Brands worldwide can now promote product listings in Instagram’s Shop tab. Instagram Shop, which launched in 2020 and received its own tab shortly after, allows businesses to set up digital storefronts on their profiles.
In the Shop tab, people can browse, save, and buy products listed by businesses or tagged by creators. Ads with Shop tab placement appear with a “Sponsored” label and otherwise function as any other post or product listing.
Instagram’s Shop tab announcement was made the same week TikTok introduced storefronts on its app for Shopify vendors with TikTok business accounts. Like on Instagram, merchants can add a shopping tab to their profiles featuring catalogs and products. However, while shoppers on Instagram can, in some cases, checkout directly in the app, TikTok storefronts connect browsers to the seller’s Shopify site.
These developments bode well for brands and creators that have found early success with social shops. U.S. social commerce sales are projected to rake in $36B in 2021, and climb to $79B by 2025.