Instagram is rolling out yet another e-commerce feature on the platform: shopping in Instagram Reels!
ICYMI: Instagram Reels is Instagram’s answer to TikTok — the home of short-from viral video clips set to music.
With this latest update, businesses and creators can now tag products when they create a Reel, making them fully shoppable.
Ready to get to grips with Instagram Reels shopping? Here’s everything you need to know:
What is Instagram Reels Shopping?
Shopping in Reels is a new way to discover and shop products in the Instagram app.
As of today you can shop with Reels. Creators can tag products in Reels, and, if you’re interested, you can find out more about them inline. I’m excited to see how this helps people find and share new things you love. pic.twitter.com/vA26LF6Bpm
— Adam Mosseri 😷 (@mosseri) December 10, 2020
Thanks to this new update, which is rolling out globally, viewers can now select the “View Products” button to either buy, save, or learn more about the featured products.
For brands with Instagram Checkout enabled, users in the U.S. will be able to buy products without even leaving the Instagram app.
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Additionally, creators will now be able to tag products from partner brands in Reels — building on Instagram’s existing Shopping from Creators offering.
Instagram has also introduced new branded content tools for Reels, so creators can add a “Branded Content” label to show when they’re working in partnership with a business or brand.
According to the FTC, branded content tools aren’t always enough to qualify as clear disclosure for a sponsored Instagram post, but they are a great place to start.
Credit: Instagram
Shopping in Reels comes hot on the heels of TikTok’s Shopify partnership — a sure sign that TikTok will be making big moves into e-commerce in 2021.
According to Satish Kanwar, Vice President of Product at Shopify, the partnership is aimed to make it easier for Shopify’s merchants to reach TikTok’s younger audience and drive sales.
“TikTok is one of the world’s fastest-growing entertainment platforms with over 100 million highly engaged users in the U.S. alone,” Kanwar said in an interview with TechCrunch.
However, Instagram has been leading the way with social e-commerce since introducing Instagram Shopping in 2018.
Users can now view and purchase products directly from almost every part of the app: Instagram feed posts, Instagram Stories, Instagram Live, IGTV, and Reels.
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