For many business owners, Instagram is one of the main shopping channels to promote their products and increase conversion rates.
If you are one of them, you are in the right place!
For the past year, Instagram introduced major shopping features that provide options for businesses to sell more, even in times of Covid-19.
Especially the recent expansion of Shops and also the introduction of new Facebook Shops features as an addition to the e-commerce efforts of the platform.
In this post, we will cover all these features.
We will include tips and tricks on getting the best value from the most business-friendly social media platform.
As a summary, here is what’s inside:
Table Of Contents
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Here are the current shopping options that Instagram provides:
Since the Covid-19 outbreak, shopping on Instagram comes as more than a natural progression of how people interact with brands and their products published on Instagram.
Luckily, we have seen tons of new Instagram features developed to help small businesses adapt to the ‘new normal’.
In parallel, we have many users who now enjoy a better shopping experience and improved engagement with their favorite local brands.
People ask questions about the product, save the products for later consideration, or and if possible, they are willing to purchase it, from shoppable posts within the app.
And the stats are here to prove this theory:
More than 130 million Instagrammers are tapping to reveal product tags in shopping posts each month.
According to internal data that Instagram released in February 2019,
Additionally, by tagging your posts with products, Instagram will expand its reach in the ‘Explore’ tab, where you will be able to get to more people who are not actually your followers. And of course, have the chance to sell more.
200 million Instagram accounts browse the Explore tab every day.
Instagram Internal Data, April 2018
By understanding how people discover and buy products, Instagram shopping is definitely the shopping channel that your business must consider in order to reach more shoppers and therefore sell more.
And there are already brands getting real results, such as Barbour:
Since we started to use the feature, our sales from Instagram have increased by 42% and traffic to our website from Instagram is up 98%.
Laura Dover, Global Digital Communication Manager at Barbour
Instagram shopping was introduced and rolled out in 2018, as an integration between Instagram and the major online shopping platforms, such as Shopify and BigCommerce.
By doing this, Instagram enabled businesses to sync their product catalogs and have the option to tag their Instagram posts with the products they are promoting.
Here are the official steps on how to set up your profile for Instagram shopping:
Step 1: Eligible for Instagram shopping
Before you start to set up Instagram shopping on your feed, make sure you are eligible for it:
Once you check all the above criteria, you will need to connect your Instagram with the Facebook catalog.
Step 2: Connect with Facebook Catalog Manager
You can manually do this by enabling and creating the product catalog in Facebook’s Catalog Manager.
Step 3: Sign Up for Instagram Shopping
Go to your Instagram profile page, tap ‘Settings’ > tap ‘Business’ and choose ‘Shopping on Instagram.’ Next, follow the provided steps to submit your profile for review.
Once you finish this, you will need to wait for a couple of days for your profile to get approval from the review team.
For all additional information, check out the official setup guide.
On 9th March 2019, Instagram launched its huge step toward becoming one of the most powerful networks for online shopping.
The new feature, Checkout, was rolled out to hand-picked brands, and people immediately started adopting it and buying directly via the Instagram mobile app.
Checkout makes it quick and secure for people to buy the products they discover on Instagram.
Checkout enhances the shopping experience by making the purchase simple, convenient and secure. People no longer have to navigate to the browser when they want to buy.
And the best, with Checkout buyers, will only need to enter their name, email, billing information, and shipping address the first time they check out.
Furthermore, the Checkout system will send information to the buyer about the shipment and delivery in the Instagram app.
To understand how Checkout on Instagram works, just check the steps below.
It is a very simple flow, only a few steps.
People will see a small shopping icon as an overlay on the brands’ Instagram photos that indicate that the products are available for purchase.
Here is a summary of the checkout steps:
That’s it.
The main difference is that Instagram processes the entire checkout. You do not need a shopping platform, user management or payment processor.
On the other hand, to set up the Shopping tags of your products on Instagram posts, you will need to connect your Facebook store or Shopify with Instagram. Meaning you already need to have the online shop set up and running to provide user logins, credit card processing, and payments.
And the benefits that the direct Instagram checkout provides are really big!
