Not Amazon, Instagram is likely to dominate the future of online retail

Luxury fashion is getting ready for its selfie. If it likes what it sees, the global apparel market could become a battle of the Everything Store against the Everyone Store.

Selling on Instagram is no longer just the province of retailers. A small group of influencers, including Kim Kardashian West, can now join in. And a new feature, Checkout, makes shopping much more convenient.

This is a big step forward in elevating Instagram commerce. It brings the holy grail of social shopping — being able to buy any garment directly from anyone’s Instagram post — much closer.

For luxury brands, Facebook’s app delivers what they’ve long sought in digital commerce: control over product presentation and pricing. In fact, the tech giant might just have created a high-end alternative to Amazon.com.