Instagram is down: Glitch disrupts UK retailers’ key sales channel
Instagram experienced a significant outage on Friday morning, leaving users unable to refresh their feeds, send messages, or interact with content.
The disruption began early at around 1:30 AM GMT, according to outage tracker Downdetector, with reports of issues continuing to climb throughout the morning. By 8 AM GMT, thousands of users across the UK had reported problems, with 72% citing issues with the app, 18% unable to log in, and 10% struggling to upload content.
The outage has created challenges for UK retailers who rely on Instagram as a cornerstone of their digital marketing and sales strategies. The platform plays a crucial role for businesses, with an estimated 66% of UK retailers using social media to reach customers. Instagram is especially prominent in the retail sector, with 91% of the top 500 UK online fashion retailers maintaining an active presence on the app. Its influence on consumer behaviour is significant, with 39% of online shoppers aged 16 to 24 having used Instagram Shopping to make purchases.
For many businesses, Friday’s disruption couldn’t have come at a worse time.
“Instagram is a crucial part of how we sell,” said one independent retailer based in London. “With no access to my followers and no way to post updates, my sales have completely stalled this morning.” Small businesses, which often rely almost entirely on Instagram for marketing and customer engagement, were particularly hard-hit.
Many users took to X (formerly Twitter) to vent their frustrations, while others looked for quick fixes, such as uninstalling and reinstalling the app—though these methods yielded mixed results. Meanwhile, the outage provided fodder for humour on social media, with memes taking aim at Meta and CEO Mark Zuckerberg.
For UK retailers, however, the situation is far from amusing. The disruption has interfered with carefully planned marketing campaigns, product launches, and customer interactions. The incident highlights the risks of overreliance on a single platform, especially one so deeply integrated into consumer purchasing behaviour.
Meta, the parent company of Instagram, has yet to provide an official statement on the issue or a timeline for when services will be fully restored. The company’s technical team is reportedly working on a fix.
As retailers count the cost of missed opportunities, the outage has reignited discussions about the importance of diversifying digital strategies. With Instagram playing such a pivotal role in retail, the disruption serves as a stark reminder of the need to build resilience against the risks of platform dependency.
