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You will be surprised but this is the truth that Instagram is the new shopping mall for people nowadays. Sure, there’s no doubt at all because it provides the retail experience to social media to reach billion of audiences and people.
More than 1 billion people are active on Instagram and that’s the reason it becomes a hub for shopping as more than 130 million users tap on Instagram shopping posts each month that retailers could only see in their dreams.
Instagram is just bliss! Rather than directing customers from your Instagram account to your website, Instagram shopping allows them to select and purchase the product easily from the app. For businesses, Instagram shopping posts are a great way to showcase your product and drive more sales.
Besides, Instagram’s new checkout feature has helped a lot as anyone can buy products directly without leaving the app. So, with this in mind, if you are a marketer, it’s time to make sure that you’re using Instagram shopping as effectively as possible.
In this guide, we’ll see discuss A-Z about Instagram shopping and how it helps marketers. Also, break down how-to step up Instagram shopping for your company. Here’s what you need to know.
What is Instagram Shopping?
Instagram shopping is a feature of Instagram that allows eCommerce brands to create a digital, shareable catalog of their products right on Instagram. Users can learn more about products right in the app, and either purchase directly through Instagram checkout or via finishing the transaction on the brand’s eCommerce site.
Selling products or marketing sales on Instagram is nothing new as influencers have inspired many users to make a purchase and even shoppers also say that they turn to the platform to discover products.
Compared to then, Instagram is much more convenient and flexible for shopping as in past, there’s the only option for e-tail brands to directly drive sales traffic from Instagram was either through their bio link or via clickable Instagram stories.
However, with these new shopping features, the whole process is streamlined and as a user can see it, click it and buy it, in a few clicks.
How to Set up Instagram Shopping?
Before you create shopping posts for your product/services, it is essential to learn how to set up Instagram shopping and what to do to get succeed.
1. Create a Business Account:
This is the initial step you should consider to set up Instagram shopping especially if you don’t have a Business account as it is necessary. Besides, qualifying you for gram shopping features, Business accounts also have access to all sorts of exciting analytics and can use a scheduling dashboard for posts too.
Plus, switching from a personal account to a business account is free and that’s why to get on it. There’s a guide made by Instagram’s setup guide where you can check whether your business is qualified for shopping or not.
Moreover, your Instagram business account needs to be connected on Facebook. To connect to two, open Instagram and tap on settings, then, tap account, and open the section labeled linked accounts. From there, sign in to your Facebook profile.
2. Configure Instagram Catalog:
Indeed! This is the part where you actually upload all of your products. You’ve got a couple of different options here, you can either upload every product manually into a Facebook business manager or integrate a pre-existing product database from a certified eCommerce platform like Magento, Shopify, or BigCommerce.
The catalog is how your product tag, price tag, and sticker tag will end up on your Instagram images. Facebook will guide you with a list of steps to connect an existing catalog or create one. For online tags and price stickers to appear on photos, choose eCommerce.
Once it is settled, Instagram will let you set up shopping. Open the app and go to your profile settings, then, the sequence is business shopping on Instagram. You must submit your account for reviews and wait for reviews to get approved from Instagram as you have to wait for few days because it may take that long to be approved.
Here is how you can submit an account for a review
- Go to your Instagram profile settings
- Tap sign up for Instagram shopping
- Follow the suggested steps to submit an account for review
- Check the status of the application by visiting shopping on Instagram
3. Be Patient & all Set:
Instagram will notify you once you’ve been approved through the catalog manager. This process can take between a few days up to about a week and a half. After, you can set up the Instagram shopping in Instagram’s settings using the app.
This is how you can turn on Instagram shopping,
- Go to your Instagram profile settings.
- Tap business, and then shopping
- Select the product catalog according to your choice
- Tap done
Now, once your account has been approved, you’ll see a new option to tag products when you upload an image to your feed or stories. This will let you select an item from the catalog and from there, your followers will see the items up for sale tagged on your photos.
How to create Instagram Shopping posts?
Now your digital shop ready to shine up and gleam and also, you’re ready to start making money with millions of audiences or customers. All you need to do is world know that you’re hawking with a shoppable Instagram post.
Instagram is the best and an excellent platform whether it be the Instagram in-app checkout service or the Instagram shop now button, the platform offers a range of solutions for brands and users alike.
- Upload a photo just like a regular post:
You need to jazz up the post with a caption that entices customers and effect and filters as you see fit. You need to upload the visible or high-quality image to access the customer to see every portion of the image.
- Tap on tag products:
Now, you can tap on the photo where you’d like the tag to appear and that’s how you can help people to see what the product is about and what is price. You should write the name of the products they want to tag. Now, select your product and hit done, and tap share to post your first shoppable post to your feed.
There’s a limitation in tag as you can tag up to five products per post and that goes for video posts too. Shoppable Instagram posts will feature a shopping bag icon in the bottom left corner. All the products your account has tagged will appear on your profile under the shopping tab.
- Instagram Shopping Ads:
To get the most out of Instagram shopping, you need to make sure that users tap on your tags or use the in-app checkout option. For this, you should promote your product and there’s no better way to market your product on Instagram than via ads.
You can use various types of ads including a photo, sponsored, mapped-guided, story, video, IGTV, and carousel ad. To get a better reach, you can opt for a sponsored ad that allows your ad to be featured in the feed of your target audience. You don’t need to restrict yourself to any one of these ads as the smart brand makes use of them all, in the right mix.
Ending Up!
All in all, your eCommerce business can benefit immensely by having a strong online presence. Considering these Instagram shopping guides can help you make Instagram powerful and convenient for your brands.
Need help in making effective and sales-driven Instagram ads? M-connect Media can help you suggest making the best Instagram ads, Instagram shopping stories, and shopping posts. Consult our eCommerce experts and discuss your needs.
