How To Set Up Instagram Shopping and Attract More Customers

If you sell online, but you don't know or don't use Instagram Shopping yet, you need to start as soon as possible. It is a resource that allows the sale of products on the platform.

Instagram offers some features for merchants that are perfect to help increase revenue. 

One of them is the famous Instagram Shopping (also known as Shops), a set of features that allow people to make purchases from photos and videos. 

For example, with product tags, people who click are directed to a page that contains information about the merchandise and displays more items from the online catalog.

You can tag up to 5 products when posting a photo or video (both in feed and in Stories), or 20 items when posting multiple images at once. In Reels, you can tag up to 30 products.

What Are The Advantages of Instagram Shopping?

Instagram Shopping helps maximize the reach of your products as anyone looking at the post will know they are on sale and have easy access to pricing and checkout. 

With this feature, you can highlight specific products from your catalog. It also allows you to use your creativity to attract new customers while helping to retain those who already shop with you. 

In addition, price tag posts take users directly to the page with details about the merchandise and the website where it can be bought, shortening the path to purchase.

It all adds up to making your products discoverable quickly and easily, and your customers having a great shopping experience.

What Does It Take To Use Instagram Shopping?

To set up Instagram Shopping, you need to follow some steps carefully. See below what you need to do to use Instagram Shopping and tag your posts.

1) Meet Specific Criteria 

The platform is very careful for those who want to sell on Instagram. Therefore, many merchants find it difficult to activate Instagram Shopping on the first try. But don't worry, you'll get there. 

See the criteria you must follow to be able to use Instagram Shopping:

• be in a market accepted by the platform;
• sell tangible goods accepted by the company;
• comply with the Commerce Policies of the social network, such as the Community Standards;
• have your website or a partner website where you can sell (make the business transaction).

2) Create a Business Profile on Instagram

Even if you don't have a personal Instagram account yet, you should create one and convert it into a business one. Only then can you enjoy all the benefits of Instagram for Business.

Once the personal profile is created, access it and click on the menu. Go to Settings, then Account and Switch to the professional account. 

Then select the category that best describes your business, such as clothing, health/beauty, product/service, and more. Finally, confirm the switch to the professional account.

3) Connect Your Instagram Business Account To Your Facebook Page

To have a Facebook page it is necessary to have an account on the platform.  

With the page created, go to your business profile on Instagram and select Edit profile. Under Public Business Information, click Page. Select the page you want to connect to and click Done.

It is worth mentioning that, to carry out this process, it is not necessary to create a store on Facebook, just a page.

4) Upload a Product Catalog

Your catalog will not be created directly on Instagram. It will be done elsewhere and then connected to your trading account. 

You can create it on Facebook through the Meta Business Manager or Meta Business Suite (both business platforms are pretty much the same, with minor differences in features and interface).

Or you can also do it on partner e-commerce platforms like Kyte. With it, you will be able to create your online catalog with all your products and then integrate it with Instagram.

5) Register To Shop on Instagram

Having done all of that, you need some sort of authorization from Instagram to start selling on the platform. 

To make this request, go to your business profile on Instagram, click on the menu, then Settings and Business.

Go to Sign up for shopping and then tap Get Started. Here you will very quickly connect your Facebook page and catalog, and select your sales website domain.

And if you’re in the United States, you can apply to set up a shop with checkout, which means you can offer your followers and clients to finalize the purchase process directly on Instagram.

Lastly, submit your account for review. This process usually takes a few days. Keep an eye on the Shop section in the Settings tab to check your status. 

Sometimes Instagram asks for more information to demonstrate that you meet all Commerce Eligibility Requirements. If this happens to you, follow the instructions provided to complete the process.

Once you receive approval, Instagram will send you a notification.

How To Get Approved For Instagram Shopping If The Account Has Been Rejected?

If your Instagram Shopping account has been rejected in the past, don't worry. You can reapply. You would lose your existing promotion insights and content in the process, but that’s a small price to pay to get approved, isn't it?

Here’s how to reapply for Instagram Shopping.

1) Start Afresh

Disconnect your existing Instagram account from Meta Business Manager and Facebook page.

Also, disconnect your existing Instagram account profile from your Facebook account. Go to the Settings tab on the Facebook page and click on Instagram.

2) Switch Back To an Instagram Personal Account

Switch back from a business account to an Instagram personal account. When you do this, you reset your account and undo everything that you had done in the past. So, any mistakes are automatically erased.

Disconnect your Instagram account from Meta Business Manager as well.

3) Use The Shopping Template on Your Facebook Page

Rather than setting your Facebook page to a regular business page, use the shopping template. This helps you get approval for product tagging on Instagram.

4) Switch To an Instagram Business Account

Switch back to an Instagram business account after a few days. At this point, don't connect your Facebook account with your Instagram account yet.

5) Create a Product Catalog

Open the Meta Business Manager platform. From there, manually create a product catalog to avoid diagnostic issues and ensure your application is approved.

