How many times have you mindlessly scrolled through Instagram, a sponsored post comes up, you click on it and five minutes later you’ve bought the product? Guilty. The pink clay mask in my bathroom proves it. Well, that kind of impulse buying is now going to be a hell of a lot easier, with three new Instagram home layouts currently being tested.
According to Head of Instagram Adam Mosseri, IG will be trialling a new home screen with a Reels and a Shop tab. Before that, you had to access Reels through the Explore tab or through individual users, like some kind of peasant. As for shopping, that tab was hidden away on the Explore page.
We’re starting to test different versions of Instagram’s home screen – when you open the app you’ll soon see a Reels tab and a Shop tab in one of these three layouts. pic.twitter.com/WLmjAwYwFW
— Adam Mosseri (@mosseri) September 9, 2020
You might remember that Facebook, which owns IG, added a Marketplace tab to its home screen, enabling easy shopping access for its users. Ahh yes, the delights of capitalism.
However, the separate tab for Reels is nothing new and is already being tested in India. Reels was originally launched in India In July and has since expanded exponentially. One of the reasons for its success, is because India has banned TikTok across the country (Australia please DO NOT take notes).
All I have to say is Instagram prepare for backlash… that will inevitably go away after a week, when everyone moves on again.
