Today, we're celebrating that the community of businesses on Instagram has grown to 25 million, the vast majority of which are small businesses. That's up from 15 million in July.

As 800 million use Instagram each month to discover and follow their passions, more and more people are using it to connect with businesses they love. In fact, over 80% of accounts on Instagram follow a business,¹ while 200 million Instagrammers actively visit the profile of a business every day.² As a result, the Instagram community is helping spur small business growth in big ways.

Through the visual content they share, businesses are making valuable connections and sparking conversations with people like never before. Instagram is increasingly becoming the primary digital presence for these businesses – like shoe retailer AMAZARA (@amazara.id). Based in Indonesia, AMAZARA uses Instagram as its primary channel for engaging with customers. Through eye-catching posts, Instagram Stories and Direct, the stylish brand has been able to grow its business to over 70 employees in just two years.

And that's because Instagram is no longer considered just a stop along the mobile journey. With one in three small businesses on Instagram saying they've built their business on Instagram,³ it's become a destination where businesses are not only discovered, but where business is done.

With the expansion of shopping on Instagram to even more businesses in the US, we're seeing retailers like Man Outfitters (@manoutfitters), WYLDER (@wyldergoods) and Letterfolk (@letterfolk) use shopping tags to help people discover new products they love. And with new insights,⁴ businesses will now be able to see exactly how they're being discovered on Instagram – whether through feed, location tags, hashtags or explore.

The festive season is the busiest and most crucial time of year for small businesses everywhere. That's why we're sharing resources for small businesses with tips and tricks on how to use Instagram this Christmas – including answers to frequently asked questions on how to best leverage your business profile.

Businesses from all over are turning to Instagram as a one-stop visual shop, given its image-first, look and feel. To learn how Instagram can help your business grow during Christmas and beyond, find out more here.