Instagram has always tried to create opportunities for businesses to thrive on their platform. One of the more dated features includes Instagram Shop. IG shop was first introduced to users way back in 2017. Since then there have been a number of updates including paid ads within the actual shop feature. To help provide more insight into the lengthy process, we’re sharing how you can set up this feature for your business based on Instagram’s best practices.
Confirm Eligibility
There are a number of things you need to check off for you to fall under this category. They include:
- Business located in a supported market
- Business has eligible product(s)
- Business complies with IG policies
- Business owns web domain
It’s important to make sure all of these are fulfilled. If not, it could really put a delay into the setup process.
Convert To A Business Account
You can only open an IG shop if your Instagram profile is a business or creator account. To make this change if you haven’t already- go to settings – account- switch to Professional Account. Once this is completed include your business’s information like operation hours, address and website.
Connect To Facebook Page
Next Instagram has you connect to your business’s Facebook page. It’s important to note that Facebook Page Shop is not required in moving forward with setting up Instagram Shop.
Upload Product Catalog
You’ll then need to connect your shop with your business’s product catalog. Instagram offers two options to help with this. They include- Catalog Manager which is more of a “do it yourself” way through Facebook. The second option is through an Ecommerce Platform Partner. This includes platforms like Shopify.
Submit Your Shop for Review
Once the previous steps are completed you can then submit your shop to be reviewed by Facebook. The review period should take a few days. To submit your shop-
- Select settings
- Sign up for shopping
- Follow steps to apply
- Turn On Shopping and Start Tagging Products
Once approved, go to your settings to select the product catalog you’d like to use. Once that is complete go through your images of products on your profile and start tagging them for your followers!