Facebook recently developed a new feature on its Instragram platform for advertisers: Instagram Shopping. It provides the user with an extremely innovative level of interaction and experience, by organically and fluidly connecting the ads with the products catalogued in the company's Facebook virtual store.
But what is it and how does it work?
You know that post where you see a model wearing a wonderful dress, bag or accessories and you think: "Wow! I wish I could buy one just like that". So, the problem is that in general, the posts are beautiful, but they don't give the user the information they want, leaving the frustrating questions: "How much would it cost?", "Where could I buy it?". The result is that the image is gone and the user has to be content with just viewing it, without being able to interact. ☹
Now it's possible to change that. Take the image below, for example. At first you might think it's a simple post, except that the icon in the bottom left-hand corner displays information about the name and price of the clothes worn by the model.
Note the subtlety and the natural interaction with the ad. Amazing, isn't it? In the same way that we tag our friends in Instagram photos, advertisers can insert these tags that take the user to the purchase page for these products, making the buying process much easier.
Advantages of this type of post
Easy content creation: Incorporate products into visual narratives in Instagram posts and Stories. In the Feed, tag up to five products per image or video and up to 20 products per carousel. In Stories, you can add products to videos and images using a product image.
Attracting audiences and active buyers: When you create an Instagram post with tagged products, it is shared with the Instagram audience and in the "explore" tab, which is accessed by 200 million accounts daily. 2
Stimulating interest and an easy shopping process: Shopping provides quick access to product details and prices. After tapping on a product tag or image, people are taken to a product description page on Instagram. There they can access your website directly or continue exploring your products on Instagram.
As mentioned, Instagram Shopping ads can be published as regular posts , Stories and Carousels, and you can also use videos, as in the images below.
In particular, the use of Stories ads stands out, as they make the most of the mobile device screen, offering companies an elegant and less dispersive image.
Stories is a daily destination for more than 400 million accounts globally, and a third of the most viewed Stories come from businesses*. Businesses can use Product Images on Instagram Stories to provide customers with quick access to product information and a seamless shopping experience.
On its official page, Instagram companies provide some tips for advertisers to create more effective ads:
Tips for shopping publications
- Create at least one shopping post in the Feed to activate the "Shop" tab in your business profile.
- Present more than one product in your posts to get more engagement, without overloading them with tags.
- Take advantage of the various shopping formats in the Feed. Tag a single image/video or create a carousel with video content and still images.
Tips for shopping in Stories
- Customize the color of the text on Product Images to complement the creative visuals.
- Try using product images in Stories to announce promotions or launch products.
- Keep the product in the spotlight in videos when you use a product sticker.
So, are you curious about how to set up this new feature?
Find out everything you need to know in our Tutorial "How to set up Instagram Shopping for your business".
*Instagram internal data 2016 and 2018
Sources:
Instagram companies: Shopping on Instagram. Check it out. Touch. Shop.
Resultados Digitais: Instagram Shopping: feature that lets you tag products directly in photos is launched in Brazil.
