Esprit’s Instagram posts are now shoppable

It is now possible to buy Esprit’s products directly through its Instagram account, the brand revealed this Tuesday. Pictures with tagged products will include a shopping bag icon that reveals the products’ description and pricing once a user taps on it. If interested, the user can tap on the icon again and be directed to a product page with more information and the option to “shop now” on the retailer’s website.

“We see great potential in social commerce, which offers us completely new possibilities in product presentation and customer interaction”, said Kirsten Last, head of digital marketing at Esprit, in a statement. The brand, which has been on Instagram since 2012, also stated that it aims to reach its customers through as many different channels as possible to make their buying journeys more convenient and interactive.

Released in March, this new Instagram feature is only available for approved businesses in 45 countries, including the United States, Canada, United Kingdom, most of Europe, Australia, New Zealand and select countries in South America. For now, posts containing the shopping feature cannot be promoted via paid advertising. Retailers are able to link up to five products per post, or 20 products per multi-image post.

According to Facebook, which owns Instagram, there are over 25 million active business profiles on the picture-based social network. 80 percent of the platform’s 800 million users follow at least one business account, and 200 million of them visit at least one business profile daily. According to a survey conducted by Facebook in November, 2015, 60 percent of Instagram users say they use the platform to discover new products.

Picture: Courtesy of Esprit