Instagram is ramping up its attempts to make the platform a more useful outlet for e-commerce businesses.
The social media giant says it plans to launch Ads in Instagram Shop, a new auction-based product that is currently being tested in the US. If successful, the company says it’ll take the new format to other markets.
Ads in Instagram Shop will allow e-commerce outlets to beef up their use of Instagram Shops, which Instagram first unveiled last year as part of a plan to make Facebook’s social power more of potent destination for online shopping. Instagram Shops features an integrated checkout experience, while the latest development will offer improved selling power using single images and image carousels to showcase items online.
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Currently, the ads produced for the new service will appear as a mobile-only feature as users only get to set the Instagram Shop tab option on handheld devices. The service will adjust how many ads consumers get to see based on their Instagram use and how many people are shopping within the Instagram tab area at any given time.
E-commerce service
Instagram is already trialling the service with the likes of Away, Donny Davy, Boo Oh, JNJ Gifts, DEUX and Fenty Beauty, amongst others.
The above named brands have been targeted as they’re seen as ideal candidates for testing the e-commerce service, especially when it comes to offering appeal for consumers in the beauty, home décor, pet product and travel sectors, for example. Following the testing being carried out at the moment Instagram says it could roll out the model to wider markets in the coming months.
While there is obvious appeal for business owners looking to boost their e-commerce sales through social media platforms, Instagram’s now established Shop tab hasn't gone down well with everyone. The tab took the place of the previously popular ‘Activity’ tab, with some users opining its removal and not being happy with the move towards a more commercially driven approach.
However, the latest move will enable retail businesses easier access to a greater range of potential customers; something that could grow substantially if the pilot is rolled out to other markets.
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Via: TechCrunch
