No, this has not been introduced to every part of the world yet, other than Australia and New Zealand. Instagram has launched a live test of a new feature called ‘Map Search’, which enables users to discover businesses and locations of interest via the in-app map, and find info on each listed business, as well as post public posts tagged with that location.
As you can see in the picture above, users who are allowed access to this feature are being directed to tap on the map icon at the top right of the ‘Discover’ tab. That then starts your Instagram ‘Map Search’ experience by highlighting cafes and restaurants primarily, but also shops, entertainment venues, public spaces and more.
We can already anticipate this to be a paid feature in the near future if users respond well to it in Australia and New Zealand. This means more visibility for many – a boost to business owners who work B2C, a boost to family-gathering spaces, a boost to art galleries and museums, and many more physical spaces.
This also provides a channel for content creators to click on a place they see on someone’s story, view it on the map and instantly visit the same place. Feeling stalker much? Be ready to see everyone do the same thing in stories!
“Though none of the businesses I looked through actually had pricing info displayed as yet. I assume that this will be built into Instagram business profiles, providing an option for brands to choose their price listing in the display, which, for restaurants, could be an average estimate per meal, and for entertainment venues, a ticket price.” notices Andrew Hutchinson from SocialMediaToday.com.
Snapchat added ‘My Places’ to it’s Map back in July, which highlights popular businesses, as well as places that you’ve previously visited, on the map display. That increasing utility may have pushed Instagram to update its own listings, with the new ‘Map Search’ offering similar functionality in terms of business discovery and detail.
Let us know if you are excited and how you feel about this new feature, Instagram as well as @itp.live are listening!