Instagram users can connect with qualified small businesses via chat, ask questions, make a purchase, track their orders and ask the business any follow-up questions.
Instagram, the social networking service owned by Meta Platforms, announced yesterday a new payment feature that will allow users to buy from small businesses via direct messages.
“We want to help people start conversations with businesses they care about and help them find and buy products they love in an easy, seamless experience, right from the chat thread,” Meta said in a blog post.
“That’s why today we’re introducing a new way to make a purchase on Instagram — right where you chat,” the company added.
Users can connect with qualified small businesses via chat, ask questions, make a purchase, track their orders and ask the business any follow-up questions. Businesses, on the other hand, will be able to confirm purchases, create payment requests and collect payments, all in the same thread.
“As we look toward the next chapter of the internet and the metaverse, we’re looking forward to giving people more access to tools like payments in chat that will make people’s lives easier,” the blog post of Instagram’s parent stated.
Earlier in 2020, the social media giant launched a mobile-first shopping experience called Shops, wherein businesses can easily create an online store on Facebook and Instagram for free.
Instagram also announced a few additional additions to its paid subscription program, which has been in beta testing since the beginning of the year. This feature was once available to only 10 creators on the Meta-owned platform, but it is now available to thousands of creators.
