Instagram Invites Creators to Sell Products Directly in the App The social network is expanding shopping access to more types of creators.
This story originally appeared on PCMag
Instagram influencers can start hawking their own wares online next month. The social network on Tuesday announced plans to expand shopping access to more types of businesses, including creators.
"Whether you are a candle business making a foray into e-commerce, a musician selling merch, or a food blogger expanding into your own cookware line, any eligible business or creator account with at least one eligible product can use shopping tags to drive people to their website to make a purchase," the Instagram Business Team wrote in a blog post.
With this new policy — effective July 9 in all countries where Instagram Shopping is supported — dealers must tag products from a single website they own and sell from, "so that people have a consistent and trusted shopping experience," the company said. That means Etsy, Society6, and other digital marketplaces are out of the question.
Instagram also promised "clearer guidance" for and "more transparency" into the types of operations best suited to the new commerce eligibility requirements — specifically, creators looking to grow their venture online. "When businesses sign up for Instagram Shopping, they will be notified as soon as they are approved and ready to start tagging products," the blog explained. "If a business is not approved, we offer a clear reason so they can take the necessary action or appeal."
Newcomers must go through Instagram's induction process, while existing operations will simply receive an in-app notification with instructions about how to level-up. Moving forward, these requirements will apply to all businesses selling products via Facebook commerce.
