Shopping on Instagram has long been possible where brands/companies can create posts that take users to their store where they can purchase items. However like we said this usually requires users being taken to the brand’s store which is separate of Instagram, but that soon may no longer be necessary.
TechCrunch reader Genady Okrain tipped the publication off to a new feature that Instagram quietly launched, which comes in the form of a native payments system used for commerce. Basically users can add a debit/credit card in their profile and from there they will be able to make payments directly to the seller within Instagram’s platform, thus never having to leave the app.
Instagram has since confirmed that the feature has been launched, although they do note that this is only available to a limited set of partners for now, so if you don’t see it yet don’t be surprised. As noted by TechCrunch, Instagram had hinted at this feature back in 2017 where they said that they had plans to roll out a feature that gave users the ability to book a service directly with businesses from their profiles.
Whether or not this will help increase sales remains to be seen, but the potential convenience of being able to shop without having to leave the app could encourage users to make more purchases.