How Luxury Brands Are Using Instagram "Product Drops" to Drive Sales

Instagram Checkout allows customers in select markets to purchase directly from brands without ever having to leave the app. The feature is still limited to a few exclusive brands, but we’re already seeing it change the game for the way these brands launch new products and collections.

What it looks like

Days or weeks before a collection or product launches, brands are able to add the items to their shop and have customers sign up for alerts (push notifications) for when the product is available to purchase. Whereas brands used to use the Countdown Timer to build excitement for a new drop, they’re now able to do so much more across feed posts and stories.

Example Post

Example Story

Example Biolink

When the product or collection launches, it says highlighted in the brand’s bio, and the sticker in stories turns into a burst of confetti (which is cute, but off brand of many luxury players.)

As brands move away from the traditional 4-season retail calendar and start to move towards smaller, more frequent launches, Instagram’s Product Launch tools can help customers keep track of what’s new and stay engaged.

Instagram Checkout alone is an awesome feature, so it’s great to see Instagram adding even more ways to bridge the gap between discovery and conversion.

On the brand side, you can see how many people sign up for your product launch, which can be helpful when trying to predict best sellers.

See also: Affiliate / Shopping Partners