61% of social media users turn to Instagram for product discovery, making it an extremely powerful platform for your brand to reach engaged shoppers.
However, discovering your product is just the first step. After that, it’s time for them to buy it. If the process is too long or complicated, shoppers may lose interest before completing the purchase.
That’s where Instagram Checkout comes in.
This feature allows your business to sell products directly within Instagram, making the path from discovery to purchase faster and more convenient.
In this article, we’ll explain how Instagram Checkout works and how it benefits your social media marketing and online sales.
How Instagram Checkout Simplifies The Multi-Step Shopping Process
If your business isn’t using the Checkout feature on Instagram, the shopping journey for users looking at your products on the platform is a lengthy multi-step marketing funnel that looks like this:
- User taps the product tag on Instagram and is redirected to your website via link in bio or story
- Waits for your website to load
- Navigates through the site to find the product they saw on Instagram
- Completes a traditional checkout process
This extended process can cause users to lose interest or abandon their purchase before completing the checkout.
Instagram Checkout disrupts this dynamic, addressing all these pain points, and cuts the process to a simple two-step checkout procedure:
- Users need to click on a shoppable tag on an Instagram post
- They select product specifications and quantity, and hit the checkout button on Instagram to place their order
How To Enable Instagram Checkout In 5 Steps
With this feature making the shopping experience faster and more convenient for users, setting it up can have a significant impact on your sales. To enable Instagram Checkout for your business, follow these five steps:
- Confirm eligibility: The first step to setting up Instagram Checkout involves confirming that your business meets Instagram’s commerce policies and is located in a supported market. Allowed products include physical goods such as clothes, beauty items, home decorations, art and more. Instagram also allows the sale of digital products such as eBooks and online courses.
- Ensure your Instagram profile is set to a Business account: To sell products directly on Instagram, your account has to be set to a Business account. You can do this by tapping the Edit profile button, selecting Switch to Professional Account and choosing Business.
- Link it to a Facebook product catalog: Instagram runs its Checkout feature through a double-checking feature via Facebook’s Business Manager, meaning that your account has to be connected to your Facebook Business page.
- Wait for Instagram’s approval: Once the approval arrives, you can start setting up your Instagram shop.
- Link it with Instagram Shopping From Creators: This feature enables influencers to tag your products in their posts.
Once you set up Checkout on Instagram, you can start posting photos of your products. Small shopping icons will appear as overlays, indicating which products are available for sale and allowing users to view product details and make a purchase directly within the app.
Another thing you can do is link your shop with Instagram Shopping From Creators. This feature allows influences and content creators who promote your products to include shoppable tags in their posts, making it possible for their followers to purchase items directly through their content.
The Checkout feature is currently available in 20+ countries including the U.S., Canada, the U.K., Germany, France and Australia.
Benefits Of Instagram Checkout For Businesses
The global cart abandonment rate is 70.19%, which means that the majority of potential purchases are lost before the checkout is completed. One of the most common reasons for this is a complicated or length checkout process.
Making a purchase online becomes even more frustrating when users are redirected from social media to external websites, which can lead to longer load times and inconsistent user experiences.
By setting up the Checkout feature on Instagram, your business can streamline the purchasing process by allowing customers to complete their transactions directly within the app.
Enabling Instagram Checkout and making shopping easier comes with numerous benefits, including:
- Increased conversion rates: By keeping users within the app, Checkout reduces friction in the buying process and turns interest into sales more quickly.
- Enhanced user interaction: Shoppable posts and product tags make it easy for users to discover and interact with products directly.
- Boosted brand trust: Instagram users trust stores on Instagram as the platform verifies that product images and descriptions are accurate.
- Access to in-app promotions: Eligible businesses have access to Instagram-exclusive promotions that can drive more visibility and increase sales.
- Performance tracking: Instagram also offers metrics on product performance that can guide smarter marketing and inventory decisions for businesses.
Overall, Instagram Checkout simplifies the path to purchase and helps you capture more sales with less effort. By meeting customers where they already are, you create a simple and engaging shopping experience that aligns with their browsing habits and expectations.
Best Practices For Utilizing Instagram Checkout
Setting up your Instagram store is the first step to selling products on the platform. To truly maximize its potential, you have to employ the best strategies for enhancing visibility, driving engagement and encouraging conversions:
- Optimize visual content: High-quality and eye-catching images of your product in real-life settings can help customers visualize their use and value.
- Leverage product tags: By tagging your products in posts, stories and reels, you keep your audience engaged and make your posts easier to access.
- Post regularly: To keep your products top of mind, you need a consistent posting schedule that aligns with the platform’s peak times.
- Engage with your audience: Responding to comments, encouraging conversations and using interactive features to increase brand trust and further promote your products.
- Promote with ads: Utilize Instagram Ads to target specific demographics and amplify the reach of your shoppable content.
- Maintain good account health: To maximize your sales opportunities, ensure your account meets all requirements for a great customer experience.
It takes a thoughtful approach to turn Instagram Checkout into a sales tool that not only showcases your products but also drives more sales. If used strategically, this feature can blend into your customer journey and become a key part of your growth strategy.
Instagram Checkout And Social Shopping
Social shopping continues to grow and Instagram Checkout positions the platform at the forefront of this trend.
By allowing users to discover and purchase products without ever leaving the app, Instagram reduces friction in the buying process and increases conversion rates. This streamlined experience benefits both consumers who can now shop easier and brands who see improved sales and engagement.
Instagram Checkout also integrates seamlessly with influencer marketing, enabling creators to tag products in their content and drive direct purchases.
More social media platforms are introducing similar features to Instagram Checkout. The best example is Pinterest’s hosted checkout, which was introduced in 2022 to allow members of its Verified Merchants Program to sell their products on the platform through Shopify.
Step Up Your Social Media Marketing With Digital Silk
Social media is your go-to place for connecting and engaging with your audience. With features like Instagram Checkout, it’s also possible to sell products directly on popular platforms and make the entire journey easier for your customers.
To make the most of social commerce, you must support your social shop by an equally strong social media presence. Consistent branding, engaging content and active community interaction are the key to building trust and boosting conversions.
At Digital Silk, we offer expert social media marketing services designed to help brands grow and sell online. Our team combines data-driven strategy, engaging content and platform-specific tools to drive conversions and generate real revenue through your social channels.
Other services we offer include:
Contact us online, call us at (800) 206-9413 or use the Request a Quote form below to schedule a free consultation with one of our experts.
Instagram Checkout – FAQs
Instagram Checkout makes shopping through mobile devices even easier as it allows users to make purchases without ever leaving the app. Instead of switching between the app and a browsers, they can complete their purchase directly on the platform.
Since they don’t have to leave the app to complete the transaction, users are less likely to abandon their purchase, leading to higher conversion rates for businesses.
With the Instagram Checkout feature, influencers can include shoppable tags in their posts, providing their followers the option to purchase featured products directly from their profile. This helps brands capitalize even more on the trust and engagement influencers have with their audiences.
To optimize their product pages for Instagram Checkout, brands can use high-quality images, clear product descriptions and relevant hashtags that help improve discoverability.
The convenience of being able to buy products on Instagram leads to repeat purchases and stronger customer loyalty.
Businesses can use Instagram Insights to track engagement metrics, conversion rates and repeat purchases. They can compare the results to their website sales to gain a better understanding of the platform’s effectiveness in driving sales.
"*" indicates required fields
