With over 500 million daily active users, it’s no secret that Instagram presents a real opportunity for brands and influencers to build highly-engaged, loyal audiences.

Over 80% of users currently on Instagram follow a business account. With a user population that eager to consume new content, and the ability to create product friendly feeds, it’s now a hot spot for connecting consumers with brands and products.

In October 2017, we launched the Instagram sales channel, where approved shops can tag products in their posts, linking users to purchase and checkout from your online store without ever leaving the Instagram app.

Today we’re happy to announce that you can now add shopping stickers to your Instagram Stories, a place for sharing less permanent content that vanishes after 24 hours. Instagram Stories present a tremendous opportunity to creatively showcase your products, and with over 400 million daily active users and growing, the potential for engagement is high. When you add a shopping sticker to a product within a story, users can simply tap to learn more about the product tagged, and then tap again to make a purchase.

Also Instagram will be rolling out a shopping category in the Explore tab that will feature product tagged content from various user posts. The Explore tab algorithmically organizes and suggests content based on a user’s unique interests and likes. This is a huge opportunity to get your brand and products in front of new customers, who might not have found you otherwise. Whether you’re sharing a professional product shot or amplifying photos from your users, product tags and stickers can increase discovery on a global scale.

Discovering and shopping for products in Instagram Stories is available now, and the shopping section in Explore will be rolling out over the coming weeks.

Click here to learn more about the Instagram sales channel on Shopify.