Instagram launches shopping tags in Saudi, UAE & Lebanon allowing businesses to tag shoppable products in their posts

Instagram has launched shopping tags in Saudi, UAE & Lebanon, the Facebook-owned company announced in a statement today. The feature that was first rolled out in select markets in 2017 enables businesses to tag products in their Instagram posts photos, videos, and stories, and link them to product pages on their websites. When the user taps on a product, they see richer descriptions, more images, and similar products from the store and another tap could take them to the product page on the website of the business.

“Shopping tags facilitates on-platform shopping by creating more opportunities and simpler ways for Instagrammers to discover and explore products. As part of the new shopping functionality, a shopping bag icon will appear on Instagram posts that feature tagged products,” said the company in a statement.

“When tapped, the tags will reveal more details and enable people to click through to a product page with more detailed information and a link to purchase the item on the retailer’s own website. This way, shoppers no longer have to navigate away from Instagram to complete a transaction,” it added.

According to the statement by Instagram, the feature in these markets will be available to businesses with dedicated Facebook sales teams only. The company also said that all businesses with a catalog connected to their account will be able to use the feature, adding that tagging a product is as easy as tagging a person in a post.

The company last month had launched shopping checkout in the United States allowing businesses to sell directly on Instagram by charging them a fee. It is not clear when/if Instagram has plans to roll out this feature to markets in MENA but the company in its today’s statement confirmed that it will be “announcing the introduction of additional shopping features in the coming weeks in an effort to make Instagram the best place to shop.”