While we were all freaking out about the Instagram shutdown the other day, the app was introducing its newest and most dangerous feature. You can now buy the leather jacket, or that jumpsuit you found while still browsing on the app itself.
When a product is made shoppable on Instagram, you can now click on it and be directed to a page where there’s an option to checkout on Instagram. You put in your credit card information once, safely store it and now you’re literally a click away from buying items you find on your feed without leaving the app. The dangerous part? You’re probably going to spend a lot more money than you’d like.
“Since our earliest days, people on Instagram have loved to shop,” the company wrote in a blog post on Tuesday. “Instagram is a place for people to treat themselves with inspiration, not a place to tax themselves with errands.”
Anindya Ghose, a professor at NYU’s Stern School of Business who teaches a course on e-commerce and social media, said the checkout button allows users to “act on that impulse [to buy] right away.” When people are forced to leave a platform and go to a different one to complete a task, there is typically a big drop off in user traffic, Ghose also sad.
Over 20 brands are currently participating. You can find some of them listed here below.
Adidas @adidaswomen
Zara @zara
Burberry @burberry
Dior @dior
H&M @hm
Michael Kors @michaelkors
Nike @niketraining & @nikewomen
Oscar de la Renta @oscardelarenta
Prada @prada
Inevitably, more companies will start using the feature. In the meantime, go buy that Zara Jacket or that H&M top you saw on Instagram.
#Peace.Love.Instagram
