Without a doubt, Instagram is the forum for brands who want to impact social media, with more than one billion users. Though shopping on Instagram is not the latest addition to this social network, most e-commerce brands have not yet wholly adopted it.

In February 2018, Instagram launched a shopping feature that allows brands to directly tag products in posts and stories and bring customers to the item they want to purchase. Users no longer have to leave Instagram to buy things they discover with the launch of a new Checkout feature in March 2019. Still, Instagram checkout is only available in the US at this time.

SO HOW DO INSTAGRAM SHOPPING FEATURES WORK?

Quite clearly, when someone taps a product tag in your Instagram story on an Instagram post or a product sticker, they will be taken to a summary page of the product where they will see:

A picture from your post of the product

A summary of the price of the commodity

A link that takes them to your website directly, where they can buy the product.

Note, however, that this feature is not available for all markets, so make sure you verify if you are eligible to use it on your Instagram profile. Other than that, by providing a checklist with criteria, Instagram made it easier for companies to see if they qualified for Instagram shoppable posts.

Long story short, you are good to go if you only sell physical goods that comply with the merchant agreement and commerce policy of Facebook. The first thing is to set up your product catalogue on Facebook using Shopify or BigCommerce. The record is how your product tag, price tag, and sticker tag will end up on your Instagram posts or Stories. 

 You can set up a store section on Facebook and Instagram once you are connected. Open the Instagram app and go to the settings on your profile. Click and submit your account for review on “Business Shopping on Instagram” This might take a couple of days, so be patient. You’ll receive a notification from Instagram once you’re approved, and you can begin adding products to your posts and stories.