So far, reducing the number of steps to the actual purchase and support for technical processing of the payments are the highlights, leaving extra precious time for brands to focus on what matters to their products and customers. Everything from the product description to the payment information is on the shopping product page.
Well, the benefits are obvious, right?
At this moment, Checkout is still in beta, but as Instagram rolls it out more widely, it is planned to provide this option for businesses to be able to integrate directly or work with partners, including Shopify, BigCommerce, ChannelAdvisor, CommerceHub, and more in the future.
As for the payment processing, it is enabled via a partnership with Paypal.
If you want to apply for checkout, check the required information below that you need to provide and fill in this application form:
To see some of the brands that already have the Checkout option and actually test how the Checkout flow works on Instagram, check out the list below:
Aimee Song, Alissa Ashley, Alondra Ortiz, Alyssa Coscarelli, Annabelle Fleur, Ashley Strong, Blair Eadie, Brittany Xavier, Camila Coelho, Candace Parker, Chriselle Lim, Cole Carrigan, and similar.
Please note that currently, Checkout is only available in the US.
Instagram Checkout for creatorsAs mentioned above, Instagram has introduced the checkout option to the creators’ and not just the brands’ profiles.
This means that influencers or creators who sponsor or promote products can sell them via their posts and Instagram stories.
Just imagine the possibility of shopping the look that your favorite influencer wears/promotes on Instagram.
This makes the selling experience more direct, without the need for the creators to point out where their followers can buy the products.
This option is actually available to selected creators and will be rolled out in the coming months to more profiles.
If you are based in the US, you can see how some of the creators that have the checkout option available use it, and you can probably buy from their feeds:
Aimee Song, Alissa Ashley, Alondra Ortiz, Alyssa Coscarelli, Annabelle Fleur, Ashley Strong, Blair Eadie, Brittany Xavier, Camila Coelho, Candace Parker, Chriselle Lim, Cole Carrigan, and similar.
The shopping stats are very important for the brands and creators to understand how their post metrics affect the actual sales results.
Instagram shopping insights are available in the Insights section of your Instagram profile. You can find how your posts performed in the’ Content’ tab.
But if you are a brand and you hire influencers to sponsor your posts, having access to their insights of that post is limited or just left to the willingness of the influencers to share the insights.
The problem with this is that the insights might be manipulated, and brands can end up paying for engagement metrics that the influencer did not actually achieve.
In addition, insights tools are more and more required because influencer marketing is projected to spend between 5 to 10 billion dollars in 2020.
This solution gap presents a real challenge for both creators and brands.
With the changes coming, Instagram is obviously taping this problem and has introduced a solution.
That is why they build the option for shared insights.
To have this option, brands need to be part of the Checkout beta batch of businesses that have access to tag products that can be bought within the Instagram app.
Once the creators tag the products in their posts, together with that product brand will receive shared insights about the product purchases.
This means that brands and influencers using the ‘paid partnership’ tag are able to track and share statistics about the partnered post.
Currently, the stats that brands can view about the posts published by influencers who tagged their brands as sponsored posts, can be viewed in the ‘Branded Content’ tab in their Facebook Page Insights.
To learn more about how to approve creators for Branded content, check this tutorial.
Instagram is aware that transparency will only reinforce the relationships among all stakeholders in the right direction. After all, the ultimate goal should be creating conditions for better shopping experience for the customers, fans or followers.
All the above options are the shopping capabilities that are actually enabled by Instagram in their own native app.
But, you can still use your Instagram activity and content and expand their reach beyond Instagram.
With tools such as EmbedFeed you are able to display your Instagram feed on your website and sync all future posts in real- time.
This means that you can reuse the content you have meticulously assembled and pushed on Instagram and display it on your website with just one line of code.
Additionally, with the EmbedFeed tool, you can tag the posts on your website with checkout links or buttons that will help you create a shoppable stream in just a few clicks.
To try this out, just sign up for an account and have your Instagram shop on your website in literally seconds.
FYI: You can embed Instagram widget automatically with EmbedSocial’s UGC platform. Start a free trial and display your social media widgets now.
Instagram Checkout is now available to all eligible businesses and creators in the US!
