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Instagram published a new guide to setting up an Instagram shop and using product tags in the app, SocialMediaToday reports. And based on a recent Insta survey, you shouldn’t miss using that piece of information this holiday season.
Turns out that 44% of people surveyed use Instagram for shopping purposes, using shopping tags and the Shop tab. Add to that there are more than 500 million Instagram users and the fact that half of them follow at least one business profile.
What’s Instagram Shopping?
Well, it’s a set of features that let people see your brand and shop from your brand’s photos or videos, all across the app. Just like in real life, you set up a shop, a place to sell and share your brand’s story. In your shop, you can have products and collections of those products. It’s pretty cool, actually.
Let’s say you just published a video tutorial for using one of your favourite cleansers. By using a Product Tag, your audience can click on the product right then and there and find out more about the product. According to Instagram, 117% more transactions happen when you use a product tag in 2 or more posts per day!
There’s also a Shopping Tab on the bottom of the screen which offers even more ways to get people talking about your brand.
How To Set Up Shop?
First, you need a Facebook business page and an Instagram business profile.
In this new guide, Instagram suggests setting up your catalogue first and maintaining it. Give your users a full product selection and elaborate descriptions. That will help users find your product when they’re searching for a specific thing. Assign permissions, use one catalogue, set up product variants and complete all product fields. Then, keep product information up to date and curate your shop. When you upload, upload high res videos and photos so people can actually see what you’re selling.
The guide then explains how to use each Instagram post type for shopping purposes. Or selling purposes, that is. With Stories, Instagram says, you can share behind-the-scenes moments and inspire connection with your products. For instance, you can show a how-it’s-made short video, a coming-soon video, or a back-in-stock video!
Photo source: Social Media Today
As far as Feed is concerned, you can put our product in the spotlight by tagging it in a photo or a (max) minute-long video. According to Instagram, 37% more sales are made for businesses that tag products in their feed posts. You can also use the Live feature to connect with shoppers live, you can host events and how-to-use demos. This also helps encourage purchases in real-time.
Reels, however, got their own page in the guide. This makes sense since Instagram really wants Reels to take over TikTok. With Reels and product tags within, you can boost your brand and your product awareness.
Photo source: Social Media Today
Why Should You Use Instagram Shop?
Makes shopping easier and faster
You can promote your products directly to your target audience,
including those with a high purchase intent
It expands your brand awareness
Shows that your business keeps up with the times
