Introducing Instagram Shop: A New Way to Discover Products
Introducing Instagram Shop — a new e-commerce destination that makes it easier to shop from brands and creators!
Already available in US, Instagram Shop is set to change how businesses make money on Instagram.
Ready to learn more about Instagram Shop? We’re covering all the important details in this blog post:
What is Instagram Shop?
Instagram Shop is a new, more streamlined way for users to discover shoppable products on Instagram.
The new shopping destination is currently being rolled out in the US alongside the launch of Facebook Pay — a new secure way to make payments across Facebook, Messenger, Instagram, and WhatsApp.
At the moment, US-based users can discover the new Instagram Shop tab through Instagram Explore:
And in the not-so-distant future, an Instagram Shop button will be added to the main navigation bar, replacing the Activity “heart” button:
Source: Instagram
This will be a huge change on the app, and a significant pivot towards e-commerce.
The new Instagram Shop tab features a “Collections” carousel, with lifestyle-orientated curations that have been put together by Instagram’s @shop team:
For example, “Home Office Upgrades” collection contains a mix of products that are perfect for a decorating a home study:
All of the items in each curated collection are from brands that use Instagram Shopping features.
And thanks to the rollout of Instagram Checkout, shoppers in the US can tap “Buy on Instagram” to make a purchase without even leaving Instagram.
Users can also discover all of the shoppable brands they already follow on Instagram by tapping the “See All” button next to the Brands carousel:
Alongside a quick preview of products, there’s the option to “View Shop,” which takes users to a brand’s Instagram Shop — a list of all in-stock products available to shop via the app.
There’s also a “Suggested For You” selection on the new Instagram Shop tab, with an automatically generated selection of products:
It’s unknown exactly how the Instagram algorithm determines which products get surfaced here, but it’s likely a mix of your browsing history and the accounts you follow.
Ready to get up to speed on all the Instagram features heading your way? Discover 9 Exciting Instagram Features Coming in 2020!
Why Instagram is Launching a New Shop Destination
Facebook and Instagram have launched several huge new e-commerce features in recent months, from Facebook and Instagram Shops to food delivery & gift card Instagram Stories stickers.
According to a recent press release, this drastic shift to e-commerce is a direct response to the COVID-19 pandemic and the struggles it has caused for many businesses:
“Right now many small businesses are struggling, and with stores closing, more are looking to bring their business online.”
“That’s why we’re launching Facebook Shops and investing in features across our apps that inspire people to shop and make buying and selling online easier.”
Alongside supporting businesses, there’s also an obvious monetary incentive for Facebook to pivot towards e-commerce across its family of apps.
According to their Business Help Center, the fee for any product sold using Instagram Checkout is 5% per shipment or a flat fee of $0.40 for shipments of $8.00 or less.
So with this in mind, it makes a lot of sense for Facebook to give extra visibility to shoppable products with a new Instagram Shop destination.
Facebook also plans to launch a new Live Shopping feature across Facebook and Instagram, which will allow you to shop on Live in real-time.
According to Zuckerberg, more than 800 million people engage in live video daily across Facebook and Instagram, and a lot of that includes product tutorials and launches — so there’s already a strong e-commerce culture attached to live video.
But with Facebook’s upcoming Live Shopping feature, businesses will be able to “tag products from their Facebook Shop or catalog before going live and those products will be shown at the bottom of the video so people can easily tap to learn more and purchase.”
Source: Instagram
What do you think of Instagram’s new Shop feature? Join the conversation over on Later’s Instagram channel.
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