E-Commerce Experts’ Thoughts on the Instagram Checkout Feature
Facebook is at it again, innovating the social media landscape … this time with its uber-popular platform, Instagram. In a recent press release, the company unveiled the new Instagram Checkout feature, an e-commerce extension of the app. Since it’s currently in beta with only 25 companies, not much is known about it, and businesses should not look to Instagram Checkout as the primary focus of their overall e-commerce strategy.
The Instagram Checkout Feature is Innovative
It makes great sense for Facebook to want to incorporate this functionality into Instagram. With over 1 Billion Daily active users (55% of which falling in the 18-34 age group), Instagram dominates among millennials and Generation Z users. The seamless integration of products as content makes sense for the usability of the platform.
This isn’t Facebook’s first foray into payment processing. They have currency exchange capabilities in the Messenger app, credit card processing on Facebook which can be used for Facebook Ads, in-app purchases for games and for charitable campaigns. So this means Facebook can handle adding payment processing securely to Instagram? Right? That has yet to be seen.
Facebook’s Security Blunders
Just two days after the Instagram Checkout announcement, it was reported that Facebook stored hundreds of millions of user passwords in plain text without any encryption. A few months earlier in September 2018, Facebook’s security was breached allowing hackers access and control of over 50 million accounts.
What Does This All Mean?
The jury will be out on whether Facebook has the security chops to maintain the integrity of its users’ information on Instagram Checkout. So if your company is looking to expand its e-commerce business, there are certainly better options available. When we build a site with WooCommerce, we make the security of you and your customers as our top priority.
Zen Agency is a full-stack web development agency with over 20 years of experience and a proven track record. We feature a team of WordPress and WooCommerce Experts with extensive experience in all aspects of developing your e-commerce platform to the specs you desire.
Source Links:
https://instagram-press.com/blog/2019/03/19/instagram-checkout/
https://techcrunch.com/2018/06/20/instagram-1-billion-users/
https://www.statista.com/statistics/325587/instagram-global-age-group/
