Your Guide to Instagram Checkout

February 04, 2022

Selling products is a big business on Instagram. Users flock to the social network to find products they want to buy. In the past, they had to leave the site to buy them, which caused some brands to lose transactions that looked like a sure thing. Instagram fixed this problem with its checkout feature. With Instagram Checkout, people can shop and buy items without leaving the social network. Find out more about this feature, so you can begin using it for your account. 
 

How to Set Up Instagram Checkout

Person Shopping OnlineYou have to enable Instagram Checkout to use the feature. Begin by opening an Instagram Shop, so you can sell products on the site. Then, enable Checkout by integrating a third-party tool such as BigCommerce or Shopify. You can also set up Checkout yourself through Commerce Manager. 

Once it’s enabled, you want to make sure you get the most out of it. Let’s go over some ways you can use Checkout to sell products. 
 

Create Shoppable Posts

Person Holding Black Iphone 5Once you have a shop and have enabled Checkout, you can create shoppable posts. You’ll upload an image and then select “Tag Products.” Tag the appropriate products and then share the post. You can tag one to five products per post, allowing you to show off multiple items at once.  

After you share your post, you’ll notice that it has a shopping bag icon. This shows people that you have these products for sale, and they can buy them on the site. They have to enter their financial information the first time they use Checkout, but it will save it for additional purchases. 
 

Create Shopping Stories

You can also sell products with Instagram Stories. Create your Story and add a product sticker to it. You can upload the sticker as-is or customize it to fit into your Stories’ design and theme. People can click on the sticker to buy your products. Stories tend to get lots of views, so you definitely need to use stickers to sell products. 
 

Live Shopping

Man in White Knit Cap Holding Black SmartphoneYou can also use Live Shopping to promote your products people can purchase through Instagram Checkout. This feature allows you to promote and sell products during Live videos. When you’re ready to film, tap on the camera icon and go to “Live.” Then, select “Shopping” and select the products you want to promote. Then, when you’re to stream, click “Broadcast” to go live. You can then pin products to your screen. People can click on them and purchase them through Checkout. 

People use Live Shopping to announce new products ready for sale, host question and answer sessions, and demonstrate items. You can use one of these tried-and-true methods or come up with your own angle for Live Shopping. 
 

Best Practices for Instagram Checkout

Now that you know how to use Shopping and Checkout to sell products, it’s time to look at the best practices. Stick with these practices to ensure you get top-notch results.
 

Use Product Tags Regularly 

Consistency is crucial when using Instagram Shopping and Checkout. Use product tags often so people will quickly understand that they can buy products from your page. If you only add tags here and there, you’ll miss out on sales.
 

Go Beyond Shopping and Checkout

Instagram Shopping and Checkout are both excellent features. However, some of your customers won’t want to buy products directly on Instagram. You can sell to these people by providing another option for buying products. Add a link to your site in your bio, and use a CTA to direct people to click on it, so they can buy your products. 
 

Add Hashtags

Always add hashtags to your shoppable posts. The right hashtags will help you reach more people. That, in turn, can help you increase your sales for each post. The more people you send to Instagram Checkout, the better, so this is vital. 
 

Promote Special Deals

Top View of Silver Macbook Beside a Shopping Cart and Black Friday Sale SignagePeople want to find great deals when browsing for products on Instagram. You can increase your reach by offering sales and great deals from time to time. You can even have a special day of the week or month for sales and deals. Then, you should see a spike in views, traffic, and sales on that special day.
 

Let Your Personality Shine Through

Some brands make rigid product posts that make it sound like sharing something prepared by a copywriter. Authentic brands get the best results on Instagram, so let your personality shine through. If people connect with you, they are more likely to spend their money.
 

Create a Visual Style

Silver Iphone 5s Showing InstagramYou should have a consistent visual style on Instagram. Your shoppable posts should be part of that style. When people visit your page, everything should look like it belongs. Develop and then stick with a style, so your page will be as beautiful as it is profitable. 
 

Use User-generated Content

User-generated content can help you increase your sales dramatically. Get permission from the original poster and then turn the content into a shoppable post. Then, it will be like a user review and a shoppable post in one. People trust user reviews and recommendations, so this can lead to a massive increase in sales. 
 

Buy Instagram Likes to Gain Exposure

If your shoppable posts aren’t getting much attention, it’s likely due to Instagram’s algorithm. It tends to bury posts that have low levels of engagement. That, of course, makes it very difficult to get the attention you need to increase your reach. You can get around this problem by purchasing real Instagram likes. Real people will like your post, and then Instagram will expand your reach. 
 

Start Making Money on Instagram Today

Create your shop and enable Instagram checkout today. Then, start creating posts, Stories, and videos to promote your products. Buy Instagram likes to increase your exposure if necessary. Then, track your analytics to see how your shoppable posts perform. If you follow the best practices, you should enjoy a solid conversation rate.

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