Instagram Is Testing Shoppable Product Tags In Post Captions
It's no secret that Instagram is dedicated to strengthening itself as an e-commerce destination.
Last month's launch of Facebook Shops introduced several new e-commerce related features to Instagram as well as the rest of the Facebook family of apps. These features included Shops on Instagram and live shopping for Instagram Live.
Now, it seems that the photo/video sharing app is testing a new way for brands and creators to sell products and users to buy products in the form of shoppable product tags in post captions.
Fashion designer Victoria Beckham recently shared an Instagram post featuring a clickable product tag in the caption of the post that takes users to a product page. Like the platform's other shopping features, users can then add the product to their bag and checkout to purchase.
Instagram has yet to make any formal announcement about testing the new feature, but based on past behavior, it's likely only testing it with a select group of brands and creators.
Insights & Analysis:
Brands and creators already can add product tags to photos and videos with the Shopping Tags feature. The addition of product tags in post captions would give them another way to sell products on the platform.
Product tags in post captions are a bit more visible than Shopping Tags since they feature the full name of the product, have a shopping icon next to them, and are hyperlinked in blue. Due to this, they can be even better at driving clicks and, ultimately, conversions than Shopping Tags.
A full rollout of product tags in post captions would actually yield benefits for all.
Brands and creators would have a new feature to sell products and drive revenue. In cases where they are collaborating for influencer campaigns, a product tag in the caption of the sponsored post could be a way for brands to measure the impact of the creators they’re working with beyond vanity metrics like impressions and engagements. Lastly, the feature would further improve the shopping experience for users who want to purchase products from their favorite brands and creators on Instagram.
With e-commerce growing as a result of the pandemic, look for Instagram and other social media platforms like Pinterest to continue to test, experiment, and rollout new shopping features, tools, and experiences in the near future.
For more social media news, follow me on Twitter and connect with me on LinkedIn.
