With over 1.3 billion users, Instagram is one of the most popular social media platforms worldwide (source: Statista). In 2018, Instagram launched an e-commerce solution, Instagram Shop or Instagram Shopping, to connect businesses with their target audience and increase sales. Due to its large user base and visually appealing interface, Instagram Shopping is a great platform to showcase your products directly to potential customers. Thanks to its comprehensive purchase support, customers can see your products and buy them in just a few clicks without ever having to leave Instagram.
In this article, we’ll give you a step-by-step guide on how to sell on Instagram and share tips on how to succeed on this platform with an Instagram Shop. Or you can share your latest wins from gates of olympus
CREATE AN ACCOUNT
First, create an Instagram Business account, which will give you access to a variety of features designed specifically for small businesses.
If you want to use your current personal Instagram account for your business, you can convert your personal account to an Instagram Business account by following these steps:
- From your Instagram account, click on the hamburger menu icon in the top right corner and then select “Settings and Privacy”. Instagram Shop – Figure 1 – Instagram settings
- On the “Settings and privacy” overview page, scroll down to the “For professionals” section. There, click on “Account type and tools”.
- You can also switch to a “professional account” at this point. If you already have one. Otherwise, select “Add new professional account” and click on “Next”.
- You can now find out about some interesting functions. You will then be taken to the category page, “What describes you best?”. Select the category that best suits your business type and then click on “Done”.
- Check and update your business contact details if necessary. You can choose to display this information on your profile to make it easier for customers to contact you. Click ‘Save’ when you are ready to proceed.
- Click ‘Done’ to complete the setup of your Instagram business account.
- You can also create a new account specifically for your business if you want to keep this profile separate from your personal account.
Connect your Facebook Business page to your Instagram account
Once your Instagram account is set up as a business account, the next step is to link your Facebook business page to your Instagram account. On the settings page, click on the “Show more in account center” link.
In the account center, click on “Add accounts” and follow the instructions to connect your Facebook Business page to your Instagram account.
Set up Instagram Shop – Synchronize your website with your Instagram page or upload your product catalog Now it’s time to connect your e-commerce website with your Instagram page. Instagram integrates with GoDaddy’s online store builder, for example, as well as many other ecommerce website solutions. If your platform is supported, you can connect your online store to Facebook and Instagram via these integrations. We recommend syncing your products through these integrations if possible, as this will make it much easier for you to manage your inventory and keep your product listings up to date on Instagram.
Don’t have an e-commerce website yet? Or your current e-commerce website or website is on a platform that doesn’t support Instagram? No problem! In these cases, you can also create your product catalog manually via the Commerce Manager.