We are in an era where people are spending more time on social media, scrolling through posts and feeds to find something interesting. This brings an opportunity for businesses to find their target audience and sell their products. But how can you make it an effortless shopping experience? That’s when Instagram Shopping emerges to change the game.
The Instagram Shopping feature is one of the best Instagram marketing strategies for small businesses. As a business owner, using this feature not only helps you reach potential customers but also creates a personalized shopping journey for your audience.
Let’s dive in and unlock the potential of this dynamic platform!
What Is Instagram Shopping?
Instagram shopping was first introduced in 2016. Initially, the feature allowed businesses to tag products in their posts, enabling users to click through to product information and purchase options.
Since then, the Shop feature on Instagram has expanded and has now become one of the most useful features on the platform, which can transform your Instagram profile into a digital storefront, enabling users to discover, browse, and purchase products directly through the app.
Key components include:
- Shop Tab: A customizable storefront on your profile where users can browse your entire product catalog.
- Collections: Grouped sets of products (e.g., by theme, season, or category) for easier navigation.
- Product Detail Pages: Dedicated pages within Instagram showing images, descriptions, prices, and links to buy.
- Product Tags: Clickable tags in content that reveal product info and direct users to purchase (now primarily via website redirect).
- Product Launches: Tools to build hype with countdowns, reminders, and waitlists (US-only in some cases).
- Instagram Checkout: Previously allowed in-app purchases, but is being discontinued in favor of website checkout as of late 2025. (or may not be available in all regions).
Benefits of the Instagram Shopping Feature
After setting up an Instagram Shop, a button will appear on your profile, telling your audience you have an available shop. This tiny button will bring so many benefits to your business:
- Increased Visibility and Reach: Products appear in users’ feeds, Explore page, and Shop tab, reaching 85% of Instagram users who explore new products. Brands report up to +1,416% traffic and +20% revenue growth.
- Seamless Shopping Experience: Users can view details and buy with minimal friction, leading to higher conversion rates and impulse purchases.
- Brand Awareness and Engagement: Builds community through interactive content like Stories and Reels, with 83% of users discovering products on Instagram.
- Data and Insights: Access analytics on views, clicks, and sales to refine strategies.
- Cost-Effective Marketing: You don’t need a high budget to set up an Instagram Shop. It’s free. However, to make it more productive, you can set a budget for Instagram advertising or influencer marketing.
- Mobile Optimization: People use their mobile phones for everything. In most cases, they don’t want to leave an app to do another task. So, the integrated shopping feature makes it easier for them to purchase something.
Note: By the end of August 2025, native in-app checkout will no longer be supported for the majority of shops, meaning purchases will redirect users to the seller’s external website to complete transactions.
Instagram Shop Requirements
Before diving in, ensure you meet Instagram’s criteria:
- Account Type: You need a Business or Creator account linked to a Facebook Page.
- Location: Your business must be in a supported market (over 50 countries, including the US, UK, Canada, Australia, and most of Europe).
- Products: Primarily physical goods; services or digital items may not qualify.
- Compliance: Adhere to Instagram’s commerce policies, Merchant Agreement, and have clear customer service and return policies.
- Technical Setup: A verified domain, the latest Instagram app, and a product catalog via Facebook Commerce Manager or integrated platforms like Shopify
How to Set Up Instagram Shopping
Setting up a Shop on Instagram is easy by following these steps:
#1 Switch to a Business Account
Before getting to the steps of making your first storefront on the platform, you should know that this feature is only available for Instagram business accounts.
So, first, turn your Instagram personal account into a creator or business account.
Go to Settings > Account > Switch to Professional Account > Business. Link to your Facebook Page.
#2 Connect to Facebook Business Manager
You need to add your Instagram account to Facebook Business Manager to be able to use the Instagram shopping feature or even run Instagram ads.
So, follow these steps:
- Go to Facebook Business, which is now known as Meta Business Suite.
- Log in with your Instagram account.
- Go to Commerce Manager. (It might not be available in all regions. Check Instagram Shopping requirements.)
Now, you have linked your Instagram business account to your Facebook business. Ready for the next steps.
#3 Verify Your Domain
َAs of August 2025, you can’t sell products directly on Instagram. You need to add a website where your products are available to buy. On Commerce Manager, add your website and wait for it to get verified.
#4 Add Products
You can add your products manually to Commerce Manager:
- Click on “Set up your shop”, which is visible at the top of the page.
- Create your first catalogue.
- Add products to the list.
#5 Enable Shopping
To begin tagging products in your posts, you’ll need to enable Shopping on your Instagram account. Follow these steps:
- Go to Instagram Settings > Business > Shopping,
- Select your catalog,
- Submit for review.
It typically takes from 2 to 7 days for your Instagram shop to be reviewed.
#6 Tag Products in Your Posts
Once approved, you can start adding products to your posts, stories, or ads and tag them to your shop.
- Organize products into collections,
- Set featured items,
- Sdd tags to posts (up to 5 per image, 20 in carousels).
As you can see, setting up an Instagram Shopping is easy with these steps. But you will need more strategy to sell products on Instagram. So, let’s learn some strategies.
Instagram Shopping Strategies to Boost Product Sales
Setting up an Instagram Shop is one thing; selling on Instagram is another. It requires plans and strategies. Here are some tips to sell more on Instagram:
- Optimize Your Profile: Use a clear logo, engaging bio with hashtags and CTAs, and Story highlights for products, FAQs, and reviews. People can’t trust you unless you show them who you are.
- Focus on Content Quality: Choose high-quality images, compelling captions, and relevant hashtags on your product posts. Let them know the benefits of buying that product.
- Manage Your Inventory: Sync catalogs automatically and update stock regularly to avoid errors.
- Use Product Tags Effectively: Tag 1-3 products per post in feeds, Stories, and Reels. Blend tags naturally into visuals for higher engagement.
- Leverage Reels and Stories: Create short demos, tutorials, or UGC in Reels (favored by the algorithm). Use stickers in Stories for polls and countdowns.
- Run Targeted Ads: Use Meta Ads Manager for shopping ads, A/B testing creatives, and retargeting abandoned carts.
- Collaborate with Influencers: Join an influencer marketing platform to find relevant influencers for authentic promotions.
- Host Live Shopping and Giveaways: Go live for demos and Q&A; run promotions to boost engagement.
- Incorporate UGC: Repost customer content to build trust (51% of users trust UGC more).
- Sell via DMs: Use the Instagram DM tools, like DMpro, to manually target potential customers and inform them about the latest product launches or even discounts. Learn how to get clients through Instagram DM outreach.
Conclusion
As a business, it’s always beneficial for you to use all Instagram features, especially Instagram Shopping, which allows you to add products to your posts. You can also use other tools to analyze what sells more on Instagram. Additionally, don’t forget to add influencer marketing to your marketing plans as it can enhance your views, which can lead to more sales.
FAQs
You can sell a wide range of physical products, as long as they comply with Instagram’s commerce policies and community guidelines. However, you should note that Instagram Shopping is limited to physical goods, so you won’t be able to tag services or add any digital product to it.
To promote your Instagram Shop, you can use Instagram ads, collaborate with influencers, share engaging content featuring your products, utilize stories and reels, and engage with your audience to boost visibility.
Yes, all the businesses around the world can use this feature as long as they comply with Instagram guidelines and sell products that are accepted.
Yes, in most cases, you need a website to use the Instagram Shopping feature, as it’s a requirement for setting up a shop and getting approved by Instagram.
