Starting March 20, Facebook-owned photo-sharing app Instagram launches its shopping function to all businesses in the UK. The feature has no additional cost. After a beta launch to select retailers last year, it is now finally available to everyone.
Apart from the UK, the feature is also launching in Australia, Canada, Germany, Italy, France, Brazil and Spain on the same date.
After the latest update, the retail companies can simply tag products in their usual posts on the micro-blogging site to give their followers a seamless shopping experience regularly. Shoppers can click on the tags which will take them directly to the said product’s page on the brand’s website.
In order to use the feature, a user must have a business account and a product catalogue available through Facebook’s pre-existing marketplace or an integration partner. The business must also be dealing with the sale of physical goods.
‘Instagram Shopping’ was initially launched in the US in 2017 and was ran on a trial basis in the UK at Marks & Spencer, Heidi Klein and Mahabis retail brands.
Instagram’s Head of Business reportedly said, “People come to Instagram every day to discover and buy products from their favourite businesses. We want that to be a seamless experience. Whether it’s a local artisan, florist or clothing store, shopping directly on Instagram has never been easier.”
The move will enable small businesses to create an online shopping space even without having a retail website. It will allow brands with a huge following to monetise their audiences and minimise the number of clicks it takes for a user to purchase a product.
Bharat Tex Special Report 2026 
