Instagram is bringing its online shopping experience to Australia, Brazil, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, and the UK.

Global village gets a little smaller

Since Facebook’s $1 billion acquisition of Instagram six years ago, the platform has become a significant competitor in advertising and is expanding its shopping experience to a global market.

Instagram’s Shoppable posts were launched back in November of 2016, allowing some businesses to showcase products tagged in photos with captions detailing price, descriptions, and links to purchase.

Building bridges

Foreign retailers now also have the added penetration of marketing to the US and the others thanks to the new expansion. 500,000 merchants can now sell across North America, Europe, and Latin America.

Instagram claims that for more than 800 million monthly users, Brazil is fast becoming its most significant market, even though it technically remains its second largest.

With Pinterest offering a similar shopping experience through Buyable Pins it would seem a new shopping medium is flourishing. Who knows, maybe photos really are the future of retail?

Have you had a chance to experience Instagram’s in-app shopping? What are your thoughts on adding eight new markets? Give us  your thoughts in the comment section.