Instagram is rapidly becoming the go-to place to sell products online.
From Instagram Live Shopping to Instagram Guides, Instagram has launched several big e-commerce features recently.
Whatever your brand or business, there’s an Instagram feature to help you drive more sales and reach your business goals.
Table of Contents
6 Ways to Sell Products on Instagram
Ready to drive more sales for your business? Here are top 8 Instagram features for driving clicks and conversions:
#1: Instagram Shop
Instagram Shop offers a way for businesses to showcase their product catalog and reach new customers on Instagram.
By setting up an Instagram Shop, brands can curate a list of shoppable products that are directly accessible through the “View Shop” button on their Instagram profile page.
Businesses with Instagram Shop can also be featured on the Instagram Shop tab — a new shopping destination accessible from Instagram’s main navigation menu.
Here, shoppers can “Browse Shops,” “See Editors Picks,” “Explore Guides,” and “Shop Collections.”
Through this new feed, Instagram has found a way to show users more of what they’re highly likely to buy — all based on previous engagement and the posts and brands people follow.
By clicking on a suggested product, users can see more images featuring the product, pricing information, other products from the same retailer, and follow the route to purchase.
#2: Link in Bio
The link in your Instagram bio is easy to find and readily clickable, making it one of the most valuable traffic-drivers on your Instagram profile.
However, there’s only so much you can do with just one link — unless you use a third-party tool to capitalize on this opportunity.
#3: Instagram Feed Post Shopping
Instagram has always been a great place for users to discover new products, but Instagram Shopping makes it easier than ever to go from inspiration to conversion.
With Instagram Shopping, businesses can tag products (listed in their Instagram Shop) directly in feed posts, Instagram Stories, IGTV videos, Reels, Guides, and Live broadcasts (more to come on these later).
Showcasing products in feed posts provides valuable context, such as sizing, fit, or styling inspiration — so adding a direct route to the shop closes the retail loop.
With Product Tags, users can tap to discover product details, visit a brand’s website, or make a purchase directly within the app with Instagram Checkout.
Plus, by regularly using Instagram Shopping, businesses stand a greater chance of being featured on the Instagram Shop discovery tab.
NOTE: Instagram Shopping is currently available to Business accounts in 46 approved countries. Instagram Checkout is only available to eligible businesses in the US.
#4: Instagram Guides
Instagram Guides are a new way to share tips and recommendations on Instagram, and they’re perfectly optimized for e-commerce.
Guides offer a unique way to package existing content with fresh commentary, and are currently available in 3 formats:
- Places: Recommend places in your city and beyond
- Products: Recommend your favourite products
- Posts: Recommend posts you created or saved
Product Guides, as you may have guessed, are a fantastic way to promote products. Brands can either create a curated list of products themselves, or partner with influencers to reach an even wider network.
#5: Instagram Stories Shopping
No matter how big or small your follower count, you can drive a serious amount of sales from Instagram Stories.
Instagram Stories provide a huge opportunity for brands to connect with their followers on a more personal level — which is great for building trust, increasing engagement, and creating community.
There are also several ways to make stories instantly shoppable!
Businesses with Instagram Shopping can add shoppable product stickers that followers can tap to shop or add a “swipe up” link that directs viewers to a product listed in their Instagram Shop.
And once you reach over 10K followers, you can add “swipe up” links to any web URL from your Instagram Stories — a huge opportunity to drive traffic and sales.
#6: IGTV and Instagram Reels Shopping
IGTV Shopping and Instagram Reels Shopping are 2 new ways to highlight and sell products through video content on Instagram.
Thanks to these new updates, which are rolling out globally, viewers can now select the “View Products” button to either buy, save, or learn more about the featured products.
Conclusion
Instagram is one of the best places to sell online.
But Instagram ads cost money. Luckily, there are ways to sell on the platform without spending any money.
You can sell directly through your posts with a shoppable Instagram page.
Add a Call To Action to your bio (next to your link) and link out to an Instagram landing page that’s optimized for mobile users.
Post-behind-the-scenes content via Instagram Stories. They’ll show up at the top of all photos in your followers’ feed.
Upload preview shots of any upcoming products to your page to pique interest.
You can also let your users sell your products or services for you by re-posting user-generated content. Just search your branded hashtag to find it.
