instashippic1Businesses can now easily direct consumers from Instagram straight to its site with the launch of Instagram Shopping. The updates to the popular app now open more opportunities for retailers to connect with online followers.
You may have already seen a small shopping tab around on Instagram posts, such as those from The Warehouse and Superette. That’s because these two brands were involved with the now official launch of the platforms shopping evolution.
The new update allows for local brands to connect directly with consumers by tagging products for purchase directly within the posts. Any product can be tagged, as long as it from a business Instagram, once nine products have been tagged a ‘shop’ option will appear on the businesses page where consumers can browse items for sale as presented by a photo by the brand.
Once the browser clicks an item, it opens up another page within the app where the customer can see more detail about the item, from price and a small description. From there, the browser hits ‘shop-now’ and then will be taken to the brand’s own website to complete the purchase.
The new shopping option is free for businesses to use, yet shopping posts cannot be promoted, but rather must use organic reach only. Any retailer with an e-commerce store and Instagram can benefit from the new updates, as it allows for a more seamless buying experience from content to website.
Paul Webster, regional product marketing manager for Instagram, says, “People come to Instagram every day to discover and buy products from their favourite businesses, and we want that to be a seamless experience.”
“From today, those with a business profile can begin using this innovative feature by tagging products within Instagram posts or through the shop button, enhancing the overall customer experience by taking users from inspiration right through to purchase. We are really excited about bringing the shopping on Instagram experience to Kiwi consumers, and businesses of all sizes.”
The Warehouse and Superette were both involved with the initial New Zealand launch of the update, which some would have seen floating around this past Anzac Day.
James Rigden, co-founder at Superette, tested the new update this past Wednesday and said it works well tapping into the brands strong following of 77,000.
“Our Instagram account is a source of inspiration and a space where we can share both the Superette brand and lifestyle. The opportunity that Instagram Shopping provides is to turn inspirational posts into a reality – right there and then. Our followers can learn everything they need to know about the product and make it their own. The ease, enjoyment, and efficiency of this shopping experience is so exciting for us and the Superette customer.”
So now that it’s live, and available to businesses, how does it work?
1) Ensure that your profile is a business’s one, as only business pages can use this new feature.
2) Become an admin on the page or set-up a Business Manager account.
3) Have a shop either on Facebook or a product catalogue with Business Manager.
4) Try it out!
Interested in using the new update? Businesses can now utilise our country’s 1.5 million monthly users on the platform to promote products. And with 25 million global businesses using the app and 200 million global users visiting a business page every day, is it a large market to be discovered.
- This story was originally published on The Register.
