Sell on Instagram with Shopify’s Built-In Integration

Sell on Instagram with Shopify’s Built-In Integration

A person shopping on Instagram

Are you ready to expand your Shopify store by selling on Instagram? You can utilize Shopify’s built-in integration to reach new customers and potentially increase your sales. The social media platform gives small to large businesses the ability to connect with their targeted audiences and showcase their valuable products. With over 500 million daily active users and one billion monthly users on Instagram, you can expand your growing business, boost engagement, and increase your bottom line.

Why Sell on Instagram?

In order to succeed in today’s ever-evolving digital world, it’s crucial that you keep up with the herd or risk getting left behind. Instagram facilitates countless micro-interactions every second, and inserting your business into relevant users’ feeds is an incredibly powerful way to increase brand awareness while also selling products. 24% of Instagram users open the app multiple times daily, which allows you to potentially make a sale every time.

In the pre-social commerce era, capturing leads and converting them to sales could take weeks, months, or even years to fully come to fruition, if at all. When you sell on Instagram and Shopify together, one simple swipe and click can lead to a sale in mere seconds. And, sales and brand awareness can be further amplified by organic customer shares.

Additionally, targeted social media ads have been normalized to the point that many users use their social media channels to learn about (and purchase) new products. 90% of Instagram users follow at least one business, and 50% of them are more interested in a brand when they see it advertised on the platform, according to Instagram

Your followers are your ideal demographic if they’re already following your business page, so making sure you’re able to sell through Instagram and facilitate fast and easy transactions is the next logical step. Now let’s get into how to sell on Instagram with Shopify.

How to Sell on Instagram with Shopify

1. Check Your Eligibility

Before connecting your Instagram and Shopify accounts, make sure you meet the following requirements:

How to switch to a professional Instagram account

2. Get a Professional Instagram Account

In order to sell on Instagram with Shopify, you must have a business account. You can sign up for one and start from scratch or convert your existing personal account to a professional account so you can retain your followers and content. Here’s how to convert your personal account: 

  • Open the Instagram app and click the ☰ icon.
  • Go to your Settings.
  • Click Account > Switch to Professional Account.
  • Choose a business category, confirm your details, and connect to your Facebook Business Page.

3. Add Facebook as a Sales Channel on Shopify

In order to sell on Instagram, you’ll need to connect the Facebook sales channel on Shopify. Here’s how:

  • Make sure your Facebook page is published and you are the admin.
  • On Shopify, go to Sales Channels and click +
  • Navigate to Facebook, and click Update Sales Channel.
  • Sign into Facebook and follow the prompts.
  • Click Finish Setup.

Facebook product catalog

Source: YouTube

4. Add Your Product Catalog to Instagram

Next, to sell on Instagram with Shopify you’ll need to link your Facebook shop with your Instagram account and add your product catalog. From there, you’re ready to sell through Instagram. Here’s how to add your product catalog:

  • On Instagram, navigate to Settings > Shopping > Products.
  • Select the Product Catalog you want to connect to your account.

At this point, Instagram will need to review and approve your product catalog before you can start selling. In the meantime, you’ll need to activate your Instagram sales channel in Shopify. Follow the same steps above in #3 for adding Facebook as a sales channel, but select Instagram instead.

Instagram app checkout

Source: Instagram

5. Add Instagram Checkout

Once Instagram approves everything, you should be ready to sell on Instagram with Shopify! Before you start creating sales content, we recommend setting up Instagram Checkout so customers can purchase products instantly without ever leaving the platform. Here’s how:

  • On Shopify, navigate to Settings > Commerce Settings > Checkout Method.
  • Choose Directly on Facebook and Instagram.
  • Click Save.
  • Follow the prompts to enter your details.
  • Click Finish Setup.
Instagram tagged products

Source: Instagram

6. Tag Your Products in Your Instagram Posts

Congratulations—you’re ready to sell through Instagram! At this point, you can start looking into Instagram ads to promote your products. 

To start selling now, simply create high-quality posts just like before, only now you can tag your products in them directly so your viewers can purchase them instantly. 

Selling your products on Instagram with Shopify’s integration allows you to update your current content with features that have the potential to drive sales. Here’s how you can tag products in older posts:

  • On Instagram, select Share.
  • Select Tag Products.
  • Tap on the products in the photo.
  • Enter the name of each product.
  • Select Done and then Share.

Coalition Technologies Is Ready to Help Your Business Grow

Four people smiling and fist bumping

We’ve only scratched the surface with what’s possible with ecommerce and social media integration. Our highly skilled and experienced team is eager to help you sell on Instagram with Shopify more effectively, but that’s just the beginning. As a Shopify and Shopify Plus Partner, we’ve partnered with many diverse businesses, and the results have been truly incredible. Just browse our Shopify case studies for a taste of what we’ve accomplished.

Contact Us Today

Ready to join the social ecommerce movement? The potential is astronomical. If you’re planning to sell through Instagram, our team will go above and beyond to maximize your sales potential so you can proceed with absolute confidence. 

We hope this post has been helpful as you navigate the vast and often confusing universe of social ecommerce! Learning to sell on Instagram with Shopify is just one small step forward for your business. Coalition Technologies can guide you on your journey now and in the future. Follow our blog for more informative content, and get in touch with our friendly experts today to join a winning team.

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