Instagram on Tuesday, announced that it is testing a new checkout feature for its US users and will be rolling out the same in the next couple of weeks. According to a statement from Instagram, its US-based users will be able to shop items with tags for sale, directly from Instagram.
Currently, Instagram is one of the most engaging platforms operated by Facebook Inc., and many retailers are using the same to selling their products online. But the News Feed of this platform is not enough to engage people for a longer time. Also, shopping through the app is not convenient as there is no payment feature embedded to the app and people are forced to contact the retailers even to know the price of the goods. This is one of the steps that Facebook has taken to monetise its one of the most popular platforms, in order to enter into the eCommerce business.
The users now will be able to see and order products directly through the app. For the payment, the users will be offered with options like Visa, Mastercard, American Express, Discover, PayPal, etc.
Though the feature will only be available for the US users, and for now, only a few famous brands including Adidas, H&M, Kylie Cosmetics and Michael Kors will be able to use it to sell their goods on Instagram. Noticeably, the company has already partnered with twenty different brands.
Though the company has not commented on the worth of the partnership with different brands, it has confirmed that it will be charging a fixed fee from the various brands interested to sell on Instagram. The fee will also be covering the purchase protection policy for those brands, and it will be Instagram which would pay for any damage to the items or lost items.
According to an Instagram spokesperson, the users will only be able to buy one thing at a time, and the feature is only available for the mobile app users. However, the company is still working on improving the shopping experience for its users.
While it is a piece of exciting news for the Instagram users, and also, this step will help many brands with their business, many people are also worried about the Facebook’s track record on privacy, which may also affect the launch of this new in-app purchase feature of Instagram.
Yashica is a Software Engineer turned Content Writer, who loves to write on social causes and expertise in writing technical stuff. She loves to watch movies and explore new places. She believes that you need to live once before you die. So experimenting with her life and career choices, she is trying to live her life to the fullest.