What is an Instagram Shop?

Instagram Shopping is a feature that permits eCommerce brands to form a digital, shareable catalog of their products right on Instagram. Sharing products or sponsoring sales on Instagram is nothing new. With Instagram Shopping features, the whole process is efficient. To set up an Instagram shop is not a difficult task.

An Instagram Shop is a brand’s customizable digital storefront, which permits customers to shop right from your Instagram account. It is a landing page where users can find or browse all your products.

How to get approved for Instagram shopping

Before you can set up Instagram Shopping, you need to certify your business checks a few boxes for eligibility. Your business is situated in a supported market where Instagram Shopping is accessible. Check the list to confirm.

How to set up an Instagram shop?

Step 1: Renovate to a Business or Creator Account

If you do not have a Business account on Instagram, it’s time to take the plunge. Also qualifying you for Instagram Shopping features, Business accounts also have entree to all sorts of exciting analytics and can use a scheduling dashboard for posts, too.

Step 2: Use Commerce Manager to set up a shop

1. Custom Commerce Manager or a supported stand to set up a shop.

2. To choose a checkout method, choose where you want users to complete their purchases. Checkout on Instagram is suggested for businesses because it enables people to purchase your products directly on Instagram.

3. To choose sales channels, select the Instagram business account you need to be associated with your shop.

4. If you have a Facebook Page, pattern the box next to your account to get a shop on both Facebook and Instagram.

Step 3: Connect to a Facebook Page

If you have a Facebook Page, you need to connect it to your Instagram Shop to make things flow easily. You do not need to have a Facebook Page to set up an Instagram Shop, but if you want to, here’s how to set one up in easy steps.

Now, time to link the two!

1. On Instagram, go to Edit Profile.

2. Under Public Business Information, select Page.

3. Choose your Facebook Business Page to link.

Step 4: Upload your product catalog

This is the fragment where you actually upload all of your products. You can also input every product manually into Commerce Manager, from a certified eCommerce platform. So, it’s so simple to manage your catalog from your dashboard.

Let’s know each catalog creation option step-by-step.

Option A: Commerce Manager

1. Log into Commerce Manager.

2. Click on the catalog.

3. Click on Add Products.

4. Choose Add Manually.

5. make a product image, name, and description.

6. If you have an SKU or unique identifier for your product, add it to the Content ID section.

7. connect a link to the website where people can purchase your product.

8. make the price of your product that is exposed on your website.

9. select the availability of your product.

10. make classification details about the product.

11. make shipping options and return policy information.

12. make options for any aberrations, like colors or sizes.

13. Once you’re done, click Add Product.

Step 5: Submit your account for an appraisal

now, you will need to submit your account for review. These reviews usually take a week, but sometimes they might take longer.

1.      Go to your Instagram profile settings. 

2.      Tap Sign Up for Instagram Shopping.\ 

3.      Track the steps to submit your account for review.

4. Check the status of your application by staying Shopping in your Settings.

Step 6: Turn on Instagram Shopping

Once you’ve approved the account review process, it’s time to link your product catalog with your Instagram Shop.

1. Go to your Instagram profile settings. 

2. Tap Business, then Shopping.

3. choose the product catalog you’d like to link with.

 4. Tap Done.

Benefits of Using Instagram Shop

Through using Instagram Shop, you can deliver your customers easy access to your products and make it easy for your business to grow in an online marketplace. But that’s not all! Here are some important benefits of Instagram shopping.

 Increases Product Discoverability

70% of shoppers go to Instagram for product discoverability. And with appropriate features on Instagram like shoppable tags, it’s simple than ever for customers to discover products. By using tags in your posts, clients are able to check out products and make quick purchases. Clients don’t even have to shop directly from your business page. The capability to shop for products can be done through their Feed and Stories when your ads seem to or when they find you through hashtag searches.

Works Well with Visual Marketing

Instagram Shop forms it easy for you to market products to customers through visuals. When you make shoppable posts through Reels, Instagram Stories, and photos, you are not only inviting a buyer to make a purchase, but also solidification your brand as a valuable shopping option. The more people like posts that include shopping tags, the more likely you are to originate on Instagram’s page.

Simplifies the Shopping Process

Via Instagram shopping, you can carry your storefront directly to the customer, reorganizing the shopping process. Those days are gone that when an online shopper had to hop from link to link to discover your product (which ultimately decreased the likelihood of purchase). Now, with a few simple taps and swipes, what may have been just an intention to purchase is more likely to turn into an actual purchase.