Suzanne Humphries
In a rare move, Instagram has updated its layout to include dedicated tabs for its Reels and Shop features. This change makes it easier to watch short-form videos or shop for goods from your favorite creators and brands, and to discover fun new products.
“This year, with the pandemic and much of the world sheltering in place, we’ve seen an explosion in short, entertaining videos on Instagram. We’ve also seen an incredible amount of shopping move online, with more and more people buying online and young people looking to their favorite creators for recommendations on what to buy,” stated Adam Mousseri, Head of Instagram on the company’s blog.
Reels is Instagram’s TikTok competitor, and it allows people to watch the short videos users create without having to visit their profile or watch their stories. Likewise, Instagram is hoping the Shop tab will make it easy for users to support small businesses, find inspiration from creators, and enjoy personalized recommendations and curated editors’ picks.
Previously, Reels and shopping options were blended in with your Feed on the Home Page and on the Search Page. Now, with dedicated tabs, they are much easier to find and enjoy. Given that Instagram has had both of these features for a while, this update makes them more accessible and valuable to users and is a great move for everyone.
Source: Instagram
