Hoping to bridge the gap between inspiration and purchase? Or perhaps you want to provide an engaging shopping experience on social media — one where users can discover your products quickly?
Welcome to the world of Instagram Shopping. With more than one billion monthly users,1 Instagram Shopping can help growing companies drive sales, increase brand visibility, and enhance customer engagement.
However, with everyone – from mom-and-pop retailers to venture-backed startups to e-commerce giants – vying for a piece of the Instagram pie, standing out in this bustling marketplace requires savvy strategy and creativity. Long gone are the days where merely posting products could guarantee success. Now, mastering Instagram Shopping means staying ahead of ever-changing algorithms and getting creative to capture fleeting consumer attention.
Ready to learn how to set up Instagram Shopping? Use this guide to get started.
Instagram Shopping allows businesses to showcase and sell their products directly to users by transforming ordinary posts into shoppable experiences. Imagine transforming your Instagram feed into a vibrant storefront that invites scrolling users to become paying customers.
Instagram Shopping can help businesses:
To paint a picture, imagine a small artisan bakery that specializes in organic pastries. By using Instagram Shopping, the bakery not only showcases its mouth-watering creations through beautiful imagery but also directs customers right to their online store with a simple tap.
Or consider a boutique fashion retailer leveraging Instagram Shopping to highlight their latest collection, tag products in engaging runway show posts, and create an interactive shopping experience that keeps fashionistas coming back for more.
With Instagram Shopping, you’re not just posting – you’re engaging, selling, and growing your brand with every upload. It could be a game changer for businesses looking to enhance their online presence and boost sales.
Before we dive into how to create a shop on Instagram, here are some key Instagram Shopping features to know.
Product tagging on Instagram is a straightforward way to bridge the gap between browsing and buying. When you tag a product in an image or video, your followers can see a price and product description with just a tap.
Imagine a follower spotting a stunning pair of shoes in your post and – one tap later – viewing the product in your online store, ready to convert from casual admirer to customer.
The Shop tab serves as a personalized shopping feed for users, making it easier for them to find products from brands they love or discover new favorites. Businesses with Instagram Shopping enabled may be featured here, which can significantly increase your visibility and attract streams of new buyers who are in a shopping mindset.
With Instagram Shopping, you can also curate collections of shoppable products that live on your Instagram profile. This feature allows you to organize your products into themed sets that tell a coherent story about your brand.
For example, a fitness apparel brand might create collections for "Yoga Essentials," "Running Gear," and "Eco-Friendly Apparel." These curated collections help customers find exactly what they're looking for, enhancing user experience and promoting product discovery.
Checkout on Instagram lets users buy directly within the app, which removes friction from the shopping journey. Users appreciate the seamless experience, and businesses benefit from the reduced likelihood of cart abandonment.
Ready to set up your shop? Begin with these general steps.
Before you can get started with Instagram Shopping, your business must meet the platform’s eligibility requirements.3
More specifically, you must:
If your business’s account is currently a personal profile, you’ll need to convert it to a Business account:
To set up your shop, you must first create a Business Manager account.6
Once your account is ready, open Commerce Manager.7 You’ll be asked to choose a checkout method and which channels you want to sell on (e.g., Instagram, Facebook, or both).
Now, you’re ready to learn how to add products to Instagram. Instagram offers two options for uploading your product catalog to your Instagram Shop.
The first option involves creating every product manually in Commerce Manager:
Alternatively, you can import a pre-existing product database from one of Instagram’s certified ecommerce partners (e.g., Shopify or BigCommerce):
Before you can start selling, you’ll need to submit your account for review:
The review process typically takes a few days, but Instagram may request additional information. To check your account review status, simply visit “Shopping” in your settings anytime.
Once Instagram approves your account, you can turn on Instagram Shopping.
Simply:
After you’ve turned on this feature, you’ll notice a new “View Shop” button on your Instagram profile. When Instagram users visit your profile, they can now browse your product catalog, tap to learn more, and shop.
If the Shopping option doesn’t appear in your settings, your account is likely either under review or hasn’t yet been approved for Instagram Shopping.
Now that your account is approved for Shopping, you can begin tagging products in your in-feed posts, Instagram Stories, Guides, Reels, Ads, and Live broadcasts.
To tag a product, you’ll:
Expanding your tagging across various content formats on Instagram, not just static feed posts, is crucial for maximizing your visibility and engagement. Each format reaches users in different ways and contexts, enhancing the shopping experience and keeping it dynamic.
For example, Instagram Stories are perfect for time-sensitive offers and behind-the-scenes glimpses, making them ideal for immediate product promotions and flash sales. Meanwhile, tagging in Reels can attract users who prefer engaging, short-form video content, which is increasingly popular for its entertainment value.
Using Guides, you can create more comprehensive shopping experiences that tell a story or curate collections, providing a richer context around your products. Finally, live broadcasts offer real-time engagement, making them fantastic for demonstrations and answering questions on the spot, which can significantly reduce hesitation in purchasing decisions.
Tapping into the power of social media marketing is a valuable tactic for any growing business. However, with over 25 million business profiles worldwide using Instagram Shopping1, the platform is bustling with competitors, making it more critical than ever to maximize the features we’ve outlined above.
As the digital marketplace grows, so does the necessity for innovative and strategic marketing approaches to stand out. Now that you’ve successfully set up Instagram Shopping, consider exploring additional platforms like Facebook Marketplace to further attract, engage, and convert potential shoppers. Expanding your digital footprint can help you reach different segments of your audience and tap into new markets.
For more detailed tips on optimizing your presence on the platform, check out this guide on how to use Instagram in your marketing strategy.
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