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But you still can't click a link in a comment or hit a buy button... Why? My wife follows tons of fashion labels- it's a no brainer for her to pick up a dress w

But you still can't click a link in a comment or hit a buy button... Why? My wife follows tons of fashion labels- it's a no brainer for her to pick up a dress with Stripe in Instagram. Why not have users opt in to ads since they're already following companies they love! Seems like a missed opportunity for the company and the user, but perhaps I'm missing something.

markdown 10y ago
link in bio. F#$%!
- mtmail 10y ago
  Which link and which bio are you referring to? (I think the shouting adds nothing of value to the comment).
  - raihansaputra 10y ago
    Currently instagram still disables link in the descriptions of photos. Most brands will revert to putting the relevant link (promos, new launch, blog posts) into the 'Website' part of their profile (bio), then put the "Link in bio" in the photo description.
zer00eyz 10y ago
There is shopable Instagram. http://digiday.com/brands/four-retailers-tackling-shoppable-instagram/ http://digiday.com/brands/four-retailers-tackling-shoppable-... You also have to ask where does the buying cycle and Instagram intersect: http://www.forentrepreneurs.com/buying-cycle-and-triggers/ http://www.forentrepreneurs.com/buying-cycle-and-triggers/ The reality is that the ecosystem just isn't there to fully support cost per acquisition based transactions (the name for what your suggesting) in a way that satisfies provider (like Instagram), Brands (like Nike), Platforms (Like amazon, etsy), and Payment processors (this list is huge).
lips 10y ago
From a "sometimes photographer of fashion stuff" this drives me insane. For one of the key demographics of the application, and an obvious driver of use - IGs link-phobia cuts off the ability to easily and specifically credit a scene: Makeup, set, styling, prop-houses, etc. It's galling.
- tedmiston 10y ago
  It seems like many credit these things by putting account tags over the photo itself. Likewise for the brand of a piece of clothing, etc.
Fricken 10y ago
My mom quite accidentally turned a hobby into a small business by participating in instagram circles for homemade cheese, pottery and artisinal yarn. Posting her own stuff she built a following, people started inquiring about how to buy. She would announce her presence in an upcoming craft sale, but by the time the sale started everything she had to sell was reserved on instagram. Now most of what she makes goes straight to artsy shops in funky shopping districts. My sister is a tattoo artist, she too has engendered quite the instagram following posting her work, which draws clients into the shop. People participating in these sorts of communities enjoy the fact that nobody's clubbing them over the head with a 'buy' button, and because of that the level of engagement is much higher than it is on a site like Etsy, for instance. Instagrammers follow somebody for a few weeks or months, and when they're ready to buy, they make an inquiry, and by that point they're willing to go to any length to get their hands on the product. It's the diametric opposite of impulse buying. The ongoing and intimate narrative is essential to cultivating this, and the absence of a buy button makes it a very inviting place for the types who are into that sort of thing.
- jdminhbg 10y ago
  > Instagrammers follow somebody for a few weeks or months, and when they're ready to buy, they make an inquiry, and by that point they're willing to go to any length to get their hands on the product. It's the diametric opposite of impulse buying. Isn't this just because Instagram makes impulse buying nearly impossible? To make a sale on Instagram, you have to cultivate a serious following who will go to great lengths to buy from you, because it's so hard to buy anything from an Instagrammer. Upvoted nonetheless, because those examples of how people find business opportunities through Instagram are great.
  - Fricken 10y ago
    It's really not that hard to get from instagram to a transactional interface hosted on some other website. I don't think instagram never had any intent of being useful as a marketing platform for certain kinds of small businesses, it emerged that way organically. If it ain't broke, don't fix it.
- 10y ago
kylehotchkiss 10y ago
Just what I wanted to say. I'd even click on ad links if they were interesting. Some (increasingly less) Instagram ads are kinda good. Except for video game ones. Very tacky.

markdown 10y ago

link in bio. F#$%!

mtmail 10y ago
Which link and which bio are you referring to? (I think the shouting adds nothing of value to the comment).
- raihansaputra 10y ago
  Currently instagram still disables link in the descriptions of photos. Most brands will revert to putting the relevant link (promos, new launch, blog posts) into the 'Website' part of their profile (bio), then put the "Link in bio" in the photo description.

zer00eyz 10y ago

There is shopable Instagram. http://digiday.com/brands/four-retailers-tackling-shoppable-instagram/ http://digiday.com/brands/four-retailers-tackling-shoppable-... You also have to ask where does the buying cycle and Instagram intersect: http://www.forentrepreneurs.com/buying-cycle-and-triggers/ http://www.forentrepreneurs.com/buying-cycle-and-triggers/ The reality is that the ecosystem just isn't there to fully support cost per acquisition based transactions (the name for what your suggesting) in a way that satisfies provider (like Instagram), Brands (like Nike), Platforms (Like amazon, etsy), and Payment processors (this list is huge).

lips 10y ago

From a "sometimes photographer of fashion stuff" this drives me insane. For one of the key demographics of the application, and an obvious driver of use - IGs link-phobia cuts off the ability to easily and specifically credit a scene: Makeup, set, styling, prop-houses, etc. It's galling.

tedmiston 10y ago
It seems like many credit these things by putting account tags over the photo itself. Likewise for the brand of a piece of clothing, etc.

Fricken 10y ago

My mom quite accidentally turned a hobby into a small business by participating in instagram circles for homemade cheese, pottery and artisinal yarn. Posting her own stuff she built a following, people started inquiring about how to buy. She would announce her presence in an upcoming craft sale, but by the time the sale started everything she had to sell was reserved on instagram. Now most of what she makes goes straight to artsy shops in funky shopping districts. My sister is a tattoo artist, she too has engendered quite the instagram following posting her work, which draws clients into the shop. People participating in these sorts of communities enjoy the fact that nobody's clubbing them over the head with a 'buy' button, and because of that the level of engagement is much higher than it is on a site like Etsy, for instance. Instagrammers follow somebody for a few weeks or months, and when they're ready to buy, they make an inquiry, and by that point they're willing to go to any length to get their hands on the product. It's the diametric opposite of impulse buying. The ongoing and intimate narrative is essential to cultivating this, and the absence of a buy button makes it a very inviting place for the types who are into that sort of thing.

jdminhbg 10y ago
> Instagrammers follow somebody for a few weeks or months, and when they're ready to buy, they make an inquiry, and by that point they're willing to go to any length to get their hands on the product. It's the diametric opposite of impulse buying. Isn't this just because Instagram makes impulse buying nearly impossible? To make a sale on Instagram, you have to cultivate a serious following who will go to great lengths to buy from you, because it's so hard to buy anything from an Instagrammer. Upvoted nonetheless, because those examples of how people find business opportunities through Instagram are great.
- Fricken 10y ago
  It's really not that hard to get from instagram to a transactional interface hosted on some other website. I don't think instagram never had any intent of being useful as a marketing platform for certain kinds of small businesses, it emerged that way organically. If it ain't broke, don't fix it.
10y ago

kylehotchkiss 10y ago

Just what I wanted to say. I'd even click on ad links if they were interesting. Some (increasingly less) Instagram ads are kinda good. Except for video game ones. Very tacky.