Instagram is testing to replace the Activity tab with a new “Shop” tab in the navigation menu for selected users. The signature heat icon will be replaced with the shopping bag icon.

Clicking on this will take the user to the Instagram Shop section. Instagram shopping lets users browse and purchase products without even leaving the app. Before the dedicated tab for shop users could access Instagram Shopping through the Explore section.

Instagram Shop Updated Version

In this new Instagram Shop version, the users will only be shown the products from brands they follow.

The other version was designed to showcase products from a wide range of retailers. Users can put filters by category like Home, Clothing & Accessories, Home, Travel, etc. The reason to test two versions is to figure out the best way to release the feature to everyone in the future.

Statement By An Instagram Spokesperson

“This is a small global test of the Instagram Shop tab that we announced in May. We’ll use this test to assess how we decide to roll this out further.”

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Where’s The Activity Data?

Users whose Activity tab has been replaced with the Shop tab can now find the Activity tab at the top right of the main feed right next to the direct message icon. This test doe not at all intend to remove the activity tab in any way whereas Instagram looking to draw more users to its shopping section. Any business can list the products on Instagram shopping for free. A business account needs to be connected to Facebook’s catalog manger so as to be eligible to display products in Instagram Shopping. For more information, read Facebook’s guide to set up Instagram shopping.