Just when you thought Instagram for business couldn’t get any cooler

It gets mega-cooler

What started as a simple photo sharing tool without so much as one analytical bar graph has grown into an entirely different business function with the new Instagram for Business capabilities.

Instagram first introduced the contact button, allowing visitors and followers to contact you via email directly from the app. Then, we got analytic reports that include follower growth, impressions on a post, engagements on a post, clicks to website, top posts, total reach, follower demographics, and when your followers are most active. Now, Instagram has added yet another feature for businesses: shopping tags.

How it works

Shopping tags were inspired by an internal survey administered by Instagram on the shopping habits of their mobile users. They found only 21 percent of purchases are actually made within a day, but most purchases take longer to happen. This means Instagrammers like to take their time to better understand products before purchasing, and shopping tags allow that “thinking time,” offering more in-depth posts for products.

The new feature consists of 20 US-based retail stores, including JackThreads and Target, and will include a “Tap to view” button at the corner of each post.

When tapped, Instagrammers can view different tags so they can review and consider the items they’re interested in before purchasing.

Up to five tags are allowed in each post, and when selected, take users directly to a new detailed view of the product. If the customer decides they want to buy, they can use the Shop Now link from the product details view, and will be directly routed to the respective business’ website all without having to leave the Instagram app.

The future of shopping

Right now, shopping tags are just a test for the current retail stores so that Instagram can continue to gather consumer research. As they further develop, Instagram promises to “explore product recommendations, ways products are showcased to shoppers, global expansion, and the ability to save content so Instagrammers can take an action later.”

This cool business feature will hopefully be available to marketers soon. If you are a consumer, you may be a part of the small group of lucky iOS users who have access to the new feature, so don’t be alarmed if you see “shopping tags” on your timeline. If you’ve already noticed shopping tags on your feed, let us know what you think in the comments below!

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