How to set up Instagram Shopping

Hoping to bridge the gap between inspiration and purchase? Or perhaps you want to provide an engaging shopping experience on social media — one where users can discover your products quickly?

Welcome to the world of Instagram Shopping. With over one billion monthly users and nearly half of them saying they use the platform to shop weekly, Instagram Shopping can help growing companies drive sales.¹

Ready to learn how to set up Instagram Shopping? Use this guide to get started.

What is Instagram Shopping?

Instagram Shopping allows businesses to showcase and sell their products directly to users by transforming ordinary posts into shoppable experiences.

Before we dive into how to create a shop on Instagram, here are some key Instagram Shopping features to know:

• Product tagging: By highlighting items from your catalog, tags help users easily discover new products and purchase ones that catch their eye.
• Shop tab: Businesses with Instagram Shopping may be featured in the Shop tab, a shopping destination for users to discover and search for shoppable products.
• Collections: You can curate collections of shoppable products that live on your Instagram profile.
• In-app checkout: Checkout on Instagram lets users buy within the app, which removes friction from the shopping journey.

How to set up an Instagram Shop

Ready to set up your shop? Begin with these general steps.

Review eligibility requirements

Before you can get started with Instagram Shopping, your business must meet the platform’s eligibility requirements.²

More specifically, you must:

• Comply with Instagram’s merchant agreement and commerce policies
• Own a website domain where your product listings are available for purchasing³
• Be located in a supported market⁴
• Sell eligible products (e.g., alcohol and adult content are not permitted)
• Have a trustworthy Facebook or Instagram presence by maintaining a sufficient follower base

Convert to a professional account

If your business’s account is currently a personal profile, you’ll need to convert it to a Business or Creator account:

1. Open your business’s Instagram profile
2. Click on “Settings and privacy” > “Account type and tools” > “Switch to professional account”
3. Follow the prompts to set up a business profile

Set up your shop

To set up your shop, you must first create a Business Manager account.⁵

Once your account is ready, open Commerce Manager.⁶ You’ll be asked to choose a checkout method and which channels you want to sell on (e.g., Instagram, Facebook, or both).

Upload your product catalog

Now you’re ready to learn how to add products to Instagram. Instagram offers two options for uploading your product catalog to your Instagram Shop.

The first option involves creating every product manually in Commerce Manager:

1. Open Commerce Manager
2. Click on “Catalog” > “Add Products” > “Add Manually”
3. Fill out the product image, name, SKU, website link, price, availability, categorization, shipping, variants, and description fields
4. When complete, click “Add Product”

Alternatively, you can import a pre-existing product database from one of Instagram’s certified ecommerce partners (e.g., Shopify or BigCommerce):

1. Open Commerce Manager
2. Click on “Catalog” > “Data Sources” > “Add Items” > “Use a Partner Platform”
3. Choose your platform from the dropdown menu
4. Click on the link, then follow the steps to integrate your account with Facebook

Submit your account for review

Before you can start selling, you’ll need to submit your account for review:

1. Open your business’s Instagram profile
2. Click on the menu button and select “Settings”
3. Sign up for shopping
4. Follow the instructions for submitting your account for review

The review process typically takes a few days, but Instagram may request additional information. To check your account review status, simply visit “Shopping” in your settings anytime.

Turn on Shopping

Once Instagram approves your account, you can turn on Instagram Shopping.

Simply:

1. Open your business’s Instagram profile
2. Click on the menu and select “Settings” > “Business” > “Shopping”
3. Choose the correct product catalog, then press “Done”

After you’ve turned on this feature, you’ll notice a new “View Shop” button on your Instagram profile. When Instagram users visit your profile, they can now browse your product catalog, tap to learn more, and, most importantly, shop.

If the Shopping option doesn’t appear in your settings, your account is likely either under review or hasn’t yet been approved for Instagram Shopping.

How to tag products on Instagram?

Now that your account is approved for Shopping, you can begin tagging products in your in-feed posts, Instagram Stories, Guides, Reels, Ads, and Live broadcasts.

To tag a product, you’ll:

1. Create a new post as usual
2. Tap on "Tag products," then select the products in the image or video
3. Search for the products from your catalog featured in the post

Tapping into the power of social media marketing is a valuable tactic for any growing business. Now that you’ve successfully set up Instagram Shopping, consider exploring additional platforms like Facebook Marketplace to further attract, engage, and convert potential shoppers.