It became known that Instagram is developing an additional stand-alone application that will make life easier for users who like making online purchases. The estimated name of the new project is IG Shopping. The application will provide an opportunity to view a number of goods or services from sellers, on whom the user is subscribed to, and then make purchases conveniently and safely. At the moment it is only guessed since Instagram does not give any comments on such information.
There is no exact release date either, as the process of working on the application is in full swing. Moreover, it may happen that the development will be cancelled even before launch. However, sources associated with this project claim that Instagram has all the necessary resources, capabilities and indicators to strengthen its position in e-commerce successfully.
Sheryl Sandberg, Facebook’s Chief Operating Officer, in his speech, said about new statistics from the company, which showed that more than 25 million companies run their pages on Instagram, 2 million of which are advertisers. Moreover, four out of five users are subscribed to at least one business. Therefore, the presence of a stand-alone application would greatly facilitate the lives of both users and sellers, creating a separate platform for convenient purchases and sales for them. In turn, the company would expand its sources of profit and strengthened its credibility and popularity.
In the near future, new tools may appear for more convenient promotion of business on the Instagram platform. Facebook is already actively thinking about their development. It is possible that thanks to them, the company will become a worthy competitor to the already well-known e-commerce projects, such as Shopify. Moreover, the high engagement and activity rates of Instagram business accounts prove the viability and efficiency of the site in running an online business They also are an excellent indication that many people would start using paid business tools if they appeared.
In the meantime, some services already provide various tools that are useful for Instagram advertisers to improve their work. For example, Four Sixty gives companies the opportunity to receive paid assistance for proper publication planning, content moderation, creating various photo galleries, etc. At the same time, the Shopify application can offer several dozen plug-ins that help manage and promote an Instagram-based business.
In November 2016, Instagram has already tested the shopping function, but nothing has been developed. In March 2017, the company returned to this idea and provided users with the opportunity to make a purchase directly through photos. Later, Instagram was actively testing a feature that made buying goods through Stories a reality.
However, the purchase of goods through Instagram will not be the first project implemented in a separate application. Since December 2017, a new Direct application has appeared. It allowed users to exchange personal messages conveniently and securely. In June 2018, Instagram launched IGTV, which has become a new competitor to YouTube. This tool allows to shoot and place vertical video directly in the application, thereby completely changing the attitude to this format, making it more practical for mobile devices.
