Amidst the rumours of testing in March, Instagram has launched a new addition to its features that allow users to purchase gift cards, make food orders and carry out other fundraising tools to help suffering businesses, on Stories.
Now that restaurants and bars have shut for the foreseeable future due to COVID-19, online business accounts have seen to pop up everywhere to take advantage of the population spending more time online.
As more people are spending time online due to social distancing rules, Yuval Ben-Itzhak, CEO of Socialbakers said this feature “supports local businesses when they need it most”, allowing users to order food right at their doorstep.
Instagram has thus monitored this movement carefully in regards to user behaviour and has reinforced it with new features to keep users both interested and to give back to businesses that may be struggling.
Moreover, when you click on a gift card, food order or fundraiser sticker, you can tap through to make a purchase through a partner website. Without regular foot traffic and usual sales, millions of businesses are being thrown into the deep end. Instagram thus brought out the new feature to help as it allows small companies to generate revenue during the ongoing crisis to keep them afloat.
In regards to the fundraiser tool in specific, Instagram said fundraisers will be attached to respective personal fundraisers on Facebook. Through this, business owners can create their own personal fundraisers for their own personalised support targeted at their customers.
Businesses will then have options to connect their personal fundraisers to the Support button that can be found on Instagram Stories. This also includes a business profile button, which allows businesses to raise awareness of their fundraising efforts.
All in all, these measures have been put in place to provide businesses with a reduction in the impact of COVID-19. So the likes of bookshops and local cafes may now be able to see a light at the end of the tunnel. Generating income during closures will allow customers to see their favourite businesses through this pandemic.
Are you a suffering business looking to get online? Contact the Colewood team for any support you may need during this unprecedented time.
