Buying Products Directly Through Instagram DMs? Really?

 

Source: freepik.com

The era of the internet has brought drastic changes to every industry and led to the creation of new industries and sectors altogether. One of the key changes brought about by the internet is the inception of online shopping and eCommerce. Initially, the concept of eCommerce was constrained to specifically designed and purpose-built online shopping websites which provided a platform for vendors and sellers around the world to sell their products and services to consumers around the world.

The impact of eCommerce and being able to market your products to buyers around the world directly through a website was an alluring concept that ensured that more and more people were able to market their products directly to potential buyers.

The next revolution came with the onset of social media. As more and more people joined social media, people and businesses became capable of advertising and selling directly to their consumers. All this happened in addition to the traditional methods of marketing and selling.

Sell via Instagram

Social media has allowed people to connect with each other on a scale that has been unprecedented. The fact that you can connect with people all around the world and in your local city is a blessing for people who want to start their own business from their homes or small businesses that do not have access to traditional marketing opportunities. Through Instagram, businesses are able to market directly to their target audience and engage users through content that is made specifically for their target customers.

Source: marketingweek.com

At present, a number of people have started selling their products via social media platforms directly to their customers. Start-ups and small businesses alike have started making use of social media platforms like Facebook, and Instagram to sell their products and market directly to their customers. This has been made possible because of the increased usage of Instagram and more and more people joining Instagram.

Buying Products from Instagram Buyers

With so many people joining Instagram, businesses and people have started advertising their products directly through their Instagram content and people can now browse through the catalog of a business by scrolling through its Instagram feed.

Source: freepik.com

Let’s say you are scrolling through Instagram, and you see something that you want to buy. You can reach the seller’s page through the tags on the post, and then DM the seller about the details of the product. Now you can discuss the details of the transaction with the seller and buy the product you want. While Instagram made it easy to sell your products and buy directly from buyers, one had to still rely on external websites and payment options to complete the transaction.

Buy Directly from Instagram DMs

Small businesses are now finding it a little simpler to support themselves via their merchandise thanks to Instagram. Meta has now made it possible to do business through Instagram DMs. When you DM a company, you can stay in the chat while asking questions, learn product details, and make the purchase with Meta’s payment wallet. You don't need to go to an external website or look for a link to purchase and personalize the thing you desire. In other nations, the function is accessible through competent small enterprises.

Source: freepik.com

Mark Zuckerberg, the CEO of Meta, said that their business is introducing a new "payments in conversation" function on Instagram. With this new function, consumers can make purchases from local companies and follow orders via Instagram direct messaging.

How It Works

• Users may start by sending a direct message or a DM to a qualifying small company they're interested in purchasing from to use the new functionality. They may then pay for their order, track the shipment, and resolve any queries they have from the company in the same chat thread. Customers can now pay vendors straight within their Instagram message thread, according to the firm, which claims that customers frequently discuss their purchases with companies via Instagram DMs before making a purchase. The in-app chat support is also available to users who make purchases using DMs.

• According to Meta, the vendor can make a request for payment after the customer has requested to make the purchase of the product the customer wants to buy. When the user clicks on "Pay", they are prompted to enter and confirm their shipping address and payment details. The buyer will then see the message "eWallet will process your payment."

• Meta says, small companies who at the moment do not use the Shops feature, can now discuss items, make orders with client information, and take payments - all without switching to a different or third-party app.

• This “in-chat shopping” is not a new innovation as users in several countries are already using WhatsApp for their shopping needs. This innovation is set to make Instagram a viable platform for business as other eCommerce platforms, and it may be especially important in North America and other areas where WhatsApp has a significantly less user base. This has transformed Instagram into a complete online marketplace and you will never have to even leave the platform to take care of your shopping and business needs.

Conclusion

"Each week, one billion people message a business across our family of apps — whether it's chatting with brands, browsing products, asking for support, or interacting with stories. We want to help people start conversations with businesses they care about and help them find and buy products they love like smartphones, headphones, clothes and many more in an easy, seamless experience, right from the chat thread,” the company said in its blog post.

Now that users will be able to buy products on Instagram directly through DMs, this is set to increase traffic on Instagram, and this might even become Meta’s answer to the Big Boys of the eCommerce space. This new development of Instagram as a marketplace wherein people can buy directly from businesses is set to make Instagram more than a social media app and will take forward the concept of social media-based marketplace and eCommerce. You can now easily buy products from Instagram businesses by directly paying through DMs.