When Instagram rolled out its bookmark feature (saving posts in a neat “board” to view later), it made my life simpler. I didn’t have to scroll through my “Post You’ve Liked” page to find that dress or sneaker or makeup product I eventually wanted to purchase. Of course, it would be (dangerously) easier if I could just buy it right there and then.
And now…well, here it is. Instagram has released a new in-app shopping feature today, allowing users to purchase items without every leaving the feed.
On Tuesday morning, Eva Chen, director of fashion partnerships at Instagram, announced the new Instagram Checkout feature on her Instagram Stories. Users will be able to tap the shopping tote bag icon, which then leads to the actual product page where users can choose their clothing/shoe size, color, quantity, etc before you complete your purchase on the payment page. Like most purchases you make, users will be asked to enter their name, email, billing information and shipping address once, and the information will then be”securely saved.”
Additionally, shipping updates will be pushed as notifications within Instagram. At the moment, this feature only works for single-item purchases with plans to test out multi-item purchases in the future, per Buzzfeed News.
Courtesy of Instagram
The app launches with a handful of brands including Michael Kors, Burberry, Oscar de La Renta, Huda Beauty, KKW Beauty, Nars, Zara, H&M, Outdoor Voices. Chen teased that Dior, Prada, Balmain, Kylie Cosmetics, Anastasia Beverly Hills, Uniqlo and many more will be joining Instagram Checkout shortly.
