Instagram introduced Shops last year as part of its larger shift toward e-commerce. Shops is front-and-almost-center on the apps bottom navigation bar, even more readily accessible than the button to upload a new photo. After testing the app in the U.S. earlier in the month, Instagram will now introduce ads on the Instagram Shop Tab globally. They will be available in all countries that have the Instagram Shop Tab.
This is Instagram's latest update to its e-commerce platform. To compete with TikTok's shopping feature, it previously integrated Reels shopping and organized product Drops in their Shop category. It also added affiliate features to allow creators to earn commissions on sales of sponsored products.
Shops currently display items in a grid of two columns of square tiles. The ad will be displayed as a tile within the structure. However, they'll be marked Sponsored at the bottom-left corner. Clicking the ad will bring up the Product Details page. This provides more information about the item as well as additional images. If the ad is not appropriate, users can save the product to their wishlist or send it to friends.
Instagram tested Shops ads alongside U.S. advertisers such as Boo Oh and Donny Davy, Boo Oh and Clare paint, JNJ Gifts DEUX, Fenty Beauty, Boo Oh and Boo Oh. TechCrunch reported that these Shops ads will be launched with an auction-based model. Shops will only be available on mobile as Shops is not available on desktop. These ads will be viewed by users based on their use of Instagram and the number of people shopping in the Instagram tab.
