Say Hello to Instagram Shopping!
In a world where most conversations and transactions are happening on the fingertips, shopping directly via social media is the natural next step. An average person spends a significant amount of his daily hours browsing through his social media feeds. Which makes it essential for marketers to cash on that opportunity and provide a seamless shopping experience.
With over a billion users, Instagram is the home for new brands that want to make an impact through social media. Being a highly visual platform, it is ideal for showcasing products — and selling them too.
Millions of users seek out and discover new products on the social platform. And with the launch of Instagram Shopping earlier in 2018, brands can now tag products directly in their posts and take customers to the item that they want to purchase.
You’d think this would be it, but in June 2018 Instagram took this experience a notch higher by introducing shoppable Instagram Stories to a few select brands. With millions of users watching Stories each month, this feature is poised to explode and be an even better source of product discovery and visual inspiration.
How to set up Instagram Shopping?
Before you can start selling products through your Instagram account, you need to get through a simple four-step process.
Step 1: Get approved as a business profile. Only businesses can sell through Instagram. To know more about what you can and cannot sell, read up Facebook’s merchant agreement and commerce policy.
Step 2: Use Shopify or BigCommerce to set up your product catalog on Facebook. The products you add here are what you’ll be able to tag in your Instagram posts and Stories. After setting up the catalog, you can add a Shop section on Facebook.
Step 3: Get your account reviewed by Instagram and approved for shopping. This may take a few days but wait for that glorious notification from Instagram.
Step 4: Turn on the shopping feature in your account. That’s it, start adding your products to the posts.
How to add products to your Instagram posts?
This too is a simple four-step process:
- Upload your images. You can tag up to five items per image or add 20 items if you’re making a carousel.
- Write the caption and select ‘Tag Products’ — this option will appear once you have shopping enabled on your account.
- Instagram will pull items from your Facebook catalog so you can tag the products you’ve added there.
- Once done, you’re ready to share the post. Posts tagged with products will appear on the Instagram feed with a little shopping bag icon in the top-right corner.
How to set up Instagram shoppable Stories?
Shoppable Stories got launched worldwide in September 2018.
Businesses whose accounts have been reviewed and approved to use Instagram shopping can add one product sticker to their story. When the user taps on the sticker, they’ll be directed to the product details page. This is the same page they would see if they tapped on your shopping post.
This page will also have additional products from your catalog, their details, similar items and a link to your mobile site.
Now that you know how to set up shop on Instagram to boost your sales, it is vital that you make the most of the platform by using it to its optimum level.
7 tips for getting the most out of shopping on Instagram
1. Tag the image or the carousel
If you have invested in a high-quality lookbook for your catalog then take advantage of that. Tagging an image or the carousel is a great way to get optimum value out of your photos. However, it is important to maintain some hygiene here. Ensure that the right tag goes with the right item. Add space between the tags to make the post easy to navigate and avoid any confusion.
2. Tag more than one product in an image
Increase the utility of each post by encouraging the user to explore your store. Multiple tagged items mean multiple chances to catch your follower’s eye. An additional benefit of this practice is that multiple tagged products are displayed together on the product page. So, when a user taps on a tagged item, the other items in the picture show up under the heading “Also Featured In This Post”. This boosts the visibility of the items that you tag, enhancing more opportunities for browsing and buying.
3. Ensure that all the products tagged are correct
The items that you tag in the posts must be present in your Facebook catalog. For brands that have similar items, make sure you tag the right ones. Shopping on Instagram is appealing because it’s direct. But sending a potential customer to the wrong product is a put-off. Additionally, make sure your product names are clear and descriptive. Make it a habit to double-check all the item tags just like you double-check the spellings in your caption.
4. Understand the working of Instagram’s algorithm
Your posts will get a lot better visibility and engagement if you crack the Instagram algorithm. The objective is to make it in the coveted Explore tab. Which means following best practices for sharing content that engages your fans.
5. Share high-quality images and videos
Instagram is a visual platform. So, it makes sense to pay attention to your posts and Stories and ensure that they are eye-catching and compelling. Your objective is to catch someone mid-scroll and entice them to tap the post for product details.
Think quality over quantity. Don’t let the greed of pushing out more content make you compromise on the quality of your pictures. If they don’t look appealing enough, don’t share them.
6. Add descriptive hashtags to your post
Now that you can follow hashtags, it’s a brilliant opportunity for users to discover your products. Effective use of hashtags can magnify your reach and visibility. Do a comprehensive research on the hashtags that your competitors are using and add them to your posts too.
7. Show your products in action
Your Instagram account is different than your product catalog and it should look it. Avoid sharing shot-for-shot collection of every item you retail. Use the platform to get creative and show your followers the different side of your brand. Share new, interesting angles of your products to entice the user.
Give your followers a taste of how your products look on a person. Such images are persuasive and help with the shopping decision when contemplating a purchase. Additionally, such photos will add a unique visual interest in your feed and not bore your followers with similar kind of posts.
Instagram Stories and shoppable posts are wonderful opportunities for improving sales and making it easy for potential customers to find your products and fall in love with them.
