Instagram Will Host a Physical Pop-Up Store in NYC This Week

Instagram’s @shop account is turning three years old this week, while it also recently crossed the million followers threshold, and to celebrate, the platform’s opening a physical retail pop-up store in NYC, where people will be able to browse and buy some of the most popular products featured in the @shop listings.

As per Instagram:

“Since 2019, @shop has featured over 1,000 unique small businesses and the amazing products they make. To celebrate its 3rd birthday and hitting 1 million followers, come discover some of @shop’s greatest hits for spring and summer on Instagram and in-person at Instagram’s first pop-up boutique in New York City. Score home, beauty, and lifestyle finds mostly from minority-owned small businesses, including products exclusive to this @shop pop-up!”

Instagram has previously hosted pop-up shops in various cities, including London and Berlin, with this new installation being the latest in its ongoing effort to bridge online browsing and offline purchases.

That’s a key area of opportunity for the app. While video – and short form video in particular – has become the key focus of IG in recent years, the app remains a key hub for browsing, with 70% of users turning to Instagram for product discovery, and 87% of people saying IG influencers have inspired them to make a purchase or book a trip.

That presents major opportunity for Meta to align with rising eCommerce adoption, and generate more income from Instagram content, both for the platform itself and for creators via revenue share deals.

These are critical pathways for maximizing Instagram’s revenue success, and building its creator ecosystem, and with newer additions like its ‘Shop’ tab, expanded shopping tags, improved AR product display options and more, Instagram’s clearly looking towards in-stream purchases as a focus element for the app.

Physical pop-up stores are another step in this direction, building better association between in-app posts and physical products, while also showcasing some of the best products that creators have to offer in the app.

Instagram’s NYC store will be open this Friday and Saturday (5/20 and 5/21) at Chelsea Triangle, while the featured products will also be available via the Instagram Shop tab in Editors’ picks.

Instagram Editorial Lead Leigh Belz Ray will also host a live-shopping event on Instagram on Thursday, May 19th.