10 Instagram Trends That You Need To Know in 2023 [Infographic]

Out with the old, in with the new.

If you’re running an ecommerce business, one key thing to always stay on top of is the latest marketing trends.

It’s important to look back at what campaigns consumers enjoyed, what worked, what didn’t, and what to expect going forward on all the platforms you’re marketing on.

With over one billion active users worldwide, chances are that Instagram is on that list of platforms. This means you’re gonna want to know what the latest Instagram trends are to properly leverage them for your 2023 Instagram marketing efforts.

In this post, we’ll cover what’s trending on Instagram in 2023. That way, you’ll be equipped with all the information you need to tweak, adjust, and plan your Instagram marketing strategy accordingly.

Let’s get to it.

1. Instagram Stories: the Backbone of Influencer Marketing

The very first Instagram trend has to do with Instagram Stories.

Even though it was launched just six years ago, it didn’t take long for it to cement itself as one of the top Instagram trends and win the hearts of Instagrammers all over the world. Today, it’s considered to be not just one of the platform’s most popular features but also among parent company Meta’s best products.

In particular, Instagram’s Stories feature has become a key component of influencer marketing—as many as 96% of influencers say they publish content on Stories regularly. 

That’s not all. Nearly nine out of 10 (86%) brands say that Instagram Stories has had an impact on the content produced about them (Tribe Dynamics, 2021). 

Going forward, all signs point to the increasing use of Stories and it being one of the hottest Instagram trends in 2023: 59% of Instagram influencers have started to use Stories “much more frequently” this past year.

2. Usage of Reels on Instagram Expected To Rise

Instagram Reels, which allows users to create and edit short, 15-second videos, was launched in 2020. Since its introduction, it has been called many different things—”Facebook’s TikTok rival” and “the TikTok clone” among them. 

Given TikTok’s impressive growth over the past few years and Reels’ similarities with it, it’s hardly a surprise that Reels’ popularity has skyrocketed. And with Instagram working on improving features for Reels, we can expect usage to increase in 2023 (Later, 2021).

One of the biggest developments we can expect to see is improvements to the checkout process for Reels to encourage Instagram shopping. 

In an effort to draw more content creators to Reels, experts predict Instagram will also be introducing more advanced video editing tools and interactive filters. Already, the platform is said to be testing a “Dancify” option within Reels that would allow users to upload a video to a selected music track.

3. Instagram Live To Live On

Reels isn’t the only feature Instagram will be looking to improve this year. 

As countries went into lockdowns to curb the spread of the coronavirus, watching Live videos on Instagram became one of the fastest-growing Instagram trends. Today, it’s a key part of the overall Instagram experience and it’s estimated that over 1 million people watch Instagram Live every day.

Given its potential, it’s no wonder Instagram’s keen to draw more users to it by boosting functionalities on Instagram Live. Earlier this year, the company announced plans to introduce a banner to users’ profiles that would inform others of upcoming livestreams (TechCrunch, 2022). Anyone interested can even subscribe and receive reminders and notifications about the live event. 

Other reports say the social network will be adding a Live Moderator option to allow content creators to moderate interactions during a broadcast (Protocol, 2022). This includes reporting comments, turning off the comments feature for certain viewers, and even removing them completely. 

With so many improvements in the works, we can certainly expect increased usage of Instagram Live this year.

4. In-App Shopping Trending on Instagram

With online shopping growing in popularity and the number of Instagram users on the rise, one of the top Instagram trends to watch out for this year is the rise in consumers shopping on Instagram.

Though Instagram may not be the default go-to platform when thinking about shopping online, the numbers prove there are commerce opportunities on the platform: 44% of Instagrammers use the app to shop at least once a week (Instagram, 2021).

Fully aware of this, the platform is constantly launching new features to cater to businesses’ advertising needs so that they can target consumers across the different stages of the purchase funnel.

For instance, Instagram’s parent company Meta announced the expansion of access to Shops ads. This allows users to purchase directly from an ad in a matter of taps to streamline checkouts. Other new tools also include product pages and reviews to provide brands with more opportunities to connect and interact with their customers.

With shoppers spending more and more time on Instagram and brand and product research among the top activities people carry out on Instagram, don’t be surprised to see in-app shopping on Instagram rising in popularity in 2023.

5. Instagram’s Explore Tab

Part of Instagram’s efforts to keep users engaged while browsing has come in the form of its Explore page. It’s what the company uses to introduce previously undiscovered content to its users.

More than 50% of Instagram accounts use the Explore feature at least once a month (Instagram, 2019). With Instagram’s continuing efforts in making it more user-friendly, including redesigns and shortcuts to facilitate navigation, time spent on Explore and usage frequency will likely increase. 

This will make it an extremely attractive channel through which companies can grow their reach and brand recognition. That said, we’re expecting the top Instagram trends of 2023 to include competition among brands for visibility on Instagram Explore to boost engagement for their Instagram content.

