Instagram Is Going to Turn Us All into Stores

According to Bloomberg, every Instagram user will soon be able to add buy links to their posts.

Called Checkout, the feature will initially be rolled out to a “small group of influencers, including Kim Kardashian West” but will eventually allow any user to “buy any garment directly from anyone’s Instagram post” — something Bloomberg called the “holy grail of social shopping.”

If all goes well, Bloomberg is positing that Instagram “might just have created a high-end alternative to Amazon,” especially because “selling fits well with Instagram, a visual medium beloved of fashionistas” (and recovering #menswear fiends).

According to the story, luxury brands have had access to a version of the tool since 2017 and they already embrace the platform over anything Amazon offers, as it allows them “control over product presentation and pricing.”

Checkout, however, “makes the whole process much simpler, because consumers can complete their purchases without leaving Instagram.” And yes, in case you’re wondering, Instagram will be earning a commission on every purchase.

While there are risks — luxury houses would lose the image control they covet, brands lose control over customers because the interaction would take place entirely in-app — the story posited that because “retailers need to be where their customers are,” those risks are “worth taking.”

Looks like we can all be a business, man.

You can read more about it at Bloomberg.

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