Marks and Spencer to be first to trial Instagram Stories in-app shopping

In-app shopping is becoming more of a priority for Instagram, which is creating more capabilities through its Stories and Explore functions.

Marks and Spencer is set to be among the first brands in the UK to trial the new features, making it easier than ever for social media users to make purchases.

Advertisers can now not only tag their images but also their videos with featured products to take users directly to e-commerce sites.

Expanding to 46 countries will mean that 400 million people who watch Instagram Stories daily will be given access to the service.

A blog post from Instagram stated: "We're excited to see how Shopping in Stories enable brands to tell an even deeper story about what's behind their products."

The social media platform says that a third of the most-viewed Stories are from businesses and advertisers have been quick to take advantage of the function since its launch in 2016.