People of today love sharing snippets of their lives online. Out of the 7.7 billion people of the world, a whopping 3.5 billion people are part of the online world. One of the most popular platforms is Instagram.
As per Instagram, the platform has 1 billion monthly users! And its popularity continues to rise. According to data revealed by Apple, Instagram was the second-most downloaded app in 2018.
As a brand, the rise of Instagram is excellent news for you.
Why?
Well, now you can leverage the growing platforms and its advanced features to market and grow your business. After all, over 200 million Instagram users visit at least one business profile on the platform every day. And 1/3rd of most-viewed stories on the platform are from businesses.
Now with the recent Shopping Feature of Instagram, your business can benefit even more from the platform!
A Quick Snapshot
Over 130 million Instagram users tap on Instagram shopping tags to get information about products they like. Additionally, 1/3rd of users tend to opt for online purchases.
Putting two and two together shows us two significant trends to keep in mind. Firstly, the masses are now using social media platforms to gain information about brands. No longer are these platforms a mere way to stay connected with friends.
Secondly, online shopping is on the rise. Keeping in mind how much shoppers of today value convenience, it is safe to predict that online shopping, primarily through social media platforms like Instagram, is bound to rise.
Setting up Instagram Shopping
To avail of the Instagram shopping feature, you will first have to set up Instagram shopping and wait for it to get approved.
When setting up Instagram shopping, here are things you must ensure:
Download Instagram’s latest version
Convert your Instagram account officially into a business profile
Become an admin of a business manager account or page
Have a product catalog or online shop
By having a product catalog on a business manager account or a reliable website for your brand, you showcase your reliability to Instagram. Only then can you tag products on your Instagram photos.
To set up Instagram Shopping on your Instagram business profile, take the following steps:
1. First, turn on Instagram Shopping. This will require review and approval by Instagram.
2. Go to your business profile and tap settings
4. Within settings, you will find an option for “Business.” Tap it.
5. Proceed by tapping on “Shopping.” However, know that this option will only appear if your profile has been approved for Instagram shopping.
6. If it is, you can tap continue and then proceed to link your product catalog to your professional account.
7. Press “Done.”
To get your Instagram account to get approved, you will have to request the company to give you access to its shopping features. Your profile will be judged on various metrics before providing the said approval.
Here are the factors you must take care of to ensure swift approval.
Comply with both commerce policies and merchant agreements set forth by Instagram
Have a connected Facebook page with enabled payment options
Your business should not pertain to the service industry. You must sell physical, tangible goods.
Your Instagram Business account must be connected to your online Facebook Catalog.
Once you are confident that your brand fulfills all the requirements for Instagram shopping, submit your Business Account for review by tapping on “Shopping” within Settings. The approval process can take a few days.
Rather than dealing with the process on your own, it is much better to get an experienced Instagram marketing agency onboard. This will allow you to avoid any hiccups that may arise during the initial set up or final marketing phase.
What you get from Instagram
Instagram Shopping Feature allows you to tag at most five products of your brand per image that you upload. Additionally, you can tag over twenty products per carousel. When your users tap on these tags, they will be able to buy your products from your online store.
As a marketer, your job will be to come up with shopping captions for Instagram posts that seamlessly use Instagram tags. While US brands primarily use this feature, now Instagram has expanded these services to various other Instagram shopping countries.
If your business is set up in any of these countries, know that you are eligible to use Instagram shopping as well.
1. France
2. Germany
3. Italy
4. Brazil
5. Australia
6. UK
7. Canada
8. Spain
How to make the most of Instagram Shopping?
As a brand, Instagram is an excellent platform for you. Whether it be the Instagram in-app checkout service or the Instagram shop now button, the platform offers a variety of solutions for brands and users alike.
Here are some of the best ways you can leverage and use Instagram shopping features.
Product Tags
If you are new to the world of Instagram shopping, you might not understand how product tags work. To tag your products in posts and ads, here are the simple steps you must take.
Select a photo of your choice. Among the options, “Tag Product” option will appear. Tap on it.
If your photo has various products, touch each of them to place different product tags.
Find the product from your catalog and link it with your photo.
Click “Done” and then press “Share.”
You don’t necessarily have to limit your product tags to images and stories. You can also include it in captions of your posts. Regardless of which approach you take, make sure you make it seem seamless and relevant to your target audience.
Additionally, when using product tags, try not to sound too product-centric via your image or caption. Considering the sheer number of competitors you might have, you need to ensure that your offering is seen as an experience rather than a product.
Moreover, only use product tags for those offering that can be seen in the image or video you posted. This also holds for variations. For instance, if you are selling a dress, you must tag the same dress, in the same shade, via your product tag.
Ads
To get the most out of Instagram shopping, you need to ensure that users tap on your tags or use the in-app checkout option. For this, you must first promote your product. There is no better way to market your product on Instagram than via ads.
Instagram offers various types of ads. This includes a photo, sponsored, mapped-guided, story, video, IGTV, and carousel ad. Photo ads are conventional posts that allow you to add different product tags in the caption. You can also choose to upload a video (video ad) rather than one static post or a series of static posts (carousel ad).
One drawback of using this type of ad is that it is only displayed to your followers. To get a better reach, you can opt for a sponsored ad that allows your advertisement to be featured in the feed of your target audience.
Moreover, since stories are highly engaging and are mostly watched by followers, you can add your product tags in your stories or use the “Swipe up” feature to redirect them to your product page.
You don’t necessarily have to restrict yourself to any one of these ads. A smart brand makes use of them all, in the right mix. Even if you are unsure about what the combination should be, an Instagram marketing agency
Instagram checkout
Instagram checkout in-app shopping captions for Instagram service makes the platform even more desirable for brands. This latest release allows users to complete their purchase without having to visit the business page of the brand.
This is bound to boost conversion rates and encourage impulse buying. Remember, the more complex the checkout process is, the higher are the abandonment rate. By eliminating the need to redirect to another site, Instagram has made shopping even more easy for Instagram users.
Instagram checkout isn’t entirely a new feature. In fact, it makes use of the same shoppable tags as before. However, when people tap on the tag, rather than viewing on the website, the app directs you to the brand page with a call to action saying “Checkout on Instagram.”
Users who choose to tap the option will be able to complete their purchase without having to re-enter their name, billing address, and card number, etc. Instagram will save all such information after your first shopping experience.
Another convenience that this feature brings to customers, and by extension, to the brands that serve them is easy product tracking. Rather than having to remember the different tracking numbers, all orders of customers can be tracked within the app.
Begin your Instagram Journey!
All in all, your brand can benefit immensely by having a robust online presence. Considering how powerful and convenient Instagram is for brands, make sure not to miss out on the various benefits it delivers.