Instagram Messenger API: all you need to know.
Now, brands can power conversational experiences with Instagram messenger API. Here's all you need to know to get started
Facebook has opened up its Messenger API for Instagram. The new Instagram Messenger API is all set to help brands turn conversations into opportunities.
Last year, the company granted beta access to 30 developers and 700 brands, including companies like Ford and H&M. And with this week’s announcement, any developer who wants to start building for the platform can access the tool, with a phased rollout to business accounts to follow.
A hot-bed for New-Age Brands
Over 70% of the one billion Instagram users are below the age of thirty-five, making it one of the hottest engagement channels if you’re looking to boost your brand's reach. 90% of Instagrammers now follow a business account and say that the platform is a prominent bridge between them and their favorite brands. Most new-age companies, especially in the fashion and lifestyle category, like Zara, H&M, Kiehl, AllBirds, etc. invest heavily in building a strong presence and engagement on the platform.
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What is Instagram Messenger API?
The Instagram Messenger API enables brands to interact with their customers on Instagram. The API can be integrated with existing tools and data to help brands manage high volume of customer messages seamlessly.
Brands can use different applications to leverage existing workflows, drive meaningful customer interactions, increase customer engagement and satisfaction and boost sales.
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Features of Instagram Messenger API
Brands can now answer huge volumes of customer enquiries on the go with automated AI chatbots and process transactions on the go. Some of the key features of the Instagram Messenger API that can help brands manage customer interactions better are as follows:
Webhooks
Receive notifications whenever any interaction happens, including when a person texts your brand.
Messaging
Connect with your existing and new customers instantly
Conversation History
Retrieve conversation history from your inbox anytime you want
User Profile
Use an IG Scope Id (IGSID) to retrieve user profile information. This id can be used to personalize the user’s experience with the brand.
Private Replies
Send private reply messages to comments on posts.
Quick Replies
Set up quick replies to promptly reply to users during conversations.
Ice Breakers
This allows users to start a conversation with a brand by selecting a frequently asked question from the list provided. Brands are allowed to add a maximum of 4 questions.
Generic Templates
Send a structured message to customers that can include text, media and buttons to respond with.
Product Templates
Send structured messages from the Facebook catalog options. This will automatically render the product details such as image, title, price from the catalog.
What is Instagram Messaging and why should you care?
Instagram messaging is a private, instant communication channel within the Instagram app used by brands to communicate with their shoppers for a one-to-one, personalized experience. The channel has been around for over five years now and is very popular amongst millennials and gen-z who use it to exchange texts, posts, GIFs, photos, and videos. Brands use it to:
- Drive conversational Instagram commerce.
- Resolve support queries to improve the shopper's experience.
- Receive direct feedback on their products, collections, and services.
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What’s new with the Instagram Messenger API?
At its simplest, the API allows brands and businesses to access Instagram's messaging tools into their existing service and sales apps, making it easier for their employees to field messages from customers and build a scalable sales channel on Instagram messaging. This is something the company already allowed businesses to do on Facebook and WhatsApp.
While the APIs will be released to business accounts in phases, all Vizury users can start driving conversational experiences on Instagram immediately.
Learn how Vizury can help
In a company blog, Instagram says that as a result of connecting to the API, Kiehl’s Malaysia is now driving 30 percent more qualified leads on Instagram messaging compared to other channels. The brand is also now converting 20 percent of consultations into sales.
Instagram also cites H&M’s success in partnering with Sprinklr to detect languages to automatically organize and send messages to the correct support team. In doing so, H&M increased customer satisfaction by over 9 points while increasing agent efficiency by 31 percent, according to Instagram.
Examples of businesses using Instagram Messenger API
Here are some examples you need to look at:
Sephora
Sephora, a leading beauty brand, wanted to streamline customer interactions using digital channels. They integrated their Instagram messenger API with their own tech stack to automate responses, personalize engagement and get actionable insights on their performance.
This helped them decrease their average response time by 15%. It also allowed shoppers to browse products and complete their purchases directly on the Instagram app. Shoppers can ask product-related questions and get an immediate response while shopping. They can also receive product recommendations based on their skin concerns while conversing with the AI-powered bot on Instagram.
Lego
Lego wanted to offer highly personalized Lego gift suggestions using digital channels. The bot, Ralph, begins by asking questions like the age of their child, their play interests, and others to offer various personalized suggestions to choose from. Users are then redirected to their website to complete their purchase.
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See it in action today!
At Vizury, we envision brands using the Instagram Messenger API as a part of their omnichannel engagement stack to offer delightful customer experiences and drive conversational commerce at scale.
If you’d like to see how this would look like in action and figure out specific use cases for your brand send us an email, [email protected]. We'll be happy to set this up for you.