Shopping on Instagram

Instagram has been testing a shoppable-feature on the application since late 2016. This feature would allow brands to post an image with price tags and descriptions that would link to purchasing the specific product. At first, the shoppable-post was only accessible to a handful of brands within the United States. Last year, the feature expanded to include all businesses in the United States. As of today, it has been opened up to eight international markets: The United Kingdom, Brazil, Canada, Australia, Germany, Italy, Spain, and France. 

With Instagram being one of the most popular social media applications used worldwide, this is a big step for marketing. Most consumers make purchasing decisions based on visual searches and are often inspired by what they see influencers wearing and promoting on the platform. Now, brands will be able to use the content from their ambassadors and link the products worldwide. This will also allow international brands to be “discoverable” by anyone within the other markets through Instagram.

With technology constantly evolving, consumers are always on the lookout for opportunities to shorten the process of purchasing. This new feature will be a step in the right direction. It will be interesting to see what the analytics of each post show. Will a picture from an influencer showcasing a product do better than just the product shot? The rollout of the shoppable feature and the continued rise of influencers is sure to impact e-commerce positively.