Since its arrival in early 2020, Instagram Shop has quickly become one of the coolest features on Instagram.
Allowing users to shop right at the moment of discovery, this feature is perfect for any e-commerce or retail businesses looking to gain an edge on competition and broaden their horizons.
With 70% of shopping enthusiasts turning to Instagram for product discovery and 87% of people saying that influencers have inspired them to make a purchase, you might be missing out if you are yet to jump on the Instagram Shop bandwagon!
To help you get started, we have put together a handy guide to set up Instagram Shop for your own brand! Find out how below…
Wait, What is Instagram Shop?
For any of you scratching your heads and wondering ‘what the hell is Instagram Shop?’, never fear!
Instagram Shop is one of Instagram’s latest features on the platform. It now appears where you would have once seen your notifications at the bottom of the screen. This places it within optimal finger reach for most smartphone users and helps to reduce the amount of clicks required for potential customers. This update signifies Instagram’s push to promote online business and e-commerce
Essentially, Instagram Shop lets businesses integrate their product catalogue with their Instagram profile. This then allows you to promote your products directly on Instagram through posts, stories, the explore page, and the new Shop tab. Instagram now allows you to tag up to 5 products per image and 20 products per carousel.
How Do I Get It?
Step 1 – Switch to an Instagram Business Account
Switching to a business account provides you with a whole host of features including deeper user insights, analytics, running ads and having access to the shop feature.
To swap to a business account or check you’ve swapped to a business account, go to Settings > Account > Swap to business account.
Step 2 – Link your Facebook Business Account
To link your Facebook account, go to Profile > Edit profile > Page (under public business information). Then either choose your business page you would like to connect or create a new Facebook business page.
If you can’t connect to a Facebook page, it’s most likely because you’re not the admin on that page. Check your page settings and ensure you have admin permissions.
Step 3 – Check Instagram SHOP Eligibility Criteria
Before you can set up your Instagram Shop, you need to make sure your product meets Instagram’s commerce eligibility criteria. You must:
- Have eligible physical goods
- Have your business located in a country which supports Instagram Shop
- Comply with the Instagram Commerce Policy
Step 4 – SET UP a Product Catalog
Now, you’re all ready to start adding products to your shop. There’s two ways to go about this:
Use a Catalogue Manager
This is a ‘do it yourself’ method within Facebook Business Manager. You can create a new catalogue or connect to an existing one.
Note: If you want to use product tags and stickers (you probably do), choose an e-commerce catalogue.
Use a Facebook Partner
A little help never hurts. If setting up the catalogue by yourself feels daunting, Facebook’s certified partners can lend a hand should you need it.
Step 5 – Sign Up in the App
Once your account and catalogue are connected, go to the Instagram app to sign up for Shopping.
Go to Profile Settings > Business > Instagram Shopping. Follow the steps to make sure that everything is good to go. Then, submit your account for review!
Usually the process takes a few days, but it can sometimes take longer. You can check your progress in Settings at any time for an updated review status.
Step 6 – Turn on INSTAGRAM SHOP
Once your account is approved, you can turn on Instagram Shop features:
- Go to your business’s Instagram profile and tap the three horizontal bars.
- Select Settings > Business > Shopping
- Select the Product Catalogue that you want to connect.
Step 7 – Create Your INSTAGRAM Shop Posts
Now that you have set up Instagram Shop, you can start adding product tags and stickers to your Instagram posts and stories.
Start the same way you would with any post and then tap Tag Products to add a product from the catalogue. You can also go back and add product tags to old posts on your profile.
Instagram Stories allows for one product sticker per story. You can adjust the colour and text of these stickers.
Step 8 – View INSTAGRAM SHOP Insights
Congratulations! You’ve made it through to the end!
The most important but probably overlooked step is looking at Shopping Insights. Visit the Insights tab on your profile to see how your Shop posts and stories are performing. These insights can tell you more about your customers so you can offer more relevant posts and products in the future.
We’re sure that there are a few of you reading this blog that are absolutely terrified by the sound of setting up your own Instagram Shop. No worries, we understand!
That’s why we are happy to assist you in the set up and management process to make things quicker, easier and stress free.
If this sounds like a good idea to you, you can call, email or book a time to chat with one of our team members right now!
Or, if you’re looking for more information, check out some of our recent blog posts about Instagram and social media: