After a dry run of over a few weeks, Instagram has rolled out its new promoted products feature in the Shop tab to all merchants.
As shown above, merchants with product lists can now promote them on the Shop tab. It also has a Sponsored tag to mark paid posts.
“After a successful test, we’re launching ads on the Instagram Shop tab globally to make it easier for people to discover and shop from brands when they’re already in the mood to browse. These ads will appear as tiles on the Instagram Shop tab home page,” explains Instagram.
Instagram had no further context or insights to support its “successful” tests. But it seems the promoted lists had no adverse impact on engagement. And it could drive results for early partner brands.
If you click a sponsored product, it will land on a product details page. Then you get to learn more about the chosen item.
The details page will recommend more products from the same brand through a ‘More from this Shop’ link.
Users can save sponsored products to their wishlist. They could also share them to friends directly from the details page.
The extra feature is part of Instagram’s broader shift to ecommerce. It is gradually telling users to expect shopping for items using images in the app.
The Shop tab started last July. And more people now turn to ecommerce and online shopping after the COVID-19 pandemic shocked the business world and drove some stores to the brink.
The slow guidance to using Instagram’s shopping options will see more shopping activities happening in the app. This will add more value as a promotional tool in time.
As Instagram starts understanding more about its users’ shopping preferences and favorite products, the Shop tab will gradually build its value. It will increase the potential of the new feature.
Take note that 4 out of 5 Instagram users follow a minimum of one brand on the Facebook-owned platform. This focuses on the potential for product discovery and promotion. The direct connection to online shopping is the next step.
The new Promoted Products option on Instagram is rolling out in regions where the Instagram Shop tab is accessible.
