More than 70% of users shop on Instagram. How can sellers seize the opportunity?

In overseas markets, Instagram has always occupied a place among mainstream social media, and is especially popular among Generation Z and millennials.

Although Instagram's popularity has not diminished, the content and functionality on the platform have undergone tremendous changes in recent years.

Initially, Instagram was just a social software for sharing pictures with friends, but now it has gradually transformed into a shopping platform. Major brands and businesses have seen unlimited potential in it.

It is reported that Instagram's shift to shopping functions is partly due to the current high demand for social e-commerce in the market. A recent Forrester study showed that 63% of respondents believe that social e-commerce is a future development trend.

According to official data released by Instagram, 70% of users have made at least one purchase on the platform. However, what exactly are Instagram's e-commerce features?

Instagram’s e-commerce trilogy

Organic traffic: Unlike most e-commerce platforms, merchants on Instagram can create free marketing content themselves and drive traffic through organic traffic.

Companies can attract organic traffic from three different angles: 1. Upload your own marketing content on your homepage 2. Repost content posted by other users 3. Work with influencers to promote your products

If used correctly, this type of content can be one of the most effective ways for brands to build trust and long-term relationships with consumers.

Paid advertising : To further increase brand awareness and attract more fans, paid advertising is also an important step in Instagram marketing strategy. However, many businesses ignore the various advertising formats provided by Instagram.

Instagram has basic ads: upload a picture or video, as well as collection ads: a cover photo or a video plus three product photos. There are also unique carousel ads and carnival ads, the latter of which can upload up to ten product photos.

Brands and retailers can experiment with different types of ads, but similar to organic content, paid ads will appear alongside other content on the user’s recommended homepage.

Instagram Shop: The Instagram Shop feature is currently being tested in the United States and is considered Instagram’s killer feature for e-commerce. This feature looks like an online store where users can browse product information, add to cart, and place orders.

Brands and merchants can attract consumers to their own Insta stores by adding shopping tags to their advertising content .

Nowadays, consumers have higher and higher requirements for shopping experience, and Instagram’s new shopping function allows consumers to complete orders without jumping outside the APP, greatly improving the user’s shopping experience.

Productsup’s business report shows that if consumers can buy directly from images on social media, 36% of them will be tempted to make an order.

However, considering that Instagram has recently been protested by users due to its overwhelming advertising, sellers need to consider more methods and approaches when planning advertising strategies.

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E-commerce