6) Setup Commerce Manager

Set up a commerce account in Commerce Manager in Meta Business Manager.

7) Connect Your Catalog

Go back to your catalog in Meta Business Manager and connect your catalog.

8) Reconnect Your Accounts

Finally, reconnect the Facebook page and Instagram business account through Facebook. If after following these steps your app is still not approved for Instagram Shopping, we suggest that you contact Facebook customer support directly for assistance, as Instagram sometimes may not reset properly.

How To Set Up Instagram Shopping?

After approval, you need to learn how to set up the Instagram Shopping feature in your account to finally start using it. 

To do this, go to your business profile on Instagram, click on the menu, then Settings and Business.

Tap Shopping, select the product catalog you want to connect to your account, and then Done. If you don't see the Shopping option, it means your account is still under review or hasn't been approved to use this feature.

How To Label Products?

After all these steps, you will finally be able to use Instagram Shopping and start tagging your products. See below how to do this.

Tag Products in Photos and Videos

Select the photo or video you want to post and type a caption, tap Tag products, and then the image. Browse your catalog for the item, select the chosen one, and click Done and Share.

Tag Products in Stories

When choosing the photo or video you want to use in Stories, click the sticker icon at the top of the screen. Select the product label and the catalog item you want to display. 

Place the sticker wherever you want it to show in the Story. If you want to change the color of the text, click on the label and make your changes. When you're done, simply share the Story.

Label Products in Reels

After recording the video or selecting one already recorded on your smartphone, go to Next. Select a cover photo, type a caption, click Cover, and swipe the image to the bottom of the screen. 

Click Tag products and choose the item or collection you want to feature. Go to Done and Share.

How To Gain Customers on Instagram? 9 Infallible Strategies

Social networks are powerful tools to boost sales. Every day more businessmen and merchants surrender to the resources of these platforms to expose products and connect with potential customers.

According to data from Instagram: 

• 90% of the people in this social network follow at least one business;
• 50% of people are more interested in a brand when they see its ads on Instagram;
• for 2 out of 3 users, Instagram favors interaction with brands.

Precisely for this reason, having an Instagram profile and knowing how to use it is essential for the success of any business. Take a look at the foolproof tips to win customers on Instagram below.

1) Have an Instagram for Business Account

We said it before and we'll say it again because it's very, very important.

Having a business profile on Instagram gives businesses more seriousness and provides access to important data, such as reach and engagement with posts, as well as enabling product sales.

2) Think Carefully About Hashtags

These keywords need to be chosen wisely and focus on those that are most closely associated with your product and business. 

Tip: it's a good idea to create your own branded hashtag, as long as it's not confusing or too long.

3) Explore Stories

It doesn't matter that the content disappears in 24 hours. If it's good, it will have the desired effect, which is to bring the person to your store. So use app link stickers.

The good thing about this function is that it creates a certain proximity with the users. In this sense, many companies take the opportunity to show behind the scenes of the brand, such as the manufacture of a product. 

4) Promote Contests and Promotions

Stories are a great place to advertise sales, announce discounts, and encourage participation in contests. 

The main thing here is to arouse the viewer's curiosity, as well as create a sense of urgency, and make the person want to click on the link to find out what they can win.

5) Invest in Quality Photos

The focus of Instagram is sharing photos and videos. Therefore, the quality of these media should be high whenever possible. Low-resolution images can be daunting and scare off customers.

Look for a visually attractive point of your product and angles that favor it, and be careful with the photo montages. Originality and creativity count for a lot here and help to highlight your brand identity.

6) Interact Whenever Possible

The key to gaining customers on Instagram is to promote engagement. So keep an eye out for opportunities to interact with people.

Comment, create polls, and answer questions or suggestions, and even queries through Direct Messages (DM). Prioritize dialogue and don't waste time. Agility is crucial in social media.

7) Create a Posting Calendar and Offer Value To Your Followers

Your company profile is not your personal profile. In other words, posting random stuff won't make much sense.

It's important to create a posting schedule, thinking ahead of time about what you want to post and when is the best time to do it. 

In addition to making the content more organized, this strategy creates periodicity, something highly valued by followers. An abandoned profile is a forgotten profile.

Also, people usually don’t want to see sales pitches on Instagram. Therefore, the content you post should provide some value for your followers. That is, post content they would be interested in or would like to engage with.

8) Follow Accounts Relevant To Your Business

Identify who your referrals are,(stores that are already influential in the market), and follow their profiles to stay on top of what they are doing and how they are doing it. They can be good sources of inspiration for new actions on your page.

9) Keep Track of Numbers

The only way to know if your strategies are working is to keep track of account metrics. 

Using data such as the number of profile visits and the time of greatest interaction, for example, it is possible to create more precise strategies for your audience and understand what they like the most.

Conclusion

Were you able to understand all the steps to activate Instagram Shopping? There are many steps, but with attention and willpower, you will get it done.

After that, get ready and take advantage of all the benefits of Instagram Shopping to increase your sales.