As a visual platform, there’s always been a lot of scope for consumers to discover beautiful brands on Instagram. But a constant gripe has been how difficult it is to click from a post straight through to a website and convert the images to sales… until now!
Instagram announced in early November 2016 that it is upping the stakes in the e-commerce game and testing out new product tags to help monitor usage. To get the cash flowing (and make the user experience more stream-lined), retailers will be able to tag products in their photos – an icon at the bottom left of the photo. Instead of being booted to a browser, the consumer will be directed to the retailer’s in-app details page with specific product info and the option to purchase directly from the site, making “Link in bio” a thing of the past. Don’t want to buy after you’ve clicked the tag? No problem, you can get back to your feed with a simple tap of your screen.
This “shoppable” capability will shift this previously visual platform into the more profitable and monetised realm of sales-driven platforms. So the e-commerce dream is given new life in Instagram, and retailers everywhere are rubbing their hands with glee.
For more details have a read of the update on the Instagram blog.
