Instagram is developing the monetization of its online store. The social network is launching a new functionality dedicated to shopping in its Explore tab. The objective: to facilitate the discovery of articles and to make purchases directly in the application.
Discovery of new products and personalized recommendations
While it was announced earlier this year, the new Instagram functionality is currently being tested in the US. Instagram Shop offers its users new personalized shopping experience, promotes the discovery of new products, with recommendations suggested from its activity within the app.
Concretely, users will be able to:
- be inspired by the collections of the @shop account managed by Instagram,
- browse the selections of their favorite brands and designers,
- filter the results by categories (beauty, home, etc.),
- make their purchases directly on the platform.
If it was already possible to buy articles on Instagram from certain accounts, the platform now wants to develop its service so that users can discover more products, designers and brands from the application.
Easy shopping with Facebook Pay
On the sidelines of this launch, the group also announces that Instagram Shop is benefiting from Facebook Pay, a service introduced last year as a means of carrying out transactions and donations securely within its ecosystem: Facebook, Messenger, WhatsApp and Instagram.
Integrated into Instagram Shop, Facebook Pay will allow users to make their purchases directly within the app. It will be possible to enter the information of his debit or credit card to buy products more easily on the social network. No need to save your bank details with each new purchase. Facebook Pay removes this obstacle at the payment stage, which could slow down some sales: good news for brands and designers. Note that fees are applied by Instagram on sales. The amount has not been released.
Soon a dedicated tab for Instagram Shop
Instagram Shop is available for US users. The feature is expected to be rolled out in the coming weeks globally. During the year, the social network store will be accessible from a dedicated tab, which should take the place of the section currently dedicated to user activities.