Instagram will now let users make purchases directly from chats, also known as Direct Messages (DMs), on the platform. The company made the announcement in a blog post. The Meta-owned platform noted that select qualified small businesses would support the feature. Once an order is placed via a chat thread, the user will be able to make payment, track the order, etc all from the same thread.
“Each week, one billion people message a business across our family of apps — whether it’s chatting with brands, browsing products, asking for support or interacting with stories. We want to help people start conversations with businesses they care about and help them find and buy products they love in an easy, seamless experience, right from the chat thread,” the company wrote in the blog post.It is not clear how many businesses will be allowed to use the feature, though Instagram notes that it will give access to more businesses as this feature is rolled out further. The feature to make payments in chats will also be expanded for more users in the future.According to Instagram, users will be able to message a business about any item they like and then make further requests from the chat. This will include the ability to track orders, ask the business follow-up questions, etc. It also looks like users will have to rely on Meta Pay–the company’s own payment solution— to complete purchases. This means that the feature could be limited to the US market in the early days.For business owners, the feature will support the ability to talk to customers in real-time to answer questions and confirm purchase details. It will also allow the business to create a payment request with item description and price, as well as request and collect payment.Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg announced today that the company is launching a new “payments in chat” feature on Instagram. With this new feature, users can purchase products from small businesses and track orders via direct messages on Instagram in the United States.To use the new feature, users can start by sending a direct message to a qualified small business they’re interested in buying from. In that same chat thread, they’ll then be able to pay, track their order and ask the business any follow-up questions. The company says users often chat about their orders with businesses via DMs on Instagram before purchasing but will now be able to pay sellers directly within their Instagram chat thread. Purchasing via DMs also gives users access to in-app chat support, Meta says.
“You can now buy products from small businesses and track your order in chat on Instagram in the U.S.,” Zuckerberg said in the announcement post. “Pay with Meta Pay and checkout in a few taps.”A screenshot shared by Meta shows that once a buyer has decided to make a purchase, the seller can create a request for payment. Once a user selects the “Pay” button, they will be asked to add and review their payment information and shipping address. The screenshot notes that “your payment will be processed by PayPal.”
Meta notes that small businesses in the United States who currently don’t use Shops will now be able to discuss products, create orders with customer details and accept payments — without having to switch to another app. When a business is ready to set up a digital storefront, they can use Shops on Instagram and Facebook.
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