Next week Instagram will begin testing a feature that lets brands add product details within the app and gives users the ability to click on outside links to purchase.
The 20 U.S.-based brands that will test the feature will be able to tag up to five products in an image (in the same way that people are now tagged). When tapped, the tags show the product name and price. Each tag opens a detailed view of the item and lets users swipe to see the other products tagged in the photo.
To make a purchase, the user can tap “Shop Now” in the product details view and be directed to the brand’s web site.
“This is deliberately not a ‘buy’ button,” said Instagram vice president of monetization James Quarles, this new feature allows more time for what Quarles described as the evaluation stage.
Kate Spade, Abercrombie & Fitch, BaubleBar, Coach, Hollister, J. Crew, JackThreads, Levi’s Brand, Lulus, Macy’s, Michael Kors, MVMT Watches, Tory Burch, Warby Parker and Shopbop will be trying out the new feature.
During the initial testing phase, the new feature will appear to some iPhone users in the United States, and a user must follow the individual brand to see the new posts. The posts are not a form of advertising and Instagram does not make money from posts tagged with products, but Quarles said the format does lend itself nicely to advertising. For example, a brand could pay to promote an existing product post using Instagram’s targeting capabilities, which means that even non-followers would potentially see the post.
For now, brands have to manually add and edit product details, the feature is designed not be disruptive, as every “reveal” comes with an intent, meaning the user has to select to see more details or click to a brand’s web site. Instagram will test elements such as product recommendations, the ways products are shown to shoppers, a potential global expansion and the ability to save content for later.
Ultimately, Quarles said, this might also expand to videos, which would make sense as the “see-now-buy-now” movement heats up. Designers in February, for example, might be able to tag runway videos with product details, and link to a purchase page.
Instagram users in the past have tried a number of workarounds that direct a follower to an outside link — that familiar “link in bio” has often been the only way to direct a follower to a web link, but it requires constant upkeep as it allows for only one link.
It will be interesting to see how this develops, as Instagram is the best place to shop for so many people, with bloggers posting #OOTD and tagging all the brands they are wearing, they must be under pressure to monetise from so many labels.