The Meta-owned photo and video sharing platform Instagram has announced it’s updating its interface – and the Shop tab is set to be axed.
As shown in the image below, shared by Social Media Today, the navigation bar located at the bottom of the screen is getting a revamp. A box featuring a ‘+’ icon will serve as a shortcut to creating content (a main grid post, story or Reel), replacing the current position of the Reels shortcut, which allows you to browse through Reels. The Reels shortcut isn’t being removed, however – it’s taking the former position of the Shop tab.
Instagram has stated that this change is being implemented to make sharing content and connecting with their interests and friends easier for its users. It also clarified that the removal of the Shop tab doesn’t spell the end of shopping capabilities on the platform, with it assuring users that:
“You will still be able to set up and run your shop on Instagram as we continue to invest in shopping experiences that provide the most value for people and businesses across feed, stories, reels, ads and more.”
Many platforms like Instagram attempted to expand upon or release their own in-app shopping platforms during or immediately after the Covid-19 pandemic to capitalise on the increased demand for online shopping. However, as pointed out by Social Media Today, the removal of the tab from the main navigation of the app does suggest that the app’s shopping functionality isn’t proving as successful as Instagram might’ve hoped for.
Indeed, while online shopping is here to stay and is continuously on the rise, businesses should consider consumer purchasing habits when they choose their avenues for selling products on the web – and a time-tested, proven tool for doing so is through an ecommerce website. No matter where else a business chooses to sell its products on the web, ecommerce should always be built upon a foundation of a dependable, engaging website.
Here at Engage Web, we design and build ecommerce websites for our clients, so if you’re in need of a site for your business, don’t hesitate to get in touch with us today.
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