Instagram, the Facebook-owned photo-sharing social media platform, is making it easier for consumers to shop during the holidays by announcing three new ways to discover products.
In a company blog post, Instagram said the new ways to discover items come on the heels of its move in September to expand Shopping on Instagram with the rollout of stickers in Stories. With the stickers, users can learn more about a product. The company also announced Explore, a shopping channel that lets users shop from the brands they follow as well as find new brands.On Thursday (November 15) Instagram added the ability to save to a new shopping collection which means if users come across a must-have item they can save it to their Shopping collection to revisit later. Users can also tap a product tag in Stories or Feed, tap the Save icon and save it to their Shopping collection. “Just like existing collections, you can access your Shopping collection from your profile. It’s an easy way to keep your wish list up-to-date and store creative gift ideas for the holidays,” Instagram said in the blog.
The second new feature is Shop on business profiles, which is a redesign of the Shop tab on business profiles so users can quickly view all the products featured in their shopping posts. When visiting a business profile, users tap on the Shop button to see product information such as the item name, price, and the post featuring the item. Users can also now shop in videos from the brands they follow. When a user sees a video in Feed from a brand they follow they can tap the shopping icon in the bottom left corner to reveal the featured products and learn more about them.
“Whether you’re treating yourself or shopping for loved ones, these updates unlock new ways to discover and connect with the brands and products that inspire you,” Instagram said.