Instagram Direct lets you shop, pay, and track orders through DMs

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If you shop on Instagram and live in the US, you can now place and manage all your orders via Instagram Direct shopping.

Previously, buyers and sellers could exchange messages, send invoices, confirm payment, and share tracking information via direct messages (DMs).

However, they relied heavily on third-party solutions for the entire process. Now, Instagram is bringing native support that will unify and simplify the entire process.

With this move, Instagram DM is also becoming a one-stop shop for merchants and customers.

Instagram Direct shopping feature launched

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The new Instagram Direct shopping feature was announced by Mark Zuckerberg in a chat and broadcast via a blog post on July 18, 2022. It is designed for small businesses and consumers.

Instagram Direct shopping is another way for shoppers to discover, explore, and patronize their favorite small business brands. It is also another avenue for brands to connect and engage with customers.

According to Meta, one billion people use its apps each week to chat with brands, browse products, request support, and interact with stories.

These people can now add Instagram Direct shopping to existing shopping options that allow them to shop in Feed and Explore, Stories, Reels, Live, Instagram Shop, and Shops on Instagram.

Merchants are not required to have Shops on Instagram or Facebook in order to use this feature. However, businesses will have to be vetted before they can participate in this program.

How Instagram Direct shopping works

US shoppers can now message a business seeking more information about a product like its location, color, texture, weight, dimensions, and price, for instance.

It all begins with a DM. If you see a product you like, simply tap on Message and shoot them a DM. They’ll reply to you with all the answers you need.

Once you’re sold on the product, the merchant can easily generate and send you a payment request in-chat. You can then click on it and pay with Meta Pay or other approved third-party payment solutions.

Your payments are secured, and purchases are protected. However, only purchases conducted on Instagram are protected by the Purchase Protection Policy.

Thanks to Instagram Direct shopping, after your order is placed, you’ll also be able to track your order and get after-sales support in-chat.

Easily chat and shop with a DM

With the new in-chat commerce feature, you can easily conduct all your online shopping without leaving Instagram.

This is similar to TikTok Shop, which allows TikTok users, sellers, creators, partners, and affiliates to connect, buy and sell.

The new Instagram Direct shopping feature is part of Meta’s efforts to improve its dwindling fortunes across its family of apps, especially Facebook.

Have any thoughts on this? Let us know down below in the comments or carry the discussion over to our Twitter or Facebook.

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