Instagram’s newest feature will let users buy the clothes off Kim Kardashian’s back.
OK, not literally. But pretty dang close. Today, at parent company Facebook’s F8 developer conference, Instagram revealed that the feature, called ‘Shopping From Creators,’ lets creators tag products in their posts so users can purchase the items for themselves.
Here’s how it works: unlike when one user tags another, and the tag simply links to that user’s account, a Shopping From Creators tag includes a link to the product, making the creator’s post a one-stop shop for the clothes they’re wearing, the beauty products they’re using, and the latest gadget they’re playing with.
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Up till now, only brands could sell their products through embeddable links in their posts. But starting today, a few dozen Instagram influencers and media outlets are testing out Shopping From Creators.
Creators involved in the test include Kardashian (who has 136.4 million followers on the platform), her half sister and makeup mogul Kylie Jenner (133.6 million), model Gigi Hadid (47.4 million), YouTuber Kathleen Lights (2.1 million), and fashion blogger Aimee Song (5.2 million). Media outlets include Vogue (22.7 million), GQ (4.7 million), Refinery29 (2.3 million), and Hypebeast (7.4 million).
It’s important to note Instagram isn’t actually facilitating any kind of monetization with Shopping From Creators, as a company spokesperson told Variety. Instead, creators who want to earn referral fees when users follow their buy links and purchase products will have to contact brands and negotiate those fees themselves. To that end, Shopping From Creators seems like it could be another avenue for creators to monetize their Instagram content if it’s ever rolled out on a wider scale
Instagram also announced another, more philanthropic monetization feature today. This one, available to all users, lets them add a special donation sticker to their Instagram Stories. Followers can then click on the sticker and instantly make a donation to the dozens of nonprofits that work with Facebook.
Nonprofits users can donate to include GLAAD, Black Girls Code, and The Nature Conservancy.
