Instagram Shopping through Direct Messages is now a reality. The company has announced the deeper integration of Instagram Shops and Direct Messages features. That is, now the customers can talk straight to the businesses, ask questions, make a purchase, and track the order — all through the chat thread. On the other hand, businesses can interact with customers, get feedback, raise payment requests, and collect the payment too. So the whole transaction process becomes a lot more convenient for both parties. But, there’s a catch.
According to Meta, only “qualified” businesses can be part of this new arrangement. Who falls under this category isn’t cleared by the announcement.
The other notable clause is that the payment method involved is Meta Pay.
So, the feature is likely to be limited to markets like the US where this currency system is available.
Once these two concerns are sorted, it’s just a matter of the customer DMing the business, asking about the product, clearing any doubts, and confirming the purchase.
Meta claims the payments in chats are “securely processed” and the purchases are “protected”.
It further invites other small-scale businesses to follow the suit by signing up for Shops on Instagram and Facebook.
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