How to Set Up an Instagram Shop and Boost Sales with Influencers

With billions of active users across various platforms, social media offers unparalleled opportunities for businesses to connect with potential customers, build brand awareness,  and drive sales. One of the most powerful tools for this is an Instagram shop. This feature allows e-commerce businesses to create a seamless shopping experience directly within the Instagram app, making it easier for users to discover and purchase products. When combined with a robust Instagram influencer marketing strategy, businesses can significantly amplify their reach and impact, turning social media engagement into tangible sales.

In today’s post, we will explain how to set up an Instagram shop and share practical tips for boosting your sales with Instagram influencer marketing. From understanding where to find the Instagram shopping tab to integrating Shopify for streamlined product management, we cover everything you need to know to get started and succeed in the world of social commerce.

Why It’s Important to Promote Your Products on Instagram

If you are a business owner looking to grow your brand, promoting your products on Instagram is crucial. Although any form of social media promotion is beneficial, Instagram is particularly effective as the platform has over a billion active users, giving you access to a vast audience. Plus, the platform's focus on photos and videos allows you to showcase your products in a visually appealing way, which can attract more attention and interest.

Moreover, Instagram users are highly engaged, frequently liking, commenting, and sharing posts. This high level of interaction can increase your product's visibility and popularity. Instagram's advertising tools also let you target specific audiences, ensuring your products reach the right people. Overall, promoting your products on Instagram can significantly enhance your marketing efforts and help your business thrive.

How to Sell on Instagram

Running a successful business on Instagram takes more than simply setting up a shop. You also need to create compelling and high-quality content, engage with your audience regularly, implement effective marketing strategies and use Instagram’s various features to build a loyal customer base and drive significant sales growth.

Here are a few tips and best practices to help you showcase your products and take your Instagram shop to the next level:

• High-quality visuals. Use professional photos and videos to highlight your products. Make sure you use good lighting and publish clear, detailed images.
• Shoppable posts and stories. Regularly post content that features tagged products. Shoppable stories with product stickers are also effective.
• Engaging captions. Write compelling captions that tell a story and include clear calls to action.
• Consistent posting schedule. Maintain a consistent posting schedule to keep your audience engaged.
• User-generated content. Encourage customers to share their experiences with your products and repost this content to build trust and community.
• Instagram ads. Invest in targeted Instagram ads to reach a wider audience and drive traffic to your shop.
• Invest in influencer marketing. Collaborate with influencers to boost the reach and credibility of your shop. Influencers can create authentic content that resonates with their followers, driving more traffic and sales to your Instagram shop.
• Check Instagram insights. Regularly check your Instagram KPIs to understand what content performs best and adjust your strategy accordingly.
• Use an influencer marketing management platform. Streamline the process of finding, collaborating with, and managing influencers by using an influencer marketing management platform. Platforms like Influencity offer tools to track performance and ensure your influencer campaigns are effective and aligned with your overall marketing strategy.

Benefits of Setting Up an Instagram Shop

Let’s start with the benefits of setting up an Instagram shop for your business.

Key benefits of an Instagram shop: 

• Enhanced customer experience. Customers can browse and purchase your products without leaving the app, providing a seamless shopping experience.
• Increased reach and visibility. With over a billion active users, Instagram has a huge audience that you could potentially target with your products.
• Influencer marketing. Collaborating with influencers on the platform can drive significant traffic to your Instagram shop and boost sales through authentic influencer marketing endorsements.
• Access to insights. You can track key performance indicators like engagement rates, clicks, and sales directly from the app, helping you measure the success of your Instagram shop and make adjustments accordingly.
• Visual storytelling. Instagram’s visual format allows you to showcase your products through high-quality images and videos, enhancing their appeal.
• Shopify integration. If you use Shopify, you can easily sync your store with Instagram, streamlining your product listing and sales process.
• Live shopping. Instagram's live shopping feature enables real-time product demonstrations and sales, increasing customer engagement.

How to Set Up an Instagram Shop

Setting up an Instagram shop is a straightforward process that involves meeting certain requirements and following specific steps. 

Here's how to get started.

