It was inevitable and I think we all knew it was coming, we just didn't know how soon shopping would come to Instagram. Our mobile phones have completely changed the way we shop. We shop just before bed, while we take the busy commute to work and we take the opportunity to compare the prices we see even when we decide to browse in store.

We are in an era of social media power and our mobile devices are aiding the growth. With this leap from Instagram, things will become even more instant for consumers. Which means you have a new platform to analyse, test and use to increase your sales online. Starting this week, Instagram will be testing how to make it easier for consumers to purchase products they like easier and faster.

This definitely solves the questions we have been asking for some time now, how can our business benefit from sharing on Instagram? What is my ROI?

Still piping hot off the press, let's take a look at what Instagram shopping may look like:

When the shopping function is enabled for all users, the features we know and love now will not change, but rather shopping will become an added function in the new updates. All Instagram photos that includes a product for sale will have a little “tap to view” option that reveals the product info at the bottom left hand side of the image.

In time this feature may be updated to something much simpler, so you can tap an icon to reveal details.

To completely test the new feature, Instagram has selected 20 companies based in the US, including Kate Spade and Jack Threads. These retail brands will share posts with more in depth information, making it clearer for users to review and learn more about the items that they find interesting.

This is once again a massive game-changer from Instagram and adds so much more value to their brand and an even greater experience for both users and businesses. Soon you will be able to upload an image with product details and links to buy now.

So what does this mean for your business?

Directing your audience to a product or service page will be easier, which eliminates the “link in bio” issue.
As purchase will take place within the app, users will have a better experience. Whether Instagram will allow every user to use this feature or just the business pages, I don't know, but it will allow influential users to link a post with ease.
Your readers will now be able to tag you in their own photos, which gives adds further authenticity to your business. Plus the click through the website link will increase web views.
Engagement will increase as there is now a much simpler way to send users straight to your website or a specific product page. For instance, if you have a new product coming out, you can simply ask your viewers to click on the link to take a look at your new collection.
You'll have more freedom to be even more creative with your posts. Instead of constantly explaining a product or service, you can just link to that page and your viewers will opt to click and find out more.
No more deciding what link to keep for each post – you can keep your website link in the bio and product links with each image you share. This makes things so much easier and much cleaner.

Stuck for ideas on how to take advantage of Instagram, here is a post on how to turn Instagram into a marketing tool.

I can just imagine how excited you are to get started, I know I am. I would love to hear your thoughts below on what this move will mean for your business.