Social networking platform Instagram is all set to enable its users to make a direct purchase via chats, also known as DMs (Direct Messages).

According to the company’s blog post, this feature will be available for some selected qualified small businesses. The product orders can be given via a chat thread, following which users will be able to make the payment and track the order from the same thread.

Instagram further stated that around one billion people every week send messages across the family of apps, be it chatting with brands, asking for support, interacting with stories, or browsing products. The firm intends to help people to start conversations with businesses they care about and assist them in finding and buying products quickly, directly from the chat thread.

Although it is not clearly mentioned how many businesses will be allowed to use the feature, Instagram notifies that it will offer access to more businesses as this feature is instigated further.

Sources cite that users will have to depend on Meta Pay, the firm’s payment solution, for completing the purchases. This implies that the feature may be limited to the US market in the initial days.

The feature of paying via chats is also expected to expand for more users in the future.

As per Instagram, this new feature will allow users to directly message (DM) a business about any item they like and later make further requests from the chat. This will include asking the business follow-up questions, the ability to track orders, etc.

On the other hand, this feature will help business owners offer the ability to chat with their consumers in real-time to answer their questions and confirm the purchase details.

The business will also be able to create a payment request along with the product description and price and request and collect payment.

Source Credit - https://indianexpress.com/article/technology/tech-news-technology/instagram-will-now-let-you-shop-directly-from-chat-8038035/