The Checkout feature allows users to make a purchase without ever leaving the Instagram app — creating a streamlined, 2-tap process to converting Instagram followers into loyal customers.
In this blog post, we’re taking a deeper dive into the benefits of Instagram Checkout. Plus, we share 5 top industry tips to drive maximum sales with this new feature!
What is Instagram Checkout?Instagram Checkout lets users buy products from brands *directly* on Instagram — without leaving the Instagram app!
With Instagram Checkout, customers can tap to view a product from a shoppable post and then continue to the payment process, all within Instagram! All they have to do is enter their name, email, billing information, and shipping address the first time they check out.
Checkout first launched in March 2019 with just 26 brands (including Zara, Revolve, Warby Parker, and Nike) making up the original beta test group.
And now, Instagram Checkout is going mainstream.
In a tweet by Adam Mosseri, Instagram announced that all eligible businesses and creators in the US can now use the checkout feature.
News! Shopping on Instagram just got easier.
🛍
All eligible businesses and creators in this US can now use our checkout feature, which lets you buy and sell products directly in app. Businesses can also now sell through Live, which means you can buy products in real time. pic.twitter.com/rpdxiEdLuD
— Adam Mosseri 😷 (@mosseri) August 25, 2020
The wider rollout is indicative of how Instagram is changing how we shop — with the app taking more and more steps towards becoming an e-commerce platform.
Speaking to Glossy, Dan Gardner, CEO of digital creative agency Code and Theory, explains that as more businesses gain access to the feature, the more successful it will become.
“If the [in-app Checkout] feature rolls out to everybody, it will have some level of success. Consumers will get more used to it and [brands will] see a bigger lift happen. Brands won’t necessarily replace [their] own e-commerce channels with Instagram Checkout, but it will be another meaningful way to convert,” said Gardner.
Mike Karanikolas, co-founder and co-chief executive officer of early adopter Revolve, shared how Instagram Checkout has been a success for the brand so far, but isn’t currently a big part of the company’s business.
“We’re excited about the long-term opportunity of it,” he said during the brand’s fourth-quarter earnings call in February.
Instagram has also already made it possible for influencers and content creators to drive sales through checkout on behalf of brands — creating a complete e-commerce marketplace.
With Instagram’s Shopping for Creators feature, influencers and content creators can now add product tags from their brand partners to their Instagram posts and stories that users can tap on and pay for directly within the Instagram app.
There currently is no affiliate model in place for influencers driving sales on behalf of brands through Instagram Checkout — but savvy influencers and creators are likely to be charging more for this extra level of product endorsement.
With over 200 million users visiting at least one business profile every day, and 83% of users discovering new products and services on the platform, it’s no surprise that Instagram is making moves to connect the dots between brands and shoppers.
And while Instagram is still in the process of rolling out some of these features globally, the future looks promising for brands, businesses, and influencers looking to make sales with Instagram Checkout!
What Are the Benefits of Instagram Checkout for BusinessThere’s no doubt that Instagram Checkout comes with a ton of benefits for businesses and brands on Instagram, and even more so if you’re an early adopter of the feature!
The ability to drive your audience from browsing to purchasing in just a few quick taps can have a huge impact on your conversion rate as it creates a seamless experience for your customers.
Plus, early adopters of Instagram Checkout can benefit from all of the extra exposure opportunities within the Instagram app.
For example, when users click on the “Shop” tab from the Instagram Explore page, there are various curated edits that showcase products from Checkout-enabled brands.
Instagram’s new @shop account (with over 200K followers) also features brands that are embracing Instagram Shopping tools — creating a huge opportunity to reach potential new customers.
View this post on Instagram
A post shared by Later: Visual Social Marketing (@latermedia)
However, despite such obvious advantages, Instagram Checkout might not be for everyone.
For some, Instagram’s transaction fees may be a cause for concern. According to their Business Help Center, the selling fee is 5% per shipment or a flat fee of $0.40 for shipments of $8.00 or less.
And Instagram Checkout can also mean brands lose out on valuable customer data (such as emails) as all communications are handled by Instagram rather than the brand directly.
Luckily, there are additional ways to drive traffic and make sales on Instagram!
