Instagram has introduced a tool designed to shore up its hold on shopping. The company announced today that it will be rolling out an in-app checkout function to users in the United States, a secure and, Instagram hopes, friction-free method for purchasing products on the app without ever leaving. The tool will begin appearing in some users’ apps today and roll out to all users in the United States within a few weeks. Additional brands will be added to the beta test throughout the year. “Given that 80 percent of people follow a business on Instagram, the desire really is there to shop,” said Vishal Shah, the head of product at Instagram.

Source: New York Times March 19, 2019 21:22 UTC