Businesses on Instagram can now accept payments through direct messages, allowing customers to complete transactions without leaving the app and providing a more personalised and convenient shopping experience.

The new option is only available to eligible sellers with professional accounts on Instagram.

Sellers can go to the professional dashboard and tap “get paid in chat,” then open a message with a customer and tap $, where they can enter their personal information and bank account information.

Once this is done, when a customer sends a DM about an item, the seller can request payment directly in the chat.

Purchases made in this fashion are protected, and Meta Pay can be used to enable payment with a credit or debit card or via PayPal.

Sellers will be paid once the item is sent to the customer, and Instagram will not take a cut.