Instagram To Offer BigCommerce’s Checkout Solution For In-App Purchases

BigCommerce, an online tech company that provides Software-as-a-Service (SaaS), announced a partnership with Facebook, according to a press release.

The Texas-based company said its checkout service is now available on Facebook’s Instagram, the photo-sharing app, for eligible U.S. merchants and 130 million Instagram users.

BigCommerce promised the new feature will provide merchants an intuitive, seamless and secure way to purchase products on Instagram in a few clicks, according to the release.

“Creating a streamlined checkout experience is paramount for merchants looking to social commerce to drive revenue growth,” said BigCommerce CEO Brent Bellm in the release. “The rollout of checkout on Instagram is another significant step in Instagram’s evolution toward becoming an essential commerce channel for customer-focused brands.”

By integrating the two company’s platforms, BigCommerce said merchants can connect their online stores so customers can buy their favorite brands on Instagram rather than clicking on a brand’s website to finalize the purchase, according to the release. After the order is placed, customers can track their items on the Instagram app.

The announcement comes just weeks after BigCommerce went public, surging more than 200 percent on its first day of trading.

Last month, Facebook announced the launch of Instagram Shop, an “in-app shopping destination where people can discover products and brands they love from across Instagram.” Facebook will start public testing of Instagram Shop in the U.S., with plans to expand globally.

In June, Forrester and Bloomreach researchers reported even before the pandemic, 90 percent of business decision makers said digital commerce will become their company’s most important sales channel within one to three years.

The survey revealed 87 percent of responders said that if they don’t succeed in digital, they will not have a business.

“The pandemic will accelerate these plans for many,” the survey said. “Pre-COVID, almost half of decision makers planned to increase budget for their offline stores … The pandemic has caused businesses to quickly shift spend from offline to online. Investment in offline has been cut in half. Instead, most plan to increase their investment in online channels like web, apps, social and third-party marketplaces.”