Instagram bets on long video: what it means for ecommerce

Instagram moves into long-form videoInstagram is testing a format that allows selected creators to publish videos of up to 90 minutes. The feature, cu...

Instagram moves into long-form video

Instagram is testing a format that allows selected creators to publish videos of up to 90 minutes. The feature, currently being trialled with a limited group of accounts, marks a shift for a platform that built its reputation on square photos and, later, on short vertical clips. The ambition is clear: keep users inside the app when they want to watch a full interview, a podcast or a longer programme, instead of sending them elsewhere.

For online shops and brands selling in Spain, this is not just a social media story. It changes where product discovery happens, how much time shoppers spend with a brand before they buy, and how much of that journey takes place outside your own website. If you run a tienda online, it is worth paying attention.

Short clips as the doorway to longer content

The most interesting part of the strategy is not the 90-minute limit itself, but how the formats connect. Instagram is testing tools that let creators cut fragments from a long video and publish them as short clips linked back to the full piece. In practice, a short teaser acts as a shop window, and the long video becomes the store you walk into.

This layered approach mirrors what already works in ecommerce: a striking product image catches the eye, but the detailed page, the specifications and the reviews close the sale. Brands that understand this can use long video to build context and trust, while short clips do the work of reach and discovery.

Discovery: short clips bring new audiences in at low cost.
Consideration: long video explains, demonstrates and answers objections.
Conversion: the shopper arrives at your ecommerce site already informed and warm.

The monetisation question creators keep asking

There is a practical obstacle. Long video on other platforms comes with established revenue-sharing arrangements, and creators with sizeable audiences are used to being paid for their time. Instagram has acknowledged that performance-based payouts are still limited and that scaling them sustainably remains a challenge. For now, much of the incentive rests on brand deals and subscriptions rather than advertising revenue.

For retailers, this creates an opening. Brands that can offer clear, well-structured commercial partnerships to creators in their niche may find willing collaborators, particularly in categories where demonstration matters: fashion, home, electronics, sports and beauty. A well-produced long video review or a live product walkthrough can outperform a static banner several times over.

What this means for shops in Catalonia and across Spain

Consumer habits in Barcelona, Lleida, Tarragona, Girona and the rest of Spain already lean heavily towards video. Shoppers research on their phones, compare options and expect to see a product in use before committing. Long-form content gives brands room to do exactly that, but only if the destination is ready.

That is where many projects fall short. A campaign drives traffic, the visitor lands on a slow page, the checkout asks for too many steps, and the sale is lost. Investing in video without investing in the store behind it is a false economy. A tienda online built on PrestaShop or WooCommerce, properly optimised for speed, mobile use and conversion, is what turns that attention into revenue.

Practical steps to prepare your ecommerce site

Audit your landing pages: make sure the pages you promote load quickly on mobile and clearly match the promise made in the video.
Simplify checkout: reduce fields, offer familiar payment methods and show costs in euros from the start.
Track the full journey: connect social campaigns to analytics so you know which videos actually generate orders, not just views.
Respect data protection: any tracking, retargeting or newsletter capture must comply with GDPR, with clear consent and a transparent privacy policy.
Plan content and stock together: a long video that drives demand is only useful if the product is available and the delivery times are realistic.

Learning from the past

Instagram has tried long video before, with a standalone product that was eventually retired. The difference this time is integration: the format sits inside the main experience and connects with short clips, creator profiles and television apps. That reduces friction, but it does not guarantee success. The platform still has to prove that creators can earn a living and that audiences will stay for the full duration.

For merchants, the sensible position is cautious preparation. You do not need to rebuild your strategy around a feature that is still in testing. You do need a store that can absorb attention from any channel, convert it efficiently and measure the result honestly. Whether the traffic comes from a 30-second clip or a 60-minute interview, the ecommerce stack behind it decides what happens next.

The bottom line

Long video on Instagram is another sign that the boundary between social platforms and shopping is dissolving. Brands that treat their online store as the centre of the operation, rather than an afterthought to marketing, will be the ones able to capitalise. In a market as competitive as Catalonia and Spain, that difference in preparation is often what separates a shop that sells from one that simply exists.

Put these ideas into practice

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