It’s not long since Instagram launched its TikTok competitor, Reels, in August this year, and it is looking for ways to make it better and much more fun day by day.
For that purpose, Facebook is looking to add some shopping features on both IGTV and Reels as soon as possible. The first cool upcoming feature would be shopping within Reels later this year and will also start making shoppable IGTV videos global starting today. Eventually, these IGTV videos will also be available through Instagram Shop.
The Instagram Reels is still not a big deal, and TikTok is not yet even threatened by Reels, and so many Influencers say that they will not choose Reels over TikTok. That’s the reason why Instagram is trying its best to add beneficial options to the feature to make more users start using it and even prefer it over TikTok.
It’s unsurprising to see Instagram try to make shopping a thing on Reels, although the rollout timeline seems fast. Still, Facebook has prioritized commerce over the past few years, which could lead to it taking a bigger role in online transactions. The company would normally take a cut from these purchases, but it’s holding off on charging these fees through the end of 2020. Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg said in 2019 that he expected commerce and payments to be the future of the company, and given the quick rollout of back-to-back shopping updates, he seems to be making good on that promise.
the Instagram “Shop” Tab
Earlier this year, Instagram announced it is releasing its shopping tab, and these new shoppable features I mentioned above are other steps towards making Instagram a better and more efficient platform for shopping.
The new Instagram “Shop” tab will allow Instagram users to shop from top brands and creators via a new tab in the app’s navigation bar with just one tap.
Since the option is not yet completed and fully rolled out, it does not function at its best now, but you can test it a bit by tapping on the Shops tab.
As mentioned a bit earlier, the new Instagram “Shop” tab will be added to one of the icons at the bottom of your Instagram app.
The Shop icon will replace the current ‘Activity’ tab for the ones which got the beta mode, with users still able to access their activity feed either via an additional icon in the top right (beside the ‘Direct’ paper plane) or from their profile.
After you click the Shop Tab, it will take you to the existing shopping experience in the app, with a listing of posts that have Shopping Tags added via approved merchants. But soon, the tab will highlight even more purchase options, as parent company Facebook expands its new on-platform selling options to more businesses.
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