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With an audience of over 1 billion active users per month, Instagram offers a premier – and free – selling opportunity for businesses of all sizes. All you need is an updated catalog and an Instagram business account linked to your Facebook business page.
Instagram users are drawn to colourful, beautiful images that captivate the imagination. You can sell almost anything, but Instagram shopping lends itself particularly well to these types of products:
Remember, Instagram is owned by Facebook. You don’t want to jeopardise your new business, so don’t sell anything that violates the Facebook community standards or merchant agreement.
There’s no cost to set up or maintain your business account and catalogue. Once users select an item, they’re directed to your website for checkout. This means that you control the payments, shipping, delivery and any returns or customer issues directly.
In March of 2019, Checkout on Instagram was launched in beta, featuring over 25 high-end retailers. Checkout on Instagram allows in-app purchases and does require a seller’s fee — although Instagram is very quiet about the amount of the fee and what it covers.
In the future, industry speculation is that Instagram will expand its Checkout on Instagram program for a fee to additional sellers. For now, instead of requiring a seller’s fee, Instagram is monetising the Shop feature by encouraging business accounts to pay to display their shoppable photos in the feeds of users who don’t follow them.
If you're serious about selling your products or services, Instagram can boost exposure to potential customers. Success comes from diligent participation. To help determine whether selling on Instagram is worth it for you, ask yourself a few questions:
To become an approved seller on Instagram, first set up an Instagram business profile by:
You’ll then submit your account to Instagram for approval. Once approved, complete the set-up in Shopping and start tagging products in your posts and stories. To tag products in your posts:
If you create Instagram Stories, you can post one product sticker to each story. To tag products in Stories:
Since Instagram is sourcing the description, price and picture from your synced catalogue, it’s important to keep the information current. If you decide to discount your merchandise, it will be for sale at the new price on Instagram as well as your other selling venues.
To maximise your efforts while still finding a price point that’s enticing to customers, evaluate your overall business, including:
Additionally, you can research and flesh out your price with the answers to these questions:
Potential customers are currently directed to the seller’s website, so payment is defined by the seller’s existing criteria. But as Instagram moves toward possibly expanding the Checkout on Instagram programme, anticipate the following payment options in dollars, euros and yen:
Since Instagram links buyers to your website to complete their purchases, international buyers will make transactions as you’ve defined on your website.
If Instagram opens new markets for your business and you don’t have a system in place, consider opening an online seller account.
First, decide if you’re going to offer a flat rate, express shipping, overnight convenience or free shipping. Also, communicate your return policy and shipping requirements to your customers before they make their purchase.
If you plan on shipping within Australia only, options are abundant and easily obtained — but be sure to research your bulk business shipping opportunities. Shipping items internationally from Australia can be trickier, not to mention more expensive. Consider what’s required in terms of additional planning and time so you can meet your customers' expectations.
Instagram can be a marketer’s dream. Once you’re set up, consider these options:
While Instagram is becoming a major force in e-commerce, it has its drawbacks:
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