- 07.12.21
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- Digital Marketing
How to Create Shoppable Posts in Instagram
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Article by
Amie Whale
What are shoppable posts, and how can you use this innovative social feature to build brand awareness and supercharge sales?
Nowadays, Instagram is an essential player within the marketing mix. According to Hootsuite, one billion people use Instagram every month and 81% of those subscribers use it to find products or services. So, it’s hardly surprising to learn that over 71% of companies use Instagram for business purposes.
However, getting your profile and products or services to stand out is another challenge altogether.
Cue the introduction of shoppable posts.
What are shoppable posts on Instagram?
In 2017, Instagram created a shoppable posts feature to allow brands to connect directly with consumers.
Recognising a shoppable post is easy. They are clearly defined through a “tap to view products” pop up on a small white circle with a shopping bag icon.
When Instagram introduced shoppable posts, it allowed businesses to attach tags to their products. These tagged products could then be promoted across feed posts, stories, reels, guides, and even live broadcasts.
The experiment worked wonders, benefiting consumers and companies. Instagram saw increased profits and popularity as a result.
Instagram then decided in late 2020 to integrate the shoppable posts feature into its user interface (UI), replacing the “Activity” tab with the “Shop” tab. This allows brands to further showcase their products and services for anyone to stumble on.
The benefits of shoppable posts
The revelation of shoppable posts has enabled Instagram to successfully bridge the gap between a social media platform and online shopping.
Now the connection between consumer and brand has become completely streamlined, transforming Instagram into an online social marketplace that has seen incredible benefits for the eCommerce industry.
A major plus has been the improvement of user experience (UX), which is great for both businesses and consumers. Previously, businesses could only link to products or services. But with shoppable posts, there is much more chance for customer conversions.
It also creates more opportunities for influencers to promote products and services, increasing the reach for brands and demand for individual marketing. This enhances the personalisation of advertising and targeting of products to the right user.
The more traction a brand’s shoppable posts gather in engagement, the more likely they will appear in the “Shop” discovery tab. In turn, this helps to increase brand exposure and generate more traffic.
All in all, Shoppable posts have been a huge win-win for brands, customers, and Instagram.
Instagram shoppable posts statistics
- Since 2017, the companies who tested shoppable posts reported an average +1,416% increase in traffic and +20% in revenue.
- 60% of users say that they discover new products on Instagram.
- Eco-friendly children’s clothing company, Spearmint Love, saw a 25% increase in traffic and an 8% increase in revenue after launching shoppable posts.
- Womenswear brand, Lulu’s, saw a 100k increase in website traffic.
- The Pink Lily Boutique used their 261,000 Instagram followers to successfully turn their Instagram feed into a highly profitable channel, making $1M in monthly revenue.
- 70% of shopping enthusiasts go on Instagram for product discovery.
- “Stories” is the place to tag shoppable posts with 500 million accounts visiting Instagram stories daily.
How to create shoppable posts on Instagram
First thing’s first, if you are a business or influencer, you must convert your standard Instagram account into a business account.
To make this conversion, simply:
- Go to “Setting”.
- Select “Switch to a business profile”.
Alternatively, you can connect to your Facebook Business page.
- Open Facebook Business page.
- Select settings >Instagram.
- Log in to your Instagram account.
This will then connect both accounts and upgrade you with an Instagram business account.
Another way to meet the criteria is to be located in these markets and comply with Instagram’s merchant agreement and commerce policies. Finally, you must have the latest version of the Instagram app to get up and running.
Once you meet these requirements, you’ll be ready to start the process.
Your product catalogue will contain all your products and information, such as pricing and description. There are two ways to upload your product catalogue. Either:
- Manually add your products through Facebook Business Manager. Click this link if you need any help.
- Use an eCommerce platform partner, such as Shopify or WordPress WooCommerce.
Once you have connected your product catalogue to your Instagram Business account you can submit your account for review.
When you get the ‘all-clear’, a notification will come through letting you know you’re ready to start selling.
Go back to the shopping section on Instagram and select “products”. From here you can select a product catalogue to connect to your business profile.
From here, it’s very easy to tag shoppable posts onto your products and start making sales. Simply:
- Upload your content (Image, video etc.).
- Select “tag products”.
- Tap the item upon the image you want to tag.
- Search for a product that matches and select it.
- Click “done” and “share”.
Tips for successful shoppable posts
As we’ve discussed, there’s so much opportunity for businesses to connect users directly with their products or services.
Natural Flow
Design posts that flow naturally with your brand identity and the Instagram feed. Many users want to be engaged and enticed, not having products forced on them. Keep it natural like any other post. You’re looking to engage, not sell! Sell! Sell!
Use Influencers
Reports reveal people trust influencers more than brands. For whatever reason, the significance is the user has chosen to follow the individual. This automatically guarantees the chances of personal attachment are much higher. Find an appropriate influencer for your products, share your posts, and watch your sales soar.
Get creative
Shoppable posts allow you to showcase your products in action not just still images. So, if your product does something in action, show it off!
You can also optimise and categorise your products with Instagram guides or even supply special offers at seasonal opportunities.
Start utilising Instagram’s shoppable posts today
Feeling inspired? Hopefully, this article has given you a valuable snapshot of why and how to create shoppable posts.
With such a huge pool of engaged users on offer, Instagram presents online businesses with an astonishing opportunity to multiply sales. If you haven’t already created an Instagram Business account for your company, now’s the time.
For any support with Instagram shoppable posts and social media, contact eighty3 creative today.
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