Instagram on Tuesday said it will start testing features that let smartphone or tablet users easily buy items they find on the popular photo and video sharing service.
The test slated to begin next week in the US will be tailored for Instagram applications on Apple mobile devices, according to a blog post by the Facebook-owned service.
The move will build on a strategy by the world’s leading online social network to connect shoppers and shops, earning revenue from purchases.
“Mobile has changed the way people shop,” Instagram said in the blog post.
“We’re excited to announce an easier experience to shop the products you love on Instagram.”
Instagram cited industry statistics indicating that smartphone purchases are commonly used in the US to browse or research options regarding potential purchases.
Twenty US retailers including Kate Spade and JackThreads will take part in the Instagram e-commerce test, sharing posts that provide more information along with “Shop Now” icons for streamlined purchasing, according to the blog post.
“This test is going to change the scope of what we, as retailers, are capable of offering on mobile,” JackThreads chief marketing officer Ryan McIntyre said in the post.
“Our customers will be able to shop seamlessly from their social media feeds — allowing us to reach guys where they’re already hunting for what’s new.”
Rival firm Pinterest last year dove into e-commerce with “pins” that let people buy items they like at the popular online bulletin board.
Pinterest became a hit, particularly among women, by giving people virtual bulletin boards that they can decorate with pictures showcasing interests in anything from food to sports, to fashion or travel.
Meanwhile, Facebook delivered another blockbuster earnings performance, showing solid growth in mobile ad revenues as the social network expands into new services.
While Facebook topped Wall Street expectations in the quarter, shares dove more than eight percent to $116.54 after an earnings call during which executives warned that revenue growth should be more tempered next year and that the company planned to invest heavily in engineers and data-centers for long-term goals.
“People were expecting them to hit it out of the park, and it is hard to sustain that,” Silicon Valley analyst Rob Enderle of Enderle Group said of the market reaction to what appeared to be a stellar earnings report.
Profit leapt 166 percent to $2.4 billion on revenue that surged to $7 billion from $4.5 billion during the same period a year earlier, third quarter results showed.
“We had another good quarter,” Facebook co-founder and chief executive Mark Zuckerberg said in the earnings release.
“We’re making progress putting video first across our apps and executing our 10 year technology roadmap.”
Eye on the future
Zuckerberg has laid out a long-term vision for Facebook that includes virtual reality, artificial intelligence, and even providing internet service to remote areas using self-flying drones.
Facebook’s third quarter earnings results “displayed strong top-line momentum and improved profitability,” Baird Equity Research said in a note to investors.
The social network had an average of 1.79 billion monthly users as of the end of September in a 16 percent jump from a year earlier, according to the earnings report.
The number of people accessing Facebook from mobile devices monthly climbed 20 percent to 1.66 million.