Instagram releases new interface and bets on Reels and Shop

The new Instagram interface is reality: the layout of the app's Home screen changes and introduces tabs dedicated to Reels and Shop

The Instagram Home screen updates and new tabs dedicated to Reels and Shop arrive for everyone. A novelty announced by Instagram in its official blog, which takes a step forward in the challenge of short videos to TikTok, focusing on monetization and video content and putting aside IGTV.

Last September Instagram had announced that it wanted to change its interface to find a place on the Home screen for the new tabs. Three possible layouts that had been announced in the official blog of the social network owned by Facebook and had entered the testing phase. Two months later, the social releases its new interface, which suggests that these two new elements will play a central role in the development of the platform in the future: the Reels aim to attract TikTok users, while the customized storefronts in the Shop section are designed for online shopping and to attract brands and creators.

Instagram, what the new interface looks like

Some users on November 12 were surprised to discover that Instagram's interface has changed, a change confirmed directly by the social network owned by Mark Zuckerberg in a post on the official blog.

In particular, two new tabs appear on the app's Home screen: one for Reels and the other for Shop. The Add New Post and Activity buttons arrive in the top right corner, right next to Direct messages.

In the horizontal menu at the bottom, starting from the left, you'll find instead the Home, Search, Reels, Shop buttons and the icon to access your personal profile.

Last September, Instagram had announced three possible new layouts for the Home screen to gauge users' preferences. The final one chosen and released appears to be a variation of the second layout, where the bottom menu is the same, but the Add New Post button appears next to Activities, rather than in the top left corner next to the Instagram sign.

Instagram, Reels and the Dedicated Button

The Reels button provides quick access to the section of Instagram where you can watch and share short funny videos from all creators. A new feature introduced in the summer of 2020 as a response to the growing success of the Chinese social TikTok, in crisis in the U.S. for the ban related to security issues found.

Instagram in the blog defines the Reels tab "a kind of stage": "A place where people can share their creativity with the world and have the opportunity to burst out and find an audience."

Instagram, the Shop section

To guide the decision of the creation of the Shop button, confirms Instagram bel blog, also the new daily life dictated by the pandemic of Covid-19, which has led to the growth of online purchases and the search for advice from young people on what to buy, using the social network to find inspiration from their favorite creators and brands.

For this reason, Instagram has decided to push on the monetization of content, integrating on the Home screen a Shop button designed to create custom showcases for creators and brands, which can then sell directly to users, as well as inspire them with videos and images to present their products.