California Apparel News

Facebook Inc. introduced a shopping feature for Instagram last week. Named Instagram Checkout, the application allows shoppers to make a purchase on Instagram without leaving the page on which they were shopping. In the past, shoppers had to make a specific purchase on a brand or a retailer’s digital-commerce site.

Brands offering the Instagram service include Adidas, Nike, Outdoor Voices, Prada, as well as retailers Kith and H&M. The Facebook social-media site also introduced a similar shopping application recently.

On May 21, Target Corp. announced that it would be participating in Instagram Checkout. Consumers can shop Target’s Instagram pages @Target and @TargetStyle, said Dawn Block, Target’s senior vice president of digital.

“We know our guests are already using Instagram, so we’re making it even easier for them to find and buy the quality, affordable products they expect from Target,” Block said.

To shop on Target’s Instagram page, consumers find a post that is marked with a shopping-bag icon. The checkout application allows the shopper to make choices regarding a product’s sizing and color.

Justin Osofsky, Instagram’s chief operating officer, said that this digital-shopping experience would include the spirit of discovery that makes boutique shopping a compelling draw for consumers.

“We want to make it easy for people to instantly shop every product they discover on Instagram,” Osofsky said. “That’s why we collaborated with Target to set up a virtual store that makes discovery to purchase seamless rich in the app with Instagram Checkout.”