Frictionless Shopping Is Here. YouTube and Instagram Join TikTok With New Social …

If you haven’t brought your retail business into the world of social commerce just yet, consider this your cue.This month, both Instagram and YouTube unveiled new tools that aim to help users make sales directly on their social media platforms — removing the need to shop at a brand’s own website or retailer’s online store. With the more seamless check-out options, presumably consumers will have fewer barriers to buy, and that can lead to more sales. On Instagram, customers can now place and track orders in direct messages, and sellers can request and receive payment in the same thread using Meta Pay. This feature aims to simplify the purchase process, especially for custom orders that might require back-and-forth communication between buyer and seller, according to Meta, the Menlo Park, California-based owner of Instagram and Facebook. Previously, businesses could sell items on Instagram through the app’s shop function, but shoppers could not place orders through direct messages. Businesses must have an Instagram storefront to use the new tool. Through a new partnership with Shopify, YouTube creators can now directly link their products across their channels and content, including in livestream videos. U.S.-based users of the feature can enable onsite checkout, which can allow shoppers to make purchases directly on YouTube. To…
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