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The Challenge

Despite being the most engaging social platform, Instagram was never designed to support direct commerce. Strict API usage policies, limited link functionality, and complex approval workflows made it extremely difficult to enable transactional capabilities. The challenge was to build a real-time shopping experience on Instagram that’s both intuitive and compliant.

The Opportunity

Tagzie set out to:

  • Create a direct buying experience on Instagram feeds
  • Use hashtags as triggers for transactions
  • Build a compliant, real-time shopping engine that bypasses IG’s API limitations
  • Deliver a frictionless, secure, mobile-first checkout experience

Our Solution

We reverse-engineered Instagram’s public data access and paired it with a patent-pending algorithm (filed in the UK) to enable a comment-triggered purchase mechanism. Buyers could purchase a product simply by commenting with the hashtag #tagzie. The app syncs product images, manages order data, and facilitates payments via Stripe Connect, offering real-time, multi-currency settlements to sellers.
The result? A social commerce experience that feels native, secure, and frictionless.

Key Features

  • Hashtag Commerce Engine: Comment #tagzie on a post to initiate a purchase
  • Multi-Image Listings: Showcase product variants or angles in one post
  • Seamless Checkout: Optimized mobile checkout experience
  • Real-Time Payment Split: Automated payouts to sellers using Stripe Connect
  • Multi-Currency Support: Expand to global markets
  • Shipping Flexibility: Multiple carrier options integrated
  • Promotional Campaigns: Sell free or sponsored products for lead generation
  • Graphical Dashboards: Rich analytics for sellers and Tagzie Admin

Tech Stack

  • Backend: PHP 5.5 (OOP), MySQL, Apache, Linux
  • Frontend: HTML5, JavaScript, jQuery, Twitter Bootstrap
  • Mobile App: Ionic Hybrid Framework
  • Video Streaming (Phase 2): TokBox WebRTC (OpenTok API)
  • Payments: Stripe Connect API

Results You Can Measure

25%Enabled

users to buy and sell directly from Instagram posts

100% Achieved

full API compliance with Instagram while maintaining functional innovation

40%Built

a scalable engine for hashtag commerce that gained attention across UK & global markets

Product Impact

Tagzie introduced an entirely new way of shopping socially—by turning hashtags into payment triggers.
It allowed brands, influencers, and sellers to capitalize on their Instagram following without leaving the platform.

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