Did you know that 70% of online shoppers actually turn to Instagram to discover new products?  With this staggering statistic, Instagram took action by launching the capability for your Instagram visitors to actually shop directly from your Instagram feed.  This is a game-changer for businesses that sell online!  If you’re a small business that’s looking to increase your sales, you can connect your IG Business account with a compatible e-commerce platform to start selling on social media.  No more ‘link in bio” required!

There are many e-commerce platforms that offer compatibility, but some of the most popular include Shopify, WooCommerce, Big Commerce, and OpenCart.  For these, the integration between Instagram and your shop is pretty simple and straightforward.  

If you’re on one of these platforms, here are 6 steps to make your Instagram Shoppable:

Set Up an Instagram Business Profile

If you don’t have an Instagram account, you’ll want to set one up, but make sure it’s a business profile.  If you do have an Instagram for your business, be sure it’s a professional business profile, not a personal account.  You can convert it to a Business Profile if it isn’t already, saving you the time and trouble of setting up a new account and losing your existing content.  To do this conversion, click on your profile, then click ‘edit profile’, then click ‘switch to professional account’.  From there, you’ll be able to follow the prompts to complete the conversion for your account.

Optimize Your Business Profile

There are a few things you’ll want to make sure you have in place on your profile to optimize it for business use.  

• Choose a username that’s easy for consumers who are looking for your brand.
• Write a relevant bio for your business in the bio section.
• Fill in all the applicable contact info for your business.
• Upload the appropriate profile image, like your logo
• Describe your brand in the description space
• Take some time (especially if it is a new account) to publish some content (at least 9 posts) so there’s content for users to browse and engage with before making it shoppable.
• Connect the business Instagram account with the Business Facebook page.

Get Approved for Shopping on Instagram

There are a few things your business needs in order to get approved for this feature:

• You must be located in a supported market, which includes nearly 100 countries. 
• You must have your own e-commerce website (if you need help with that, contact us)
• You must have a Business Instagram account (as discussed in step 1)

Once approved, the shopping features for your account can be managed through Settings > Business > Shopping > Product Catalog.  Instagram states that if you do not have those settings visible in your account, then the account is either under review or has not been approved. 

Link Your Products in Your Instagram Stories

This is one of the best ways to guide your followers to purchase your products.  If your Instagram Story includes a specific product, you can add a link directly to that product as a sticker on the story, which is done by adding a sticker from the top right corner of your screen.  From there, you’ll select the appropriate product sticker and matching product from your catalog. 

Use Shopping Tags

You’ve likely seen a shopping tag on an Instagram post by now, especially if you peruse the platform very often at all. In order to tag a product in a post, rather than a story, there are a few extra steps.  Once you’ve added the photo, tap on the ‘Tag Products’ link tap the photo, find the appropriate product, then select that product. Viola! You’ve just tagged your product in an Instagram post!

Make Your Reels and IGTV Shoppable

Just like stories and posts, you’ll want to link your products in reels or IGTV.  Similar to posts, you’ll just want to be sure you tag your products on these content avenues as well.

If you need help getting started or making your Instagram shoppable, don’t hesitate to contact us!  We’re here to help!