There are many reasons why companies use Instagram as a marketing tool. It is not only the social media platform with the most extensive user base; it’s also still growing rapidly.
Instagram provides ways for companies and individuals to create and maintain customer relationships through its targeting technology, content creation and marketing tools, comprehensive tracking capabilities, and more.
One of the tools that make use of these functionalities is Instagram Shopping.
What is Instagram Shopping?
Instagram Shopping is a feature available to business or professional account owners. It allows customization of product lists and putting them out into different spaces of the app, like the live feed, reels, stories, and more. Aside from increasing a product's discoverability, it also provides a way for customers to respond to CTAs.
Why You Need Instagram Shopping
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It creates a seamless purchase experience for your customers.
Regardless of where or how you are doing it, the core of your business campaigns is bringing your products and services closer to your target audience. The customer experience, from getting introduced to your brand to acquiring your product, has to be as seamless and straightforward as possible.
With key features like product tags, collections, and CTAs, Instagram streamlines your customer’s shopping experience.
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It puts your product out there.
Some brand owners still prefer to keep their social media campaigns 100% organic. And for a good reason. A solid organic presence in your online spheres does many good things for your brand. But focusing solely on it does not allow you to maximize the Instagram tools available at your disposal.
According to 87% of online shoppers, social media greatly affects their purchasing decisions. 45% of them have Instagram as their primary shopping platform preference over other social media outlets, with Facebook trailing behind at 41%. These numbers tell us how valuable Instagram Shopping is as a tool. It allows you better brand exposure to a relevant audience.
Instagram Shopping Key Features
Instagram Shopping has three main features that all brand owners must be familiar with. These three work hand-in-hand in building your Instagram Shopping campaign.
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Your Shop
This is where your customers will land whenever they tap “View Shop” on your promoted products or services. Just like the traditional shops we know, this is where people can browse through the stuff you offer.
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Collections
Curating content is something every Instagram user is familiar with. With collections, you can put your curating skills into practice by grouping your products according to themes, occasions, trends, seasons, and more.
Collections improve your customer’s experience by showing them similar or related products without having to navigate to different parts of your shop.
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Product Detail Pages
Product Detail Pages, or PDPs, are information about your products. They include product information like price, description, or specifications. This is where your customers head to your website to complete their purchases.
Business Eligibility
Before setting up Instagram Shopping, you must check if your business is eligible.
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Commerce Eligibility Requirements
The first thing you must do is review Instagram’s policies and see if your products and services comply with them. These include:
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Existing Website and Product Listings
You won’t be able to set up Instagram Shopping without a website you own and represent, coupled with an existing product listing. Given how Instagram Shopping works, your customers should be able to purchase your products or services directly from your site.
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Supported Market
Instagram Shopping is not available worldwide. You must check if you belong to Meta’s Supported Markets. Using a VPN to override the location requirement may affect your ability to use Instagram features or even the whole of your account.
How to Use Instagram Shopping
We’re finally getting into the nitty-gritty of setting up Instagram Shopping for your business.
What You Need:
- Instagram Business Account
- Facebook page
- Your business website domain
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Step 1: Connect your Instagram Business Account to your Facebook page.
To do this, go to your Instagram business account, and click Edit Profile. Go to Public business information and click Page. Either create a Facebook page or connect an existing page. Select the Facebook page you’d like to connect to your account.
Why do you need to connect a Facebook page to your Instagram profile?
Instagram and Facebook both use Commerce Manager to manage Shopping settings.
If you don’t have an Instagram Business account yet, make sure you set that up first before coming back to set up Instagram Shopping. Make sure you add your business information, such as contact details, opening hours, and your website.
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Step 2: Upload products.
Once you connect your Instagram account to your Facebook page, you can use Commerce Manager.
There are two ways you can do this:
- Manually add products to your Commerce Manager; or
- Use a partner platform to import a product database
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Step 3: Submit for review.
After adding your products, submit your application by going to your Instagram profile settings. Click “Sign Up for Instagram Shopping” and follow the steps provided on the screen. Click submit. You can check your application status by going to Settings, then Shopping.
It usually takes 48 hours, but there are cases where the review process takes a few more days.
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Step 4: Turn on Instagram Shopping
Once you’ve received the notification that your account has passed the review, it’s ready to turn on your Instagram Shopping.
Go to Instagram profile settings. Select Business, then Shopping. Select the catalog you’d like to feature. Now, you’re done, and your Instagram Shopping is up and running.
After setting up your Instagram Shopping, you’ll open up streamlined opportunities for your business. But it doesn’t stop there. Growing your online presence requires the right tools and knowledge. Continue to enjoy our resources as we guide you into solidifying your brand.
