Instagram at its core is a photo sharing service and social media platform. However in recent times it has been used by companies as a means to reach out to customers to notify them of upcoming product launches, promotions, and so on. Instagram has in the past launched business tools to allow customers to contact businesses, and they are planning on expanding on that.
In a report from Bloomberg, it seems that Instagram has their sights set on services such as OpenTable and Yelp, where in the future users will soon be able to make bookings directly through the app. At the moment business profiles allow users to get in touch with the company, but that’s pretty much the extent of it. However with this booking feature, users might be able to do things like making an appointment for a haircut, reserving a table at a restaurant, and so on.
According to Instagram’s head of business James Quarles, “When someone books an appointment, that’s not a ‘like’ or a ‘follow,’ that’s actual action.” It was also revealed that in the future the app might even add more tools such as reviews. As for the booking feature, it is expected to roll out over the course of the next couple of months, so if you’re an avid Instagrammer, then this new feature could be worth checking out.