How To Shop on Instagram: A Full Guide

The concept of Instagram shopping is not new. It has always been around because it is in human nature to trade. Instagram sees that the platform is somewhat of an ecommerce store. The social media giant introduced its wide range of shopping features. Now, how to shop on Instagram has never been easier. With high-quality product images, various payment methods, and checkout processes, we have exciting shopping experiences.

Creating product descriptions, sourcing stock, making product tags, shipping to consumers, and maintaining customer care can be a lot. If there is an option to be more efficient, why not consider it? We will tell you all the possibilities and limitations below.

How To Add View Shop on Instagram: Everything You Need To Know

So, you are ready to make money on Instagram. Still, there are some administrative issues you need to sort through. You need to know how to add the view shop button on Instagram.

First of all, you will need to set up a business account on the IG platform successfully. You must be a merchant on the Instagram Checkout function, too. Then, you can add the View Shop button to your IG profile. Now, you can add the View Shop button to your Instagram profile.

So, you have an Instagram business profile, but do you have a Facebook shop? If you do not already have a Facebook shop established, you’ll have to get that out of the way.

Head to your Facebook page and select the Shop tab. Follow the instructions that show up.

Option 1

There are two ways to achieve this. Here is one way:

1. Go to your Instagram profile and find the upper right corner of your screen.
2. Tap the three lines that appear there.
3. Choose Settings, then Business and Shopping from the menu.
4. Select from the list of catalogs you wish to link to your Instagram account.

The View Shop button will appear on your profile once you successfully connect.

Option 2

You can incorporate the View Shop button into your Instagram bio. You just need to:

1. Start at your Instagram profile page.
2. Choose Edit Profile and scroll down until you reach the Action Buttons section.
3. Add the View Shop button. When people tap this, they should have access to your products.

Why Should Know How To Add Shop Button on Instagram

You think you are selling your products on the app quite well. Your method is effective, as far as you’re aware. Can you benefit more by including a Shop Now button? Knowing how to add a Shop Now button on Instagram can help you.

1. Encourage Impulse Buying

We may not like to admit it, but many of our purchases happen in the dead of night. We have an impulse to buy something and don’t wait a few hours to decide if we need it. We don’t want to bother our friends to determine if it is a good purchase. Suddenly, we are adding items to the cart and checking out expeditiously.

The Instagram shop allows business owners to exploit peoples’ shopping impulses. There are already people who use Instagram to sell products. The typical course of action is as follows: You see a product listing you like on your Instagram feed. You send this post to the page owner, asking if it’s available.

Due to differences in time zones or the page owner lagging in responses, you may have to wait a while. Then, you have to iron out payment and delivery details. It’s enough time for you to rethink the entire purchase. Shopping on Instagram by using a few buttons cuts down this time significantly. 

Business owners can make way more sales than they normally would. Before they even realize it, the customers use their debit cards to make a payment to Instagram (which is now a form of search engine as well).

2. Use a Streamlined Interface

There is a huge learning curve when it comes to an ecommerce website. All pages aren’t equal. Some of them are extremely complicated to navigate. Sometimes, this is a deterrent to making sales. 

Shopping on Instagram gives a degree of certainty regarding how to make a purchase and also rate and review products through your mobile app. If you’re lucky, you’ll also find plenty of coupon codes on these product pages.

Store owners may not have the freedom to decorate their stores. However, they benefit from the comfort level that their customers will experience. Instagram knows how to make purchasing something very streamlined on the app. It’s like they want you to make sales as much as you want to make sales.

Instagram cuts out a lot of the work by setting up this tool for you. It cuts down on the effort you must put in to make a good website. This could be worth taking advantage of.

3. Promote on IG

Instagram is already a great platform to promote the sale of products. Carousel posts and Instagram reels do a great job of showcasing what creatives have to offer.

If you use Instagram to promote and sell, you can get everything done on one platform. This could be a great use of resources. Multiple different sites will attract their costs.

Additional Requirements for How To Add Shop Now Button on Instagram

This process is not as simple as uploading photos and waiting for people to DM you. The ease of shopping on Instagram comes with a cost. In the beginning, you will have to put in extra work to set up shop. This is similar to setting up a brick and mortar when you think about it. 

Still, the benefits should outweigh the initial labor. When asking how to add a Shop Now button on Instagram, you have to consider this as well.

1. Be Eligible

Unfortunately, this feature does have its limitations. This is nothing new when it comes to Instagram. Some regions tend to enjoy features before others do. The location of the business has to be in a supported market. It’s no surprise that users in countries like the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom can use this feature.

