Instagram, aware of how many used the platform to view products, decided to create a section where we can buy them without having to leave the app. They created a dedicated shopping tab where users can quickly browse products, but it looks like it didn’t go as well as expected. As a result, the social platform has decided to remove this option from the main navigation row, to put it at the bottom of the app.
Apparently, certain rumors that circulated among Instagram employees to remove the shopping option came true. Instagram recently announced in an article on its support site. Last September, the company had reportedly told employees about changes to the social network’s navigation menu, including a less personalized version of the shopping page.
Instagram in 2020 was more focused in e-commerce (largely due to the explosion of this mode of sale in times of pandemic). In fact, at that time, the head of Instagram had said that e-commerce was the future of the social network. Apparently now that panorama is in content marketing and influencers.
This update does not mean that Instagram is getting rid of its space focused on shopping, just that it will stop giving it the same relevance it had when it was launched. A sigh of relief for those who do use this option, even better knowing that there was no other change in this regard. This update will arrive in February 2023.
“You will still be able to set up and run your shop on Instagram as we continue to invest in shopping experiences that provide the most value for people and businesses across feed, stories, reels, ads and more”
Instagram on its support page
Instagram’s head told in a video on Monday that the new navigation mode is to simplify the app experience, adding, “we’re trying to bring people together over what they love.” At the moment, this feature is only available in some markets and checkout is only available in the US and a select number of businesses.
