Digital gift cards, fundraising stickers, and online food orders to help your favorite restaurants during COVID-19 restrictions are now embedded into the digital fabric of the Instagram community.
Instagram appropriately shared the announcement through a blog post.
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Tap to Make Your Purchase
“When you see gift cards or food orders, you can tap to make your purchase through our partner’s site,” Instagram announced.
Instagram users in the U.S. and Canada can now tap on gift cards or food orders to make purchases through the company’s site.
According to an Instagram news release, businesses can share new gift card, food order, and fundraiser “stickers” in Stories and on their profiles. These “stickers” are clickable animations which allow people to tap on a gift card or food order and make your purchase through a partner’s site.
Gift cards and food orders for delivery and takeout are available in Fresno and across the U.S. and Canada starting this week.
Online Fundraisers
Fundraisers created on Facebook can be shared and promoted using Instagram stories. This allows restaurants or their supporters to create personal fundraisers to help them rally financial support while restaurants have reduced staff or are shut down altogether.
Fundraisers on Instagram are coming soon.
Instagram’s COO Justin Osofsky says, “Small businesses are the backbone of local communities and restaurants are the soul of neighborhoods: they bring people together and build community. We want to do our part in helping them stay open, keep in touch with customers, and be informed on how to navigate this crisis.”
Facebook Tools
According to USA Today, this follows Facebook’s launch of new tools for small businesses, which included digital gift cards. Facebook also announced $40 million in grants for small businesses, as a part of its $100 million program for small businesses impacted by COVID-19.
Many Business Can’t Operate Past Three Months
According to a survey by Goldman Sachs, 96% of U.S. small businesses say they have been affected by COVID-19. Additionally, 51% say they will only be able to operate for as long as three months.
Seventy-five percent of the 1500-plus businesses surveyed by Goldman Sachs say they are seeing fewer sales. They also say over half of their employees do not have the ability to telecommute to work.
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