Back in August, we spoke about how Instagram had introduced a new feature on their platform called Reels, a brand new rival for TikTok. If you’re unfamiliar with this new feature, you can read some more about it here.
Now, Instagram have turned it up a notch and have turned on a shopping feature within Reels, which allows content creators to include product tags within their video and enables users to view and buy specific products mentioned within the Reel. Video makers can also use tags specifically for branded content.
Reels users are now able to select the “View Products” button to either buy, save or learn more about the featured products within a Reel.
For Instagram Reels users in the United States, they will now be able to purchase products from brands who have Instagram Checkout enabled without having to leave the app as Facebook Pay moves over to Insta.
Now that the shopping feature is in Reels, it could be argued that Instagram is turning into somewhat of a retail app, being that users can already shop within the Feed, IGTV, Stories, and Live. Alongside that, Instagram also replaced the ‘Activity’ tab for a ‘Shop’ tab back in July.
This new feature for Instagram Reels comes hot on the heels of TikTok’s recently announced Shopify partnership, a sure sign that TikTok will be making big moves into the e-commerce space in 2021.