Business owners in Australia, France, Japan, and Germany have the benefits of it as well. This is a list of the countries that are eligible to use Instagram Shop. We hope that you’re lucky enough to be residents in one of these locations. If not, perhaps your country will join the list soon.

Your business also needs to have a website to mean that it sells from. Of course, you have to agree to Instagram’s merchant agreement and current commerce policies. 

2. Upload Your Product Catalog

Instagram won’t let you sell just anything. It’s a private entity, and it gets to determine what products it facilitates. You also have to submit that item to the platform that you intend to sell. You can use a catalog manager, which Facebook facilitates. There is also the option of the E-commerce platform partner.

3. Submit Your Account for Review 

Instagram has the final say. After you have uploaded a product catalog, you must submit the Instagram account for review. This is how to find out your status in real time:

1. Go to your house or Instagram profile and select the Menu icon.
2. Go to your Settings.
3. Shopping is where you will see your status.

Ideally, you should get a response in a few days. However, Instagram may require additional proof if you haven’t submitted enough information.

How To Share Etsy Shop Link on Instagram and Expand Your Clientele 

So, you’re creative. You know how to create beautiful graphics for your Instagram page. But you also know how to create very impressive things with your hands. Like a true entrepreneur, you also want to ensure your Instagram fan base knows this. 

If only you knew how to share your Etsy shop link on Instagram. If you don’t know how to do that, we can help you. Follow the steps to get it done.

1. The first website you need to go to is Etsy. Specifically, go to your shop page.
2. You will see the URL at the top. Copy this link.
3. Head to your Instagram profile. You can use your laptop to do this or that app on your phone.
4. On your profile page, select Edit Profile.
5. In the section Website, paste the URL you copied from the Etsy website.
6. Select Done.

You may already know this, but Instagram doesn’t allow you to put links in your captions. Do you want to share photos of your creations? You must have a prompt in the captions directing them to the link in your bio. This will be a live link that can direct any person to your Etsy shop.

Instagram Stories is a place where you can freely post links to your Etsy store. You can post beautiful photos of your items for sale and include a direct link. Just look for the link option when you’re about to share.

Is Shopping on Instagram Safe?: Protecting Yourself as the Consumer

For every person trying to earn an honest living on Instagram, there is a character trying to disenfranchise someone else. Shopping on Instagram can be a great and lucrative experience when you own a business. If you are the one looking to spend some money, you may have serious apprehension.

This is still a fairly recent option for shopping online. It’s fair to wonder if IG has worked out all the kinks. The platform is no stranger to fraudulent accounts seeking to scam users through DMs. Is shopping on Instagram safe? 

Every time you buy something online, there is a risk of it being a scam. Shopping on Instagram is no different. There are some things to look out for, however. We’ve listed some of them here.

• Check the reviews for the page: You can find out if the store supplies items similar to what they advertise. Disgruntled customers might be in the comments trying to reach the page owner. Consider yourself fortunate that you caught these comments before the owner deleted them.
• Instagram shops that only have recent posts may not have a reputation to back them up: Try to avoid those and find a page selling similar products for longer.
• Check the followers of the page: If you’ve been reading this website, you know that it’s possible to buy Instagram followers. It would be reasonable for a scammer page to try to inflate the following for social proof.
• Two-factor authentication will always be a benefit when using the Internet: Ensure you have this in place to start spending on the app.

Fortunately, this is a feature that Instagram created. It is not a store independent of the app. This means that you can always run crying to them when it’s time to report a page. Always use these avenues available to you.

Live Shopping on Instagram Is No Longer Available

This generation likely missed the era of the home shopping channel. Will they ever know what it’s like to make an impulsive purchase because of convincing ads on TV? Well, they almost had a chance with Live shopping on Instagram.

Some may never learn how to create a shop on Instagram. Unfortunately, this feature is no more. Meta stated that Live Shopping will no longer be available as of March 16, 2023. Some creators did benefit from this feature, but other options are still available.

How To Shop on Instagram: How To Create a Shop on Instagram With Customers

So now you know how to shop on Instagram. Do you have the following that you desire for this Instagram shop? Maybe you could use some growth because the customers won’t appear out of nowhere.

Plixi can help you secure this growth. We have the tools to do that. We have an in-house platform of Instagram influencers who know what they’re doing. We also have a propriety AI targeting algorithm. We can help you secure those customers for your page. Start growing and gaining Instagram followers today.