# Social Media E-Commerce Platforms IG Shopping Lets Buyers Purchase Directly on the New Platform By Justin Lam | Published 2018-09-10 | Business Source: Trend Hunter, https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/ig-shopping References: [theverge](https://www.theverge.com/2018/9/4/17819766/instagram-shopping-app-e-commerce) & [wersm](https://wersm.com/instagram-is-building-a-new-shopping-app/) IG Shopping is the latest innovation for Instagram aimed at improving e-commerce communities on the platform. The new app will allow users to browse collections from various merchants on the platform and will also allow for direct purchases through the app. IG Shopping is set to improve the platform for the over 25 million businesses already operating on Instagram, while also making user experiences easier on a more e-commerce-focused platform. There has yet to be an expected release date for the app, as it is still in development. The development of IG Shopping positions the social media platform as the next big thing in e-commerce and will directly challenge other e-commerce platforms like Shopify. Full integration with Instagram will also prove to be quite successful for IG Shopping as most online retailers already utilize the photo-sharing app. ## Trend Insights (Trend Hunter) - Score: 5.0/10 - Popularity: 68% | Activity: 73% | Freshness: 8% - Audience gender: 50% men, 50% women - Primary generations: Gen Z, Gen Alpha, Millennial - Top markets: North America, South America, Europe, Asia ## Categories [Trend Hunter](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends) > [Business](https://www.trendhunter.com/business) > [Retail](https://www.trendhunter.com/retail) ## Key Themes ### What Makes This Trend Stand Out - **Social Media E-commerce:** IG Shopping is a new e-commerce platform that directly challenges established players and is set to improve the experiences of users and businesses on Instagram. - **Direct-to-consumer:** With the ability to purchase directly on the platform, IG Shopping is tapping into the growing trend towards direct-to-consumer retail. - **Mobile Shopping:** IG Shopping's integration with Instagram offers a seamless mobile shopping experience, which is a rapidly growing trend in the e-commerce industry. ### Sectors Adopting This - **E-commerce:** IG Shopping is disrupting the e-commerce industry by offering a new platform that directly challenges established players like Shopify. - **Social Media:** IG Shopping's integration with Instagram is disrupting the social media industry by making the platform more e-commerce focused and tapping into the growing trend of mobile shopping. - **Retail:** IG Shopping's direct-to-consumer model disrupts traditional retail by allowing users to purchase products directly from merchants on the platform. ## Related on Trend Hunter - [Social Media Shopping Features](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/twitter-shops.md) - [Social E-Commerce Platforms](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/tiktok-4.md) - [Pay-in-Chat Instagram Updates](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/payments-in-chat.md) - [Social Media-Inspired eCommerce Features](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/amazon-inspire.md) - [Social Marketplace Updates](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/marketplace.md) - [User-Focused Product Tagging Features](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/product-tagging.md) - [Enhanced Pinterest Shopping Tools](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/video-in-catalogs.md) - [Digestible Shopping Feeds](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/amazon.md) - [Integrated E-Commerce Apps](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/buy-with-prime-for-shopify.md)