For example, the link in your bio is super easy to find and readily clickable, making it one of the most valuable traffic-drivers on your Instagram profile.
And the good news is, with Linkin.bio by Later, you can turn your whole Instagram feed into a clickable landing page that updates with every new post you share.
This means you can share multiple links to your products for every Instagram post you publish.
And if you’re on a Later for Business plan, you can even connect your Shopify account to Linkin.bio! With just a click, you can tag Shopify products in your Linkin.bio posts, making it super easy for your followers to shop your feed.
With a fully optimized link on your bio driving traffic to your website and the easily shoppable Instagram Checkout feature (when it rolls out internationally), you have all grounds covered for making sales on the app!
Ready to start driving more traffic and sales from your link in bio? Start using Linkin.bio by Later today — it’s free!
5 Tips to Drive More Sales with Instagram CheckoutInstagram Checkout is almost guaranteed to help drive more sales for your business, but there are several ways to make this new tool work even harder for your brand.
Here are our top 5 tips for driving sales with Instagram Checkout:
#1: Be Consistent with Product TagsAs with most strategies on Instagram, consistency is key!
Take note of how Rebecca Minkoff adds product tags to almost every post on their Instagram feed:
By consistently adding tags to every Instagram post, your audience will soon connect that they can find product details and shop just by tapping on your posts.
Another great tip is to always include a quick call-to-action in your captions. This will help train your followers to “tap to shop” your posts, and can even be as simple as adding “#taptoshop” like Hatch Collection:
View this post on Instagram
A post shared by Later: Visual Social Marketing (@latermedia)
Followers will soon start to see you as a reliable source of shoppable inspiration — and will be ready to shop your posts every time you hit publish!
#2: Share an Exclusive Product Drop on InstagramA great way to drive more sales with Instagram Checkout is by sharing an exclusive product launch on Instagram.
SoulCycle has started sharing limited edition product drops that are only available through Instagram, creating a unique offering, especially for their audience.
View this post on Instagram
A post shared by Later: Visual Social Marketing (@latermedia)
Whether a completely exclusive line or just a 24-hour preview, this can be an effective way to create hype around a new product. Plus, it also rewards your community on Instagram — which can be great for building brand trust and loyalty!
#3: Provide Multiple Routes to ShopInstagram’s shopping tools are a great way to streamline the route to purchase for your audience, but it’s still a good idea to create as many opportunities as possible to drive conversions for your brand.
Check out how The Gut Stuff tags products directly in their posts, drives people to the link in their bio, and even adds a call-to-action to drive people to their website:
View this post on Instagram
A post shared by Later: Visual Social Marketing (@latermedia)
While fashion giant H&M uses product tags and includes searchable product codes in every caption for their audience to shop:
View this post on Instagram
A post shared by Later: Visual Social Marketing (@latermedia)
Keep in mind that Instagram Shopping tools are still relatively new to most users, so covering all the bases is a great way to capture as many sales as possible.
#4: Partner with Influencers Who Have Access to Shopping from CreatorsIn 2019, Instagram launched Shopping from Creators, which allows influencers, artists, and celebrities to add shopping tags to their posts.
For example, influencer Raissa Gerona uses Shopping from Creators to tag Revolve products in her posts:
Her followers can click on the shopping tag and purchase the product, without ever leaving the Instagram app.
This is a huge advantage for brands looking to drive more sales through influencer marketing on the platform.
And just like Instagram Checkout, we predict that Shopping from Creators will gain real traction in 2020.
#5: Don’t Forget About Shoppable Instagram Stories StickersOur final tip is to regularly add shoppable product stickers to your Instagram Stories.
Much like tagging a product to an Instagram feed post, product stickers create a direct route for viewers to browse and buy your products from your stories.
However, Instagram Stories product stickers are often overlooked — which is a missed opportunity for driving sales!
Optimizing your Instagram profile for shopping is key if you want to start making sales and converting your loyal followers into customers.
And while Instagram Checkout is still being rolled out globally, now’s the time to get ahead of the curve and level-up your Instagram strategy so your business is ready to make quick changes and more sales!
Want to get organized on Instagram? Don’t forget you can plan, schedule and auto-publish to Instagram with Later — for free!
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