Instagram is one of the best ways to promote your business, and selling products online is made much easier with Instagram Shopping. Instagram Shopping allows customers to streamline the purchasing process from clicking the tag on a shopping post without leaving the Instagram app. The entire experience becomes easier for consumers, and will likely boost sales for your company because there are fewer steps in the shopping process.
What is Instagram Shopping?
Instagram shopping allows businesses and creators to tag products directly in their posts, and customers can use Instagram Checkout to purchase products directly in the app. Feed post-shopping is the most common method, allowing you to tag up to five products on single-image and video posts and 20 products on a carousel post. Additionally, you can put a product sticker on an Instagram Story that sends followers through the same process as a product tag on a feed post. You can also set up an Instagram Shop which allows consumers to scroll through all of your products at once.
How to Set Up Instagram Shopping
The first step in setting up Instagram Shopping is to check your eligibility. Instagram has strict requirements in order to ensure only genuine retailers and e-commerce brands are selling their products on the app. In order to be eligible your business must be located in an approved market, you primarily sell physical goods, and you are required to have an Instagram Business account. The next step in the process is to link your Instagram account to a Facebook page.
After your account is set up, it’s time to upload your product catalog. There are two methods to connect your product catalog -- using Catalogue Manager or an E-commerce Platform Partner. Catalog Manager is a “do-it-yourself” function found within Facebook Business Manager. Alternatively, you can use an e-commerce platform such as Shopify to integrate your product catalog with your account.
When you have completed these steps you must submit your account for review. Go to “Settings”, sign up for shopping, and follow the steps in order to submit your request. Once your account has been approved, go to settings and turn shopping on and select the product catalog you would like to use.
How to Use Instagram Shopping
Tagging products in posts is a similar process to tagging another Instagram account, after uploading your post there is a “Tag Products” button that you can use to select any product from your catalog. For Instagram stories, tap the “Stickers” button and select the “Product” sticker to select a product from your catalog.
Making the Most of Your Instagram Shop
Instagram Shopping is a great tool, but your posts must inspire followers to click through and purchase the product. Add a call to action in your captions to increase engagement with your post. You can tell followers to click the link in your bio or comment to win a contest, as long as you are clear and direct your followers will know exactly what they should do.
Making sure your product posts fit in with your feed aesthetic is essential in showing off your brand’s style. This will make the shopping post cohesive with the rest of your page and keep with your brand personality. It is also helpful to space out tags in your images. This will ensure the tags don’t overlap and will make the shopping experience easier for your followers.
Leveraging your followers' posts is another way to build your brand. Showing off user-generated content will spotlight your community and demonstrate how customers feel about your products, inspiring new customers to purchase. Adding relevant hashtags is an additional way to help your brand reach new customers. Including descriptive and popular hashtags will make your posts more searchable and will lead to an increase in engagement as more users find your account.
Measuring Success
Measuring success is an essential part of your social media strategy, it shows what content your audience engaged with the most so you can emulate that in future posts. Instagram Insights has helpful data including comments, metrics, reach, product page views, and product button clicks.
By using Instagram Shopping you will create a seamless shopping experience for your followers and boost sales of your products.