A rumor is presently churning over the Internet, suggesting Facebook-owned Instagram is currently testing interactive iPhone advertisements exploiting Apple's 3D Touch and Apple Pay. Instagram, however, says it is not something that it is testing at the moment.
This recent purported move of Instagram is believed to be part of the company's efforts to draw in more cash from the renowned photo-sharing service.
Digiday first broke the speculation, citing its anonymous sources coming from the advertising industry, indicating the purported experiment with advertisements using Apple's iPhone 6s and 6s Plus' 3D Touch is part of the company's initiative to incorporate more e-commerce features into its platform.
With 3D Touch, users can speedily toggle among the wide array of shopping offers. Apple Pay is believed to allow Instagram users to purchase products they wish to grab in a seamless manner.
By allowing its users to make direct purchases via the platform, a potential is huge to entice more advertisers.
One of Digiday's sources believes that Force Touch is fascinating as it lets Instagram users choose from more than two offers, instead of the tapping the Shop Now button to purchase a product.
"It makes for more frictionless shopping," the source says.
Instagram, however, has issued a statement to negate the speculation.
"Mobile commerce is definitely a space we are looking at closely," admits Instagram. "However, this isn't something we are testing at this time."
Meanwhile, one of the Digiday's sources seem troubled that by putting in direct sales on the platform, it may end up being overly commercialized. The source went on to say that the sales should be left to Facebook while Instagram is more fit to use as a branding opportunity.
In June, the company unveiled the Shop Now button, permitting users to make a purchase on an ad, akin to the buy buttons now cropping up on Pinterest and Twitter.
In the meantime, it was not too long ago that Facebook, which owns the photo-sharing service, boasted its earnings which suggest it generated $4.3 billion in ad sales over the summer.
