Why E-Commerce Could Be Instagram's Biggest Hidden Opportunity

Nike Inc (NYSE: NKE) made waves last month when it said it would begin selling on Amazon.com (NASDAQ: AMZN) for the first time ever, but the sportswear giant made another announcement that may be more telling about the future of e-commerce. As the Swoosh aims to branch out its online relationships, it also said it would make some products available on Instagram, the popular Facebook (NASDAQ: FB)-owned photo-sharing app. Nike will use Instagram's shopping tags, which allow users to tap on an image to see product descriptions and prices, and in some cases, go to Nike's website.

Image source: Instagram.

That Nike chose to launch simultaneously on Amazon and Instagram shows that the company values the new platforms equally for selling. Nike had resisted Amazon for years as it felt that selling would cost it control over its brand, but it's readily embraced Instagram, along with many other brands. It has more than 73 million followers on the platform, and many more when sub-brands like NikeWomen and Jumpman23 are included. Those millions are there by choice -- to engage with the brand. It's no surprise, then, that Nike would choose to sell on Instagram.

Source: Fool.com