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December 9, 2024
Instagram has always been about finding the latest and coolest trends. But with 80% of Instagrammers following a business account of some sort, following trends can often convert to real business transactions.
In the last year, Instagram has rolled out a whole new feature that allows business accounts to essentially act as a real-time marketplace. With this feature, your account could easily become your new access point for sales.
But, how do you use this feature? Here are some tips:
Country availability
The shopping feature is a new addition to Instagram. While it is gaining traction on the platform, it is not an option for every country. It is important before looking for this option to note if your country allows this feature.
If it does not, then it may be an idea to try to open your account using an IP that is in one of the appropriate countries. As of now the feature serves:
UK, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Sweden, Netherlands, Switzerland, Ireland, South Africa, Belgium, Austria, Portugal, Poland, Greece, Cyprus, Denmark, Czech Republic, Romania, Norway, Hungary, Bulgaria, Croatia, Finland, Latvia, Lithuania, Slovenia, Luxembourg, Brazil, Argentina, Mexico, Peru, Uruguay, Paraguay, Malta, Ecuador, Panama, Belize, Dominican Republic, Australia, New Zealand, Korea, Japan.
Instagram’s shopping feature is a two-tier process. Using an online catalog connected to a Facebook business account, a business can tag its own product on its post as simple as tagging a person or place. Instagram must first verify this account, but once it has, shopping on Instagram becomes as easy as Amazon.
After connecting the Facebook account and getting verified by Instagram, a business can begin using product tags. These product tags create a direct link to the product in the online catalogue for the user to buy. These tags can be used both in stories and on regular posts within the page’s feed.
Additionally, these tags provide Instagram insights. Account managers can use these analytics to see how many people are actually tapping the tags. Therefore, one can tailor the account and product tags as deemed appropriate.
The tag feature is useful for product placement, but Instagram offers an additional feature to simplify the entire process. A “Shop” button on an account profile allows a user to immediately connect to the entirety of a business’ catalog.
A business with the “Shop” button create an online store that provides a user easy access. No need to wade through posts or stories of specific products, a user can easily see what products suits them.
The Instagram shopping feature will most likely expand to other countries within the next few months so stay tuned! Your next marketplace is already at the tip of your fingers.
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