Instagram Is Introducing Payment and It’s Great for eCommerce
We’ve been seeing ads on Instagram for quite a while now, prompting us to buy things we
might be interested in. However, we always have to go outside the app to do so. If you
think this is a bit annoying, then your prayers have been answered.
Unbeknownst to most of us, Instagram has been trying something new: a native payments
feature. A few lucky users have been chosen to try this feature out before it’s made
completely public, and we simply can’t wait for it.
The native payments feature will allow users to register debit or credit cards to their profile,
create a security pin, and then buy everything you want on Instagram without having to
leave the app at any time.
What this feature does for Instagram is make it much more important in the eCommerce
business. It’s already an incredible digital marketing tool and it has helped many people
around the world start their own small business and thrive. Now, you will be able to do
that with much more ease.
Not to mention that, as a consumer, it’s a lot more convenient for you to do your shopping
within the app itself. Expect to be able to make dinner reservations, salon appointments
and even buying movie tickets via Instagram. The notion of being able to book a service
directly from the business’ profile is simply wonderful and we see a lot of growth for it in
the future.
The Instagram Payments feature is backed by Facebook’s Payments rules and you can
confirm this on the app’s terms of service. Once the feature goes live, many more
businesses will have yet another reason to start advertising on Instagram and the impact
on eCommerce could be huge.
Being a mainly visual platform, Instagram has proven to have significant potential and it
has proven its worth in the world of business. Once they make payments more convenient,
meaning users won’t have to fill in their payment information every single time they want
to buy something, brands will prefer the platform more than they already do.
Native commerce is not new for Facebook, though. This is a concept they have been toying
with since 2013 and they even started allowing peer-to-peer payments on their Messenger
app, which is still in closed beta phase. We don’t know yet if this feature will make it to
Instagram, but by making it possible for users to add credit or debit cards could definitely
be seen a stepping stone towards that direction.
If you think about it, one of the main reasons Instagram won’t allow links in your captions
is so that you can have an uninterrupted, natural browsing flow. Forcing you to leave the
site so you can buy something breaks that illusion, so Instagram Payments is meant to set
that straight. It will make your buys quicker and it won’t affect your browsing experience.
Instagram Payments is coming soon and something tells us it will revolutionize the
eCommerce world.