Instagram News: Navigation Bar Dedicated for Reels and Shopping

Did Instagram just revolutionize online shopping? We say yes.

Back in July of 2020, Instagram had introduced Instagram Shop, a new e-commerce destination that makes it easier to shop from brands and creators. Since then, shoppable posts increased traffic by over 1,416%, an impressive number considering all it was was an additional tag on a post.

That same month they also launched a small global test with the Shop tab. This feature allowed users to shop from online-stores via the app’s navigation bar with just one tab. We later had learned that the Shop icon would replace the heart icon (Activity) in the main navigation portion.

This brings us to the September 2020 beta launch. A limited amount of accounts received the opportunity to test out the new feature and feed in order to prepare for a global launch in a few months. It’s no secret that TikTok is the leading video app compared to Instagram’s reels. However, the app has to go through vigorous updates to be compliant for the U.S., as Oracle now took over. We made a few predictions on how Tik Tok will manage in 2021. To combat the leading downloaded app, Instagram is really honing in the accessibility of Reels. Just like TikTok’s “For You” page, this dedicated tab can mean more engagement, exposure, and potential sales for brands.

The Shopping tab is solely dedicated to e-commerce brands and businesses to sell their products on their profiles. This then eliminates the need for users to leave the app to complete orders. Since Instagram loosened restriction to business back in July, the ability to turn profiles into profitable entities has really skyrocketed users’ daily app time. With this new feature, Instagram is putting an emphasis on attracting retailers to capitalizing on selling products.