If you’re a DTC brand trying to break into the market, a mom-and-pop store looking to explore social commerce or just interested in opening a small webshop in your corner of the Internet, then Instagram Shopping is the way to go.
It is simple to set up and easy to grow. Just take Outdoor Voices, for example.
It’s a clothing company selling activewear since 2013, and has been gaining awareness and traction with its easy-to-browse and buy catalog of products on IG shop. Your business could be next.
When nearly 130 million people engage with shoppable posts on Instagram every month, you know there are a lot of people opening the app to buy products. So, why not seize the opportunity?
This guide will break down how to set up Instagram Shopping and the best practices for doing IG commerce right.
What is Instagram Shopping?
Instagram Shopping is a set of features that helps businesses sell products directly on Instagram by setting up a virtual “shop.” You can curate a list of shoppable products and showcase them through photos and videos on your feed.
Any Instagram user can go to your business profile (or “storefront on Instagram”) and click the ‘Shop’ button to access and browse the product catalog.
A glimpse of Outdoor Voices’s product catalog. This allows customers to purchase products as they discover them through Reels, stories, and posts without leaving the app.
What are the key features of Instagram Shopping?
Before we delve into the process of setting up Instagram Shopping, let’s start with a few features you should know.
Instagram Shop
Your Instagram Shop is your brand’s digital storefront. It’s where someone lands if they tap the 'Shop' button on your account or product pages. Here, people can discover and browse all the products in your catalog.
Collections
Collections is a feature that lets you curate products into themes. So rather than having shoppers endlessly browse and risk losing interest, you can highlight similar products for customers looking for something specific, such as Holidays, Collaborations, Gifts, and more.
It is also a prime place to highlight your best-selling items. For example, GOODEE, a home decor brand, does this by spotlighting “Customer Favourites.”
Product detail pages
Product detail pages (PDPs) show all key product information, from your product descriptions to the price, product image, and shipping policy.
Product tags
Product Tags are clickable elements in your IG posts, videos, Reels, Stories, and Lives that allow you to directly highlight items from your product catalog, allowing your audience to tap to learn more or buy your products easily.
Think of them as clothing tags that provide you with more details about the clothing article, but virtual.
Bonus: You can also create ads with product tags to promote products and drive sales on Instagram. Below is one example from Flipkart, the e-commerce giant in India.
Checkout
Instagram allows businesses in specific regions to provide customers with a checkout option with a ‘Buy Now’ button so they can make a purchase without leaving the app.
In regions where the checkout feature isn’t available yet, Instagram offers a ‘View on Website' option. Upon clicking, Instagram shoppers are directed to your website’s product pages, where they can complete the purchase as usual.
How to get approved for Instagram Shopping?
You must first get approved to set up Instagram Shopping features and add the ‘Shop’ button to your profile.
Why, you may ask? This is done to ensure that only genuine retailers and e-commerce brands can make sales via the app. It is also a way to streamline the shopping experience for users, allowing them to discover new brands, products, and editor's picks – all personalized for them based on their recent activity.
Instagram has some fairly strict requirements. They are:
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You must have an Instagram Business account to set up your shop.
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Your business must own a domain.
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You must demonstrate a trustworthy presence with a sufficient follower base.
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Your business must be located in one of the supported markets. Click here to check if your location is eligible.
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Your business must sell eligible products and comply with Instagram’s Commerce Eligibility Policies.
You can check the detailed eligibility criteria here.
How to set up Instagram Shopping?
Step 1: Convert to a Business (or Creator) Account
To set up an Instagram Shop, you’ll need a Business account. This is a special Instagram profile that comes with real-time account performance data.
You can create a new Business account. Or, if you already have a profile for your business or a personal one, you can switch to a Business profile. Once you have a Business account, you can add relevant business information, such as opening hours, business address, phone number, and a link to your website.
Make sure the information is correct and updated.
Step 2: Connect to a Facebook Page
Next, follow these steps to link your Instagram Business account to a Facebook Page:
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Go to your Instagram profile on the Instagram mobile app.
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Click 'Edit profile’.
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Under 'Public business information,' select 'Page.'
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Tap 'Create Facebook Page' or 'Connect an existing Page'.
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Choose a Page from your Pages that you'd like to connect to or select 'Create a new Facebook Page.'
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Tap 'Done' after you've selected a Page or created a new Page.
Step 3: Upload your product catalog
You can now upload your product catalog to your Instagram Business account. It can be done in two ways:
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Create a catalog in Commerce Manager: This is a manual process where you can input every product into Commerce Manager, which is a tool by Facebook that lets you manage your online selling on Facebook and Instagram.
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Import items from a partner platform: Integrate a pre-existing product database from a certified eCommerce platform, like Shopify or BigCommerce.
Step 4: Submit your account for review
Once you’ve connected the product catalog, you will need to submit your account for review by following these steps:
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Go to your Instagram profile settings.
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Tap the menu, then ‘Business,’ and then 'Sign Up for Instagram Shopping'.
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Click on ‘Get Started’ to proceed. You will see the catalog of products. Choose the one you want to add.
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Confirm and submit your profile for review.
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Check the status of your application by visiting Shopping in your Settings.
These reviews usually take a couple of days, but sometimes they might take longer.
Step 5: Turn on Instagram Shopping
Once your account is reviewed successfully, you can turn on Instagram’s shopping features.
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Go to your Instagram profile settings and click the menu.
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Tap 'Business’ followed by ‘Shopping.'
And that’s all. You’re now approved for Instagram Shopping.
