Instagram introduces feature to shop from chat

Instagram has introduced an option to shop and make purchases from small businesses directly in chats on the platform.

Users will have this option to share queries, make a purchase, and track their order within chats with qualified small businesses, on Instagram, creating another avenue for businesses and providing a new way to shop for users.

These businesses will be able to confirm purchases, create payment requests and collect payment. Mark Zuckerberg announced this payment feature in a chat with Jawsurf on Instagram.

With the new feature, chatting with brands, browsing products, requesting support or interacting with stories, would now have a concluding step - making the purchase.

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Conversations with businesses can also lead to product discovery and users would now have the option to buy these products in the chat experience.

For example, if users are interested in a backpack, they can send a message to the business. From there, they can chat about customizations, and then place the order right in the chat. In that same chat thread, users will also be able to track their orders and ask the business any follow-up questions.

To complete the purchase users will be able to use Meta Pay to complete purchases. Users can have their payments processed and conclude the purchase.

Using this new feature, small business owners will be able to:

• Chat with customers in real-time to answer questions and confirm purchase details
• Create a payment request with item description and price
• Request and collect payment
• And when businesses are ready to set up their digital storefront, they can use Shops on Instagram and Facebook