If you're a business looking to sell your products, build a brand image, and grow, then setting up an Instagram shop is the way to go. Instagram released the shop feature not too long ago and statistically India has the most number of Instagram users, which means, this is a great platform to sell your products and up-scale your business.

To begin with, because of Instagram's exceptional [marketing features](https://instasell.io/blog/instagram-ads-guide), brands have always been able to sell products.

But the introduction of the Instagram shopping feature takes it to a whole new level. From incorporating your product catalog with your brand's profile to letting you tag your products in your posts, this is turning out to be quite the marketplace.

You should keep in mind that Instagram Shop can only be used for the sale of physical goods and products, you cannot sell services through this feature.

How To Enable Instagram Shop Feature?

Before you enable this feature, you must ensure you have a few things ready, such as

1. Ensure you have the latest version of the app

2. To enable and use the Shopping feature, your account must be approved by Instagram. Here are the things you should do to get your account approved -

3. Ensure you comply with the policies set by Instagram

4. Make sure you stay in a region where this feature is supported, if you aren't then you must be a "managed client" (This feature is currently available only for managed clients in India)

5. Represent your business

6. Only provide information that is accurate

7. Be ready with products, catalogs, and creative posts.

8. Your Instagram must be linked with Facebook page

Once you have everything ready, you can go ahead and enable the shop feature:-

1. Go to your profile page and click on the menu tab

2. Now open "settings"

3. Select the "Business" option

4. Now tap on the option that reads "Shopping" and continue

5. Now select the products/catalogues and link them to your business account

6. Select "Done"

Now, you have successfully opened an Instagram shop with several features. You can now post your catalogs as posts, pictures, reels, and much more.

Instagram allows you to tag up to 5 products in one post and it allows you to tag one product in every Instagram story.

​What To Do If Instagram Shop Feature Isn't Available In Your Region?

As mentioned earlier, if you don't live in a region where these features are unavailable then you must be a managed client to make use of these shopping features.

Currently, In India, the shop feature isn't available but you can still see several brands using this feature because they are managed clients.

What Are Managed Clients?

Managed Clients are brands who have been given access to certain features or their accounts are being managed by Facebook.

You do not have the option of contacting Instagram to become a managed client. It depends on certain factors, such as the popularity of your brand, transparency, and other similar components.

Once your account is eligible, representatives from Facebook will connect with you and give you access to the features that you require.

But you can be sure that this feature will be released in India soon. When that happens, you will be able to use these features without being a managed client.

What Features Do You Get With Instagram Shop?

This addition into Instagram is truly amazing, for brands and businesses who are looking to increase their sales number as well as their customer base.

Here are the features you can expect from Instagram Shop

1. Product Images
2. Shoppable Tags
3. Product descriptions
4. Interlinking option to your online store
5. Cost of the product
6. Other related products

Making The Best Use Of Instagram Shop

It comes as no surprise that Instagram has been continually changing the way people shop in the past few years and if you want your business to stay ahead of the curve, then you must know how to use Instagram Shop.

Instagram Shop can help you take your sales to the next level. With this feature, you can make a product catalog and make that catalog accessible with a "View Shop" button on your Instagram account's profile page.

Here are some of Instagram's other e-commerce features that you can use -

1. Instagram Post Shopping - You can tag upto 5 products in each post.
2. Instagram Stories Shopping - You have the option of tagging one product in each story.
3. Instagram Reels and IGTV Shopping - You can tag products in your Reels and IGTV videos to increase sales.
4. Instagram Live Shopping - This feature is amongst the most innovative, you can go live on your Instagram, showcase your products and tag them for people to buy. Instagram allows you to tag upto 30 products before you go live, provided you have access to Instagram checkout.
5. Instagram also offers "Instagram Guides" to help you improve your sales game. It will share a number of tips and tactics to help you increase your sales.

Tagging Products In Your Instagram Posts, Stories, Reels, and More

Tagging products in your Instagram post is extremely easy.

To tag products in your feed posts, reels, and more, you must first upload a post. Once done, you'll now get the option to add filters, and captions. You will also find an option "Tag Products".

When you select "Tag Products'', you will be able to tag 5 products in a post and not more. If you post a carousel post (multiple pictures), you can tag upto 20 products.

Furthermore, you can tag products the same way when you're uploading reels and IGTV videos.

If you want to tag a product in your Instagram story then, open the stickers menu after selecting the picture you want to upload and select the "Product" sticker. You will now be given the option to choose products and tag them. Although you can tag only one product in each story, you can post multiple stories.

The best part about Instagram story shopping is you don't need to be verified to use it or have a huge number of followers.

How Upload Posts That Can Convert Viewers Into Customers

Several brands have different ways to convert viewers into customers, it all depends in your line of business. But with that being said, if you are mindful of a few things you will easily be able to convert and increase sales.

Here are a few things to keep in mind :

1. Post visually-appealing photos, it helps capture the attention of people
2. Use Call-to-action (CTA) buttons to prompt users
3. Make sure you use hashtags that are relevant to your business and products
4. Try to use user-generated content to display your products.
5. Make aesthetically pleasing videos. They not only capture the attention of people, but it also helps in retaining their interest.

There you go, this is all the information you need when you're setting up an Instagram Shop.

Remember, Instagram is a great place to share photos and videos, which is why you should leverage that to your advantage. If done right, you can skyrocket your sales and make your customers' shopping experience truly unique.

Instagram is the future of online shopping, if you want to be a successful part of it, you should jump on the bandwagon right now.

[[Update]] 

Instagram shop will be discontinued by Instagram from March 16th, 2023. Brands will not be able to show case the catalogue of their products anymore. Instasell has partnered with Meta to find a solution to help brands still continue to get orders via Instagram DMs. You can now capture,converse & convert your followers with Live shopping using Instasell on Instagram.