• by Laurie Sullivan , Staff Writer @lauriesullivan, August 11, 2021

Instagram reportedly is testing ads in Shop that can include one image or a carousel of images. The test, available to a handful of retailers, is rolling out to mobile users in the U.S. The Shop tab aims to make it easier for creators to inspire consumers to make purchases online.

Away, Donni Davy, Boo Oh, Clare paint, JNJ Gifts, DEUX and Fenty Beauty are among the initial testers. 

The ecommerce feature follows a slew of changes that platforms will introduce in the coming months as the holidays approach. Consumers are changing shopping behavior, and brands must keep up.

The data in 2021 Holiday Season in Ecommerce from Qubit, released Wednesday, reflects the sentiment from a slew of consumers that sheds light on changing shopper habits.

• 70.7% of the 1,500 U.S. and U.K. shoppers surveyed said they have increased their online shopping frequency, compared with before the pandemic.
• 85.9% of consumers said they plan to continue shopping the same or more online, although most stores are open globally.
• When asked whether respondents were planning to continue to shop online in specific categories, 64.1% cited Fashion and 63% cited Consumer Electronics.
• Nearly half of respondents plan to continue shopping online for groceries, while 48.9% cited Home & Garden, and 47% cited Beauty.
• 8 in 10 shoppers reported that loyalty to their top two to three brands either remained the same or increased during the COVID-19 pandemic, yet 31.4% of shoppers said they now shop with more brands overall than before the pandemic.

The survey also reveals that the 2021 holiday season could be the biggest yet for online shoppers.

• Not only are 54.5% of U.S. and U.K. consumers planning to shop online as much as they did during the last peak period, but 32.4% of consumers in the U.S. expect to shop more online than during last year’s holidays.

• 87.6% of shoppers say they are faced with an overwhelming amount of product choices some, always or most of the time
• 54.9% of consumers said they typically need more convincing to make a purchase online than they do when they are in-store.