Instagram’s newest eCommerce feature – Instagram Shop- makes it easier for customers to purchase products from your store.
With more than 1 billion people using Instagram every month, you will want to take advantage of Instagram’s shoppable posts and stories – and get products on your Instagram Shop ASAP!
But what exactly is an Instagram shop, how do you set up an Instagram shop, and how is an Instagram shop different from a Facebook shop?
Read on to find out.
What is an Instagram Shop?
Traditionally, you would post an Instagram post or story, encouraging viewers to visit your website or brick-and-mortar store. With Instagram Shop, this process is entirely streamlined.
Instagram Shops allows businesses to create an in-app storefront to build their brand and drive product feeds. The shop can be accessed through a business’s Instagram profile, posts, or stories. Once in the storefront, your visitors can browse products, collections and make purchases directly from your storefront thanks to Instagram’s checkout.
“70% of shopping enthusiasts turn to Instagram for product discovery”
Additionally, users are able to use Instagram Shop to browse products based on categories, such as beauty or home decor. Later this year, Instagram has promised the reveal of a shop tab in the navigation bar.
What’s the difference between Facebook and Instagram Shops?
The difference between Facebook Shops and Instagram Shops is minimal.
Facebook Shops allows business owners to create a dedicated “shop” section on their Facebook page where your products can be purchased, saved, or shared by a Facebook user. Facebook shops are extremely customizable – businesses can choose which products they would like to feature, set a cover image, and accent colors that best showcase their brand.
Additionally, Facebook Shops are integrated amongst Facebook’s apps – so you can make it available from your shop’s Instagram, and can be shared on your stories and ads.
Facebook Shops makes it easy for visitors to ask questions, as they’ll be able to message your business through WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger, and Instagram Direct.
How to connect Ecommerce products with an Instagram shop
The opportunities to increase sales through Instagram are huge, with 70% of shopping enthusiasts turning to Instagram for product discovery. With a few simple steps, your shop will provide a simple, and seamless shopping experience for your customers.
Step 1: Check that your business meets the requirements
Before getting started with Instagram Shops, you must ensure the following:
- You’re based in a country where Instagram Shops are available. Here is the list to confirm.
- Your Instagram has a business or creator profile on Instagram. View these simple instructions on how to change your settings.
- You’ve connected Instagram to your shop’s Facebook page. This will allow you to connect your Facebook Shop’s product catalog.
Step 2: Upload your product catalog
There are two ways to upload your catalog:
- Facebook catalog manager. More details can be found here.
- Ecommerce integration. This integration can be done through partners such as Shopify, and Bigcommerce.
Read more: How to Set-Up Multiple Facebook Product Catalogs with Product Feeds
Step 3: Get your Instagram Shop approved
Now that you’ve ensured that your shop fulfills the requirements and your product catalog is complete, you can submit your account for approval.
- This can be done by going to “Settings”:
- And then “Sign up for Instagram Shopping”
- Follow the prompted steps and then hit “Submit”
Allow for a couple of business days for your request to be approved. You can check your status by going to “Shopping” located in your “Settings”.
Step 4: Turn on shopping
Yay, you’ve been approved! It’s time to turn on shopping by going to..
- “Settings” and then
- Tap “Business” then “Shopping”
- Select the product catalog you would like to connect to your shop
Note: If you have not been approved, you will not see the “Shopping” option under “Settings”.
Step 5: Publish your first shoppable Instagram post!
The time has come, you are now ready to start making sales directly from Instagram! Upload a photo, and tap to tag. You are able to tag 5 products per post.
With over 5 million people using Instagram stories each day, you will want to ensure you are posting here as well! The process for posting on your story is similar, but you can only tag one product per Instagram story.
Once you upload your story, hit the sticker icon on the top-right corner and select “Product”. Then select a product in your catalog.
In order to take advantage of the billion active Instagram users, you will want to ensure that you start tagging your products with a well-constructed Instagram Product Feed to market to this audience.
With more people shopping online, it is clear that shopping on Instagram will continue to grow. Take advantage of this channel and dive in to see how it can help your eCommerce business!
Want to take your Instagram Product Feed to the next level? Highstreet.io is an expert when it comes to getting your product feed visible on platforms such as Instagram, Facebook, and Google.