In the last days Instagram has started testing some new online shopping features for its platform, including the expansion of Shopping Tags within the captions. 

As pointed out by social media expert Matt Navarra, some Instagram profiles can now add product Tags in the captions of their posts. These Tags open links that, when clicked on, will take the end consumer directly to an eCommerce page where they can purchase the product.

Instagram tested this option with a small group of accounts in the United States, including that of British fashion designer, singer and model, Victoria Beckham.

A further development of Shopping Tags will be an interesting addition, an extra tool to directly connect end customers to your products. As is well known, companies can already use Shopping Tags, applying them to images posted on their Instagram page. The opportunity to also use them in captions, however, will allow them to insert the Tags in each post, further increasing the chances to attract new customers.

Currently, as we mentioned, Shopping Tags are still in the testing phase, but it is very likely that, once their usage is stable, they will very quickly become popular among Instagram users.

More and more users rely on Instagram for their online purchases. This additional innovation could accelerate a process that has already been going on for some time, which in the coming years could make Instagram become one of the largest online eCommerce aggregators in the world.