Ads. Ads. Ads. Any under-utilized space in Facebook’s platform is free real estate for ads. The latest update is ads coming to the Instagram Shopping Tab.
It’s on its early testing stage and Instagram will put ads on the Shop tab. These shoppable ads will include either a single image or be a carousel format.
Instagram is testing this new feature with select brands including Fenty Beauty, Away, Donny Davy, Boo Oh, JNJ Gifts, DEUX and Clare Paint.
Ads on the Shopping tab will join ads already available on the platform including ads on Reels, ads on Stories, Sticker Ads, and the ads in your feed, ads on the explore tab and in your Suggested Posts. The only place that doesn’t have ads is on your profile tab.
Instagram Shop tab was introduced last year to make the app have an online shopping experience which also gives brands reach for the apps billions of users.
The ads are targeted to users who buy travel, beauty, pet products and home decor items among others.
Instagram had to rearrange its bottom tabs to now feature Shop icon and the Reels icon.
This new direction has faced a lot of criticism from creatives especially photographers who feel the app is alienating them with the new video-focused and commercialized features.
