How to set up Instagram Shopping

Instagram Shopping is a fantastic feature to get customers to your website. Customers will see a product tags embedded in your photos on your Instagram grid and be directed straight through to a product page or checkout on your website. There are a few steps you need to take to set up Instagram Shopping for your business. Maybe get a coffee or a wine ready, depending on the time of day you’ve started this mission.

The first step to take is to make sure you’ve set up Facebook Business Manager for your Facebook page.

Set up Facebook Business Manager

• Start the process by going to Facebook Business Manager

• Select Create account

• Enter your business name, your name, and your business email

• Select Next and fill out your business details

• Select Submit

Check you can use Instagram Shopping

Next, check your business meets these requirements:

• You meet Facebook/Instagram’s merchant agreement and commerce policies

• You’ve set your Instagram up as a business account. To do this:

  • Go to your Instagram profile and select the menu in the top right corner

  • Select Settings at the bottom

  • Select Account

  • Scroll to the bottom and if the option Switch to Business account is there, select it.

• Your Instagram business account is connected to your Facebook page. To do this:

  • Go to your Instagram profile and select the menu in the top right corner

  • Select Settings at the bottom

  • Select Account

  • Select Linked accounts

  • Sign in and select your Facebook page from the list (you must be an admin on the Facebook page)

• You must mainly sell physical goods.

• You must have set up a Facebook Catalog on your Facebook’s business account. To do this:

  • Go to your Business Manager

  • Select Catalog Manager from the grid icon in the top left corner

  • Select Create Catalog and decide which industry your business relates to

  • Now you can choose if you’d like to upload products individually, or you can connect to your website.

    • If you choose to connect your website you can choose from:

      • Shopify

      • BigCommerce

      • Magento

      • OpenCart

      • WooCommerce

    • If you choose to add products individually, name your catalog

  • Make sure you’ve got the right catalog owner selected

  • From here you will either create your catalog (manual product addition) or be given the instructions to integrate with your website.

Now you’ve set up your inventory, you need to sign up for Instagram Shopping.

Sign up for Instagram Shopping

• Go to your Instagram profile

• Select the menu in the top right corner

• Select Settings

• Select Business

• Select Shopping

• Submit for review, and then wait. This approval process can take a few days.

Once you’ve been approved, you should be good to go!