Introduction to Instagram Shopping for Online Sellers

To lots of people in the Philippines and around the world, social media has become a big part of their lives. It helps connect people with each other, it keeps them updated on current and trending topics, and it’s even become a source of livelihood. In an economy with a booming online marketplace, why not join in and take advantage. 

This is where social commerce comes into play. Don’t know what it is? Don’t worry because this article has got you covered. It’ll go over the very concept of what social commerce is as well as how you can use Instagram to start you on your path to business success.

What is Social Commerce?

The social commerce definition is pretty simple, it involves  using social media platforms like Instagram as a means to buy and sell goods or services online. Lately it’s become quite popular because it is one of the most simple yet low-cost ways to start a business online. 

In fact, you’ve probably seen a good social commerce example on Facebook or Instagram. Maybe you’ve seen a Facebook page for your Tita’s online bakeshop or an Instagram account for your cousin’s crochet business. Those are simple, yet great examples of social commerce that even you can try out for yourself.

What is Instagram?

Instagram is a free online social media that allows you to publish photos and videos across your news feed for different people to see. Now, they have added the shopping feature so they can cater to your business needs. 

Instagram Shopping and What it Can Do for You

Instagram Shopping is a set of features that the platform has to help make your business the best it can be on the platform. It gives people a more immersive and streamlined experience in browsing and exploring your products. Overall, it really makes social media and online shopping more immersive and more streamlined than ever before.

Shops

This feature gives you, the store owner, a customizable virtual storefront through which customers can explore and shop from you almost instantly.

Shopping Tags

This feature allows you to place special tags on photos that feature your products that direct customers to your product website for purchase. This helps enhance the customer experience and allows customers to go from being exploring to purchasing instantly.

Shop in Explore

This feature allows your posts and your products to be featured in a tab in explore along with similar shoppable content from different brands or creators.

Collections

This fourth feature allows you to customize your online shop by curating products into themes, like new arrivals, gifts, seasonal trends and more. It lets you create truly creative and attractive product displays that will surely catch the attention of your target audience.

Product Detail Pages

This feature allows you to create and edit a product-focused page that showcases relevant information of any of your items pulled straight from your product catalog.

Ads with Product Tags

This last feature allows you to do a variety of things including creating ads with product tags or boost your existing posts through the Ads Manager and the Instagram app. This allows your store to really maximize its reach on the platform allowing you to connect with customers in no time.

How to Register for Instagram Shopping

For sure these tools no doubt caught your interest, but then you’re now probably wondering how to activate instagram shopping. Or maybe you’re wondering how instagram shopping eligibility works or how long does it take for instagram to approve shopping applications. I mean after all, with all its useful features, it would no doubt make your store one of the best instagram shops Philippines has ever seen. 

So on your first step to setting up, you’ll first need to make sure that your store complies with a number of Instagram’s requirements. So you’ll need to go over Instagram’s Commerce Eligibility Requirements and you’ll need to make sure that your store is in one of Instagram’s supported markets. 

Once this is done, you’ll need to set up a number of things for your instagram store. This includes setting up a Business Manager account as well as a website domain where customers can directly buy your products. You also need to make sure that your store’s instagram account is set as a business or creator account.

With all of these ready, you can go ahead and finally set up your store on the Commerce Manager. For this process, you’ll need to select the order process for your customers, pick whether your store will be on Facebook, Instagram, or even both, and add your products and curate your product catalog. Then you just need to review all of this information then wait for Instagram to review! 

After a few days of waiting, you’ll be more than ready to be an instagram e-entrepreneur in no time.

Instagram Shopping for Nearly Instant Success

After going through what social commerce is, what it can do for you, and how you yourself can get into it. It should be pretty clear that knowing how to add shop in Instagram could be the business opportunity that you’ve been waiting for. It might take a while to get used to but eventually it’ll be more than worth it.

Ginee and your Ecommerce Journey

Once you eventually figure out how to start an instagram shop and get through the various tasks like planning product logistics and going through instagram shop name ideas, you’ll still have to work out how to really run your business as efficiently as possible. After all, it won’t matter how profitable it is if it’s just going to be an unfulfilling headache for the rest of your life. But not to worry though because optimizing your business is easy with Ginee.

With more than 50,000  partner companies all across Asia, Ginee Omnichannel Philippines would no doubt help your Instagram store become the best it can be. So what are you waiting for? Take your first step with Ginee on the path to success.