Requirements

• Business account: Make sure you have an Instagram business account.
• Eligible products: Your products must comply with Instagram's commerce policies.
• Facebook Shop: Your Instagram account must be connected to a Facebook Shop.
• Location: Instagram Shopping is available in select countries, so make sure your business is located in one of them.

Step-by-Step Guide

• Step 1: Convert to a Business Account. If you haven't already, convert your personal Instagram account to a business account through the account settings.
• Step 2: Connect to a Facebook Page. Link your Instagram account to a Facebook page associated with your business.
• Step 3: Set Up a Facebook Shop. Create a shop on Facebook by following the setup instructions in the Commerce Manager.
• Step 4: Upload Your Product Catalog. You can upload your product catalog manually through the Commerce Manager or connect your e-commerce platform, such as Shopify, to automatically sync your products and make it easier to manage your inventory, track sales, and ensure that your product information is always up to date. Simply install the Instagram Sales Channel on your Shopify store to sync your products seamlessly.
• Step 5: Submit Your Account for Review. Once everything is set up, submit your Instagram shop for review. This process typically takes a few days, during which Instagram verifies that your account meets all requirements.
• Step 6: Enable Shopping Features. After your Instagram shop has been approved, go to your Instagram settings, tap "Business," then "Shopping," and select the product catalog you want to connect to.
• Step 7: Access the Instagram Shopping Tab. Once your shop is set up, you’ll find the Instagram shopping tab in the Explore section, represented by a shopping bag icon. This tab allows users to browse products from various brands and discover your shop directly through Instagram.

Practical Tips for Maximizing Instagram Shop Sales

To maximize your Instagram shop sales, you need to adopt a strategic approach that leverages the platform's unique features and your understanding of your audience's preferences. 

Here are some practical tips to help you achieve this.

Collaborate with Influencers

Partnering with influencers in your niche is a powerful way to reach a broader audience. Influencers have established trust with their followers, and their recommendations can lead to higher engagement and sales. For example, if you sell fitness apparel, collaborating with a well-known fitness influencer who regularly shares workout tips and has a dedicated following can drive significant traffic to your shop. Their endorsement can lend credibility to your products, resulting in increased trust and sales. Above all, make sure that the influencers you choose align with your brand values and target audience for the best results.

Engage with Your Audience

Active engagement with your followers is crucial. Respond to comments, answer queries, and interact with your audience through direct messages and story interactions. This helps you build a loyal customer base, enhance consumer trust, and encourage repeat purchases.

Run Promotions and Giveaways

Regular promotions, discounts, and giveaways can significantly boost your visibility and sales. Limited time offers create a sense of urgency, encouraging immediate purchases. For instance, a "24-hour flash sale" can prompt followers to buy quickly to take advantage of the discount. Giveaways, especially when partnered with influencers, can also attract a large number of new followers and potential customers.

Use Instagram Live

Use Instagram's live shopping feature to showcase your products in real time. Live sessions allow you to demonstrate product features, answer questions, and engage with your audience in an interactive way. This can lead to immediate sales and increased engagement.

Optimize Product Descriptions

Clear, concise, and informative product descriptions are essential. Highlight the key features, benefits, and unique selling points of your products. Well-crafted descriptions can significantly influence purchasing decisions.

Leverage Hashtags

Use relevant and trending hashtags to increase the visibility of your posts. Research popular hashtags in your niche and include a mix of broad and specific tags to reach a diverse audience. The best way to find out this information is to use social listening tools. For example, Influencity can help you track your online presence with our social listening feature, monitoring the performance of your hashtags and overall brand mentions. This allows you to understand which tags are driving the most engagement and how your audience is interacting with your content, enabling you to refine your hashtag strategy for maximum impact.

Analyze and Adapt

Finally, regularly monitor your performance through Instagram Insights. Track metrics such as engagement rates, click-through rates, and sales conversions to understand what works best. Use this data to refine your strategy and focus on the most effective tactics.

In addition to Instagram Insights, using an influencer marketing management platform like Influencity can give you access to more in-depth analytics. These platforms help you track influencer performance, audience demographics, and campaign ROI in greater detail. You can then use this information to make better decisions, improve your influencer partnerships, and maximize the growth of your Instagram shop.