Why use Instagram Shopping?
If you already have a well-established webshop, why choose Instagram Shopping? Simply because of three reasons.
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It increases product discoverability
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The 'Shop' tab is personalized and shoppable
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It creates more compelling visual shopping experiences
1. It increases product discoverability
70% of shoppers turn to Instagram for product discoverability. And with convenient features like product tags, it’s easier than ever for customers to discover products.
Customers can check out products and make quick purchases by using these tags in your photo posts, Stories, and Reels. Best of all, customers don’t even have to shop directly from your main business page. They can shop via their feed and Stories when your ads appear or when they find you through hashtag searches.
2. The 'Shop' tab is personalized and shoppable
Imagine walking into a store where everything stocked on the shelves suitably matched your style, wish list, and price point — that could result in some serious spending! And that’s what Instagram Shopping is working towards.
Thanks to the already-established and super-savvy Instagram algorithm, our Home feeds are tailored to our preferences. It curates a feed of content based on what we’ll like most. So, with Instagram Shopping, you’re offering your customers a curated, personalized, shoppable destination.
3. It creates more compelling visual shopping experiences
Do you know that 93% of online shoppers say that visual appearance is the key deciding factor in their purchasing decisions?
You can take advantage of many popular social commerce platforms to bring your products closer to customers. However, Instagram Shopping has always had an advantage over its social competitors because of its visual nature.
When done right, Instagram shopping can provide a highly immersive shopping experience.
You can show off your products with authentic user-generated content and reach a wider audience with shoppable Instagram Stories and Reels. You can also interact with consumers using the Instagram Live Shopping feature and enhance customer engagement on posts with product tags and in-app ads.
6 ways to promote your products on Instagram Shopping
To start with the most important one, start following the @instagramforbusiness page. This is the easiest way to stay updated on the latest trends and get tips from Instagram experts and leaders. Just like the one below:
1. Pay attention to your product visuals
Instagram is a visual medium, so anything you can do to make your product photos “pop” is a plus. That said, some simple ideas to draw more attention to your Instagram content include:
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Using vibrant and bright colors, including backgrounds
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Featuring people (for example, influencers and UGC) whenever possible
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Experimenting with multiple product visuals and angles
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Following Instagram’s image and video specs requirements
2. Add hashtags
Using relevant hashtags is a smart strategy for all posts, including shopping content. They’ll increase the likelihood that you’ll be discovered by new audiences and drive engagement.
Using the right hashtags can also help you land on the ‘Explore’ page, which more than 50% of Instagram users visit each month.
Many brands also collect Instagram posts, videos, and reels their customers share using their branded hashtags and display them on the webshop. Ekoi's website is an example, where their Instagram hashtag feed helps add social proof to the webshop, build trust, and encourage purchase decisions.
3. Show your product in action
The most popular video content on Instagram is tutorials or how-to videos. This format is ideal for shopping posts because it offers viewers product education and proof-of-concept.
Here, GoPro shows how customers enjoy using its products to capture unforgettable memories and fun experiences.
GoPro takes it a step further by curating the best videos and pictures and displaying them in a beautiful stream on the GoPro Awards page. With a social media wall embedded on the webpage, webshop managers can demonstrate how customers use their products and services. Social proof increases time spent on site and drives sales.
4. Integrate shopping shout-outs into your Stories and Reels
The more opportunities you have to integrate your Instagram Shop into your content strategy, the better. So don’t ignore your Instagram Stories and Instagram Reels. Both are booming right now in terms of popularity.
When creating Stories, use a product sticker to tag products, just like you would with a shoppable post. A product sticker is a prompt that allows the customer to learn about the product and, hopefully, make a purchase. You can also use the 'Swipe Up' feature to let customers view your entire Instagram Shop!
Like a shoppable post or story, you can also tag products within a Reel to make it easy for customers to shop directly. You can tag up to thirty products in a Reel.
Do you want to boost engagement and improve conversions? Then, consider embedding Instagram Reels and other Instagram posts on your website.
5. Share user-generated content
User-generated content (UGC) refers to any posts, Stories, or Reels from Instagram users that feature your products. Not only do these posts provide authentic images of your products in action, but they also boost your credibility. That’s because posts from actual users are considered more authentic, and that authenticity translates to higher trust.
Worktop Express, an online worktop supplier, regularly shares images of how customers use their products for home design.
A stunning carousel of UGC is also embedded on their homepage to convince visitors to check their customers' creations and learn more about their worktop products. Embedding social media feeds and UGC on your website increases time spent on the site, helps visitors see your products in real life, and boosts conversions.
6. Display Shoppable UGC Gallery on any website
In addition to using social commerce platforms, many brands make UGC shoppable on their websites, too.
With Flockler, Sohome gathers branded hashtag mentions, curates the best entries, and tags those posts with webshop products. Finally, a shoppable UGC feed is embedded on the website.
Every post on the carousel is linked to their related product page. So, customers can click the post and access product information directly.
FAQs
1. How to add a Shop button on Instagram?
To add the Shop button to your Instagram profile, you need to get your Business profile reviewed and approved by Meta first. On Settings, tap on 'Shopping' and select the product catalog which you will connect to your account and hit 'Done'.
2. Is Instagram Shopping still available?
Yes, Instagram Shopping is still available. Brands can tag their product pages in feeds, Reels, Stories, and Live Streams. However, the dedicated ‘Shop’ tab, which was visible at the bottom-right of the Instagram app, has been discontinued.
