Instagram is adding more e-commerce support with ads in the Shop tab
The test is currently limited to a handful of retailers in the U.S., but the ads, which are already showing domestically, will be rolling out globally to users in the coming months.
Instagram is now testing ads in the Shop tab, TechCrunch first reported on Monday. The ads can include a single image or a carousel of images, and the test is currently only open to a handful of retailers. The ads are rolling out now to mobile users in the U.S.
Why we care
Ads in Instagram Shops may provide retailers with a new way to target audiences that are ready to shop. This is especially valuable as the industry moves away from cross-app tracking and third-party cookies, which may be less of an issue in this context since all of the user’s activity happens in the app.
More on the news
- Ads in Instagram Shops will launch with an auction-based model and the company plans to monitor consumer sentiment in order to balance content with ads, according to TechCrunch.
- Away, Boo Oh, Clare Paint, DEUX, Donni Davy, Fenty Beauty and JNJ Gifts are among the retailers participating in the test. The company has not yet released a timeline for when these ads will be available to more advertisers.
- The ads will expand to global markets in the coming months.
- Instagram launched the Shop tab in July 2020.