6. Trending Topics Among Gen Z Users

Instagram may have started as a platform for the simple sharing of images, but that’s now history. Browsing Instagram today, you’ll see content that’s vastly different than the content that launched Instagram to fame years ago.

Instagram users are now having entire discussions on a wide variety of subjects on the platform. As a business owner, you need to know what topics are trending on Instagram to jump in on the conversation. That said, one particular target audience you’ll want to try and connect with is Gen Z users, as they form the largest age group of Instagram users. 

According to Instagram, the hottest talking points among Instagram Gen Z users in 2023 include sustainability, social causes, self-expression, identity, and cuisine (Instagram, 2022). Here are some statistics to prove just how much these issues matter to them:

• A majority of Gen Z-ers say they intend to DIY their own outfits in 2023.
• More than half say they plan to shop to support social causes and communities.
• Two in three Gen Z users are keen to try new cuisines discovered online. 

7. Use of Branded AR Filters

Since Facebook made Spark AR (its augmented reality platform that allows users to create special effect filters) public in mid-2019, more than 1 billion people worldwide have used it. 

Brands were one of the first ones to jump on the technology to provide customers with a fresh shopping experience. This includes cosmetics companies allowing users to select different make-up shade filters and apply them to their images to see how they would look (Later, 2020).

Consumers can also “try on” different outfits or place objects in their houses without the need to even see them in person.

Given their potential, we’re expecting these branded AR filters to be one of the top Instagram trends in 2023 and one that companies will not hesitate to leverage as a marketing tool.

8. Carousel Posts To Continue Trending on Instagram

A picture paints a thousand words. So imagine what multiple pictures and/or videos or a combination of both can do.

Instagram’s carousel posts have become one of its most popular post formats since its launch in early 2017. Today, its growth shows no signs of stopping. 

Soon after its launch, just a fraction (3–4%) of all of the content on Instagram was published as a carousel post. Fast forward three years to July 2020 and this figure ballooned to 19.4% (Marketing Charts, 2020). 

In 2020 alone, we saw carousel posts’ share of the total Instagram posts increasing month after month, so much so that analysts predicted they were on their way to becoming Instagram’s primary form of organic content. 

If these figures continue on the path they’re on, there’ll be no doubt that carousel posts will be one of the top Instagram trends of 2023. 

9. Instagram’s Broadcast Channels Feature

One of Instagram’s newest features is its broadcast feature called “Channels.” It’s a one-to-many messaging tool users can use to share news and engage with multiple followers live (Instagram, 2023). 

With broadcast channels, creators can share text, photos, videos, voice notes, and even polls with their followers. This helps to keep them in the loop with their latest news and sneak peeks. 

For now, broadcast followers can only engage by reacting and taking part in polls. But Instagram says it’s working on introducing more features soon, which includes the possibility to bring in another creator to participate in the broadcast.

10. IGTV Takes Center Stage

Last but certainly not least on this list of Instagram trends to look out for in 2023 is the increased adoption of IGTV (Instagram TV).

Usage is likely to accelerate after Instagram announced plans to allow ads on their long-form video platform (Social Media Today; Instagram, 2020).

That makes it more attractive for content creators to start producing longer videos for IGTV and try to make money off the ad opportunities, as well as for brands to get their names in front of fresh eyes to boost awareness.

According to reports, IGTV content creators are getting the same percentage of the ad revenue as YouTubers, which could propel Instagram into a potential competitor. 

Conclusion

There you have it. These are the 10 Instagram trends that you need to know about in 2023.

With these, you should be armed with enough information to craft an Instagram marketing strategy that will put you one step ahead of your competitors. 

Are you an Instagram marketing pro or simply an avid user? What do you think of these Instagram trends and which of them do you expect to really catch on?

Let us know by sharing your thoughts with us below!

Summary: Instagram Trends 

Here’s a summary of the Instagram trends you need to know in 2023:

1. Instagram Stories will continue to be a key component of Instagram influencer marketing (Tribe Dynamics, 2021).
2. Usage of Reels is expected to increase as Instagram works on improving the feature.
3. As Instagram works on boosting functionalities on Instagram Live, we can expect an increase in usage.
4. More than two in five Instagram users shop on the app every week (Instagram, 2021). 
5. Over half of all Instagram accounts use the Explore feature at least once a month (Instagram, 2019).
6. Topics that will drive conversations among Gen Z users in 2023 include sustainability, social causes, self-expression, identity, and cuisine (Instagram, 2022). 
7. Branded AR filters on Instagram have been used by more than one billion people since they went public and will go mainstream on Instagram (Later, 2020).
8. Nearly one in five Instagram posts today are published as carousel posts (Marketing Charts, 2020).
9. Instagram’s newly launched broadcast channels feature aims to help brands foster closer bonds with followers (Instagram, 2023).
10. Instagram now allows users to start making money from IGTV with the use of ads (Social Media Today, Instagram, 2020).

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Is there anything else you’d like to know about Instagram Trends and wish was included in this article?