Instagram launched Shops last year as part of Facebook’s bigger e-commerce push. Shops is practically front-and-center on the bottom navigation bar of the app, even more, accessible than the button to post a new photo. Following a test in the United States earlier this month, Instagram will now roll out adverts on the Instagram Shop tab globally, in all countries where the page is available.
- Features: Currently, items on Shops appear in a two-column grid of square tiles. Ads will appear as a tile within this structure, but they’ll be marked “Sponsored” in the bottom-left corner of the image. When the ad is clicked, it will open the Product Details page, which shows more information about the item, additional images, and other products from the brand.
- Updates: This marks Instagram’s latest update in evolving its e-commerce platform. It previously implemented shopping in Reels to compete with TikTok, organized exclusive product Drops into their own Shop category and added affiliate features for creators to earn a commission on sales of sponsored products.
- Safety: Users can save a product from an ad to their wish list or send it to a friend — if the ad is inappropriate, they can press and hold its tile to see options to hide or report the ad. Instagram tested Shops ads with U.S. advertisers like Away, Donny Davy, Boo Oh, Clare paint, JNJ Gifts, DEUX and Fenty Beauty.
- Experience: “With shops, we want to give people a place to experience the joy of shopping versus the chore of buying. Collections in shops let businesses customize the shopping experience and curate products into themes that tell their brand story,” Instagram had stated earlier.
- Reels: Earlier this year, Instagram officially rolled out ads in Reels, another new format that debuted only last year. The company also began testing sticker ads, which would allow people to include stickers in their stories advertising a product. Users will receive a cut of any revenue made through people tapping on the sticker and buying a product.
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