Shopfronts on Instagram are becoming increasingly important. In July 2017, there were 15 million business profiles on Instagram worldwide. By November 2017, that number rose to 25 million. Interestingly, just 50% of those 25 million have standalone websites too, indicating just how some businesses can attract new customers and complete sales on the platform.
These businesses, known as “Instagram-first” business have flourished thanks to the popularity of shopping on the app amongst its users. More than 80% of Instagrammers follow a business and more than 200 million daily users visit a business profile on the social network every day.
his is all despite booking a ticket or making a reservation on Instagram not being the most seamless activity. Firstly, if you want to chat with the business, this has to be done through direct messaging which can be time consuming for both the consumer and the business. Then, even businesses that do have an external presence require you to go through several steps so you can make your purchase or booking. You have to exit the social network, open a web browser, go to the site and then make your purchase/make your reservation etc. It’s not exactly a smooth user experience.
Well that’s beginning to change. Instagram is now launching a series of tools to simplify the process, making Instagram a one-stop-shop for everything from purchasing clothing to making dinner reservations and booking a cinema ticket. Users are beginning to see new action buttons such as:
“Book”
“Reserve”
“Start order”
“Get tickets”
The benefits are clear say Instagram on their business blog:
“As more people continue to interact with businesses on Instagram and take action when inspiration strikes, we’re making it easier to turn that discovery into action. Through our action buttons, people can now Reserve, Get Tickets, Start Order or Book through popular, third-party partners without having to leave Instagram.3 Take Home State (@homestate) for example, a popular Texan restaurant, they’ve partnered with ChowNow to use the ‘Start Order’ button—letting their customers order their signature tacos right from their Instagram business profile.”
Crucially, these let users do these actions without leaving Instagram. What does this mean? It means that no longer is Instagram just a ‘beauty parade’. It potentially could be one of the world’s biggest sales platforms. With these new features, Instagram is no longer just a brand showcase, it’s a highly efficient and highly efficient sales platform.
Is your business ready to make the most of it?
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