Want to shop on Instagram? Now there’s a tab for that.
The Facebook-owned social media company announced new features designed to help consumers interested in shopping find more of the products that match their demonstrated tastes and preferences. Instagram said it’s testing the Shopping tab—found through the Explore section that curates a user’s interests—only with those who’ve previously indicated an interest in shopping on the heavily trafficked platform. Those who are on the ‘gram simply for the memes and the celebrity videos won’t suddenly have shopping content shoved down their throats.
With more than a billion users and 25 million business on its platform—two million of whom advertise—Instagram is looking to fully monetize the commerce opportunity, rolling out a slew of features designed to transition the app from point of inspiration to point of transaction.
Instagram noted that Shopping via Explore could be a customer or “follower” acquisition tool for businesses, as content in this area will be exposed to individuals who may not have followed their brand yet—as long as their tastes match up. Shopping content will feature the bag-shaped product tag, which consumers can tap to see product details and access the brand’s website to checkout and complete a purchase.
In a testimonial on Instagram’s business site, Shari Lott, founder and CEO of children’s wear boutique SpearmintLOVE, said traffic is up 25 percent since launching Instagram’s Shopping feature, and the brand has seen an 8 percent lift in revenue.
Instagram’s Shopping news comes just weeks after rumors surfaced that the social media company could be developing a standalone app dedicated to commerce, though the firm has yet to comment on the speculation.
