INSTAGRAM is developing a standalone shopping app called IG Shopping, stocked with items from your favorite brands that you can purchase on the spot, The Verge reported on Wednesdays. This app will allow users to purchase directly from retailers they follow on Instagram.

Development of this app is still ongoing and it’s unclear when or if it will ever launch.

More than 25 Million businesses already have Instagram accounts and 2 million of them are advertisers. Four in five Instagram users follow at least one business. Creating a standalone app would allow the company to provide a dedicated home for an increasingly popular activity on Instagram. And also expanding opportunities for revenue.
Instagram is currently obsessed with standalone apps, as seen by its launch of new IGTV – a new home for longer videos that’s also available through Instagram – making this latest tip all the more believable.
The reports state that Instagram is very confident about this project and feels well positioned to get into the e-commerce market. The Reports also state that Facebook is also looking to expand into paid tools for businesses on Instagram to take on other online shopping platforms like Shopify. A few third-party companies offer business users paid tools to perform various tasks like scheduling posts on Instagram. Which is directly integrated into the platform will make the user experience much more pleasant.

According to the earlier report, Instagram has been testing a new messaging app named Direct since last year. This app will be similar to the Messenger app is for Facebook.

Further, The release of a shopping application from Instagram comes as Facebook plots a bigger push into e-commerce. And it makes sense to use Instagram as a vehicle for that push.

So get ready for your Instagram addiction to burn a hole in your pocket…

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