our working-class city — a feat I might have called impossible five years ago.
Setaro possessed a real knack for building relationships with customers and consignors that could vacillate between her brick and mortar store and the virtual world. A handful of her older customers had even joined Instagram for the sole purpose of keeping up with Sweet Jane’s latest inventory. By contrast, the platform lent a sense of aspiration and belonging for younger fans without them ever having to spend a dime. Setaro, a South High graduate, was building the couture culture in her hometown that she had cherished while attending college in New York City.
January 2021 was a big month for the @shopsweetjanes handle. Setaro had just hired two new social-media-focused employees and earned Instagram’s coveted blue checkmark, indicating a “verified” account. Imagine her surprise when followers began reaching out to tell her that the same account had been deactivated last week. ”Are you closing?” they inquired. And worse: “When can I come by to collect the balance on my consigned pieces?” The optics weren’t good.
Setaro was shocked. The store’s sales had remained remarkably steady throughout the pandemic and her online following had continued to grow. Why would Instagram suspend Sweet Jane’s account now?
Some digging revealed the post in question was a “memory” picturing a pair of Kate Spade gloves embossed with the words, “Call me.” Setaro had paired the photo with Carly Rae Jepsen’s 2012 standout pop tune ”Call Me Maybe.” The song played as a glove clad hand waggled its fingers to the beat. Setaro’s use of copyrighted audio was purportedly the problem, in violation of Instagram’s Terms of Use. This was not her first offense. Instagram’s algorithm had fed Setaro her own content from three years prior encouraging her to repost it, despite the fact that it had been flagged for copyright violation back then, as well.
Setaro wrote an appeal but didn’t hear back. The damage was done and Instagram’s parent company, Facebook, was giving her trouble too. Her posts were disappearing left and right and her sales were suffering as a result.
Setaro’s customers rallied, turning out in record numbers for a Louis Vuitton giveaway on Venmo — PayPal’s mobile payment app. Sweet Jane’s TikTok was still active as well, but followers on the video-sharing platform skewed younger and didn’t correlate directly with online purchases. In the meantime, Setaro reserved the handle @saveshopsweetjanes and began the slow work of rebuilding her base.
The sheer size of Instagram prevents a personal approach to customer service, the very tenet by which Setaro grew her reputation as a small business owner. Sweet Jane’s abrupt erasure brought into focus the powerful grasp of big tech on industries of all sizes. (Consequently, it came during the same week a Reddit thread managed to upend Wall Street.) Setaro brought new users to the platform, showcased the app’s eCommerce capabilities, designed her business around social media, and demonstrated exemplary community building. That simply wasn’t enough.
It is possible to voice your concerns on behalf of any business that has lost their Instagram account. Visit “Settings” on the app and report general feedback under the “Help” tab. Mr. Zuckerberg, I hope you’re ready for the other Jimmy Choo to drop. Don’t mess with Worcester.
