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Instagram Shopping: Everything You Need To Know [Updated 2018] 

Shopping online is constantly changing and evolving, with even social media platforms such as Facebook giving people the chance to buy through their platforms. Social commerce is likely to become even more relevant in the upcoming few years, with Instagram becoming the latest social media site to release an innovative way to shop.

Up until recently in the UK, Instagram users could only tag brands in their posts or add a link in their captions, however, Instagram has now developed a dynamic way for brands to advertise and sell their products through the app.

Earlier this week the Facebook-owned service announced that it’ll become even easier for Instagram users to find out more about products they’re interested in and with one click will be able to buy. 

How It Works

Instagram’s shopping function aims to help users discover more about brand and products, allowing them to discover new brands on Instagram, as well as offering users the opportunity to purchase products they fall in love with, directly from their feed. 

Their latest shopping feature has been around in the US for a number of years now, proving to be highly successful during this time, with the feature now available in 8 more countries, including the UK. This move allows brands to tag their products in their Instagram posts, letting Instagram users simply to ‘tap to view’ the tag to see the item. When someone taps this, they can see the tagged product highlighted along with the price of the product.

Clicking this tag lets the user view more details about the item and enables those interested the ability to click the ‘Shop Now’ feature, taking them to the brand’s website, where they can carry out their purchase. 

Why Are Social Media Site Getting Into Shopping?

In the last 5 years, the way consumers are choosing to shop online has changed and it’s unsurprising that social media platforms are taking notice of how mobile has impacted the way people are buying. This has allowed social media platforms to realise their potential and opened doors for them to play a much larger role in the world of online shopping. 

With more people looking to Facebook and Instagram to influence their buying decisions it seems like the next natural step to start allowing brands to sell, or link to shops, on their social media posts. 

This latest feature allows retailers to seamlessly integrate their shopping experience with their social media pages, giving social media a much bigger role in the shopping experience and allowing social media platforms a chance to expand and grow from the platforms they are today. 

As the perfect tool for brands to showcase their products and engage with customers, it’s no shock that large brands are already relying on Instagram to build audiences and boost sales, this new development is just another effective way in which brands can appeal to their audiences, allowing them to take their marketing, as well as their sales, to a completely new level. 

Article By
Sarah Seymour,
Published: 22nd March, 2018
Categories: Ecommerce

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