How Instagram is Becoming the Future of eCommerce

Instagram. That small image and video sharing app from Facebook. Because you cannot post long stories on Instagram, it is easy to dismiss it in favor of other platforms. But are you aware that Instagram is the future for business on social media? The platform can transform your eCommerce experience when you do the marketing right.

This post highlights some of the ways you can use Instagram to boost your eCommerce performance. But before that, let us learn some facts regarding this giant social network that many people do not understand how to use.

When we remove the messaging apps – WhatsApp, Messenger, and WeChat – Instagram is third in popularity and use. It only falls below Facebook and YouTube. This position alone makes you understand how powerful the platform is for social marketing. With 1 billion active users, you can be sure to reach your target audience with the right placements.

According to an October 2019 report, 90% of Instagram users follow business pages. By setting up your Instagram business page, you are most likely going to get followers interested in your business model. And these followers are actively checking out brand pages – 200 million of them each day.

Instagram Position in eCommerce Marketing

Having known how huge Instagram is in user base and activity, you may be wondering how it works for businesses. With 60% of customers confessing that they discover products on Instagram, you can already tell that it holds more than half of your potential buyers.

After the product discovery, you would want to know if people would want to buy your product. The good news is, “yes!” After discovering products on their Instagram feeds, 72% of customers go ahead and place an order. This report means that by setting up your eCommerce store with Instagram, you will see a growth in your eCommerce conversion.

In the recent Instagram developments, you can directly integrate your e-shop to the platform. Instead of customers visiting an external link to check out the product, they can make an order directly from their Instagram account. It works seamlessly for them. When you set up your Instagram store, your customers will have the experience of an eCommerce mobile app. The difference is that Instagram will show one product as listed, but your e-shop app will allow the customer to browse all the products you have. On Instagram, you could use a white label link building service that will definitely help with your marketing techniques and algorithm.

Using Instagram for the Best Conversions

We have mentioned that the social platform can help you grow your business. But do you know how you can improve the conversion of your eCommerce business with Instagram? You need to follow some tips to ensure that your brand stands and engages the maximum number of potential buyers. Here are some of the things to keep in mind.

1. Employ More Video Content

Instagram allows both image and video posts, with some content to describe your content. With these, you can reach as many people as possible. However, video content has proven to yield more engagement on Instagram. According to social media marketers, social engagement is vital in determining the conversion power of your product. With videos, you can get up to 38% more engagement and 2.1x more comments on your content.

Together with videos, you may want to use carousel posts. They also perform better than single-image posts. That is as far as likes go on Instagram. Although Instagram is working on hiding like-counts on posts, we have not established yet how such could affect eCommerce.

2. Work Out Your Post Time

It is very tempting to do everyday duties and get to social media late at night before retiring to bed. But the secret to Instagram’s success is to post at the right time. The posts on your Instagram account will gain more engagement when you have accurate timing.

While you can post any day of the week, Wednesday proves to be the most effective day, and Sunday the worst – according to the engagement count. The best performing time is Wednesday at 11 am, and Friday between 10 and 11 am. But how can you be accurate with timing without ruining your business schedule? You would need a social media management tool with a schedule so that you can assign your weekly posts.

3. Post Instagram Stories

While many people could dismiss the idea of stories for businesses, they work, and 50% of businesses post them at least once in a month. Another fascinating news is that more than 68% of Instagram Millenials watch stories every day. This score is far higher when you compare it with 44% on Facebook.

With the right story engagement, you can connect with your eCommerce customers and showcase your new products, achievements, or promotions. Although stories do not stay there forever, they are convenient for delivering a quick message to the right audience.

Connecting Your eCommerce Store to Your Instagram

I have already mentioned that by connecting your eCommerce store to Instagram, you can make more sales directly from the platform. But how do you achieve this? Follow these simple steps to ensure that your customers can buy from your Instagram account to increase your eCommerce performance.

1. Confirm if You Qualify

Before you can connect your catalog on Instagram, you need to have an Instagram business account, and you should first link it to your Facebook business page. Remember that your catalog can only sell physical products and located in the approved markets. As obvious, you should agree with the business terms and policies.

2. Add Products to Your Catalog

Whether you are using an existing catalog or an eCommerce platform, you can set up your business to allow shopping on Instagram. You can create a shop section on your Facebook page so that you can feature your products on Instagram. In case you have set up restrictions on your catalog on Facebook, the feature will not work on Instagram.

3. Turn on Shopping from Your Instagram App

After setting up your catalog, you need to enable the shopping experience on the app to allow your audience to make orders directly from their Instagram accounts. From the menu (three horizontal bars on your profile page), tap on settings.

Tap on “Business” and then “Shopping” to set up the shopping feature on your business account. Then tap “Continue” from the prompt, and “Done” to complete. In case you do not see the “Shopping” option on the menu, you might not have been approved yet for linking your catalog. You can wait a bit longer to see the status of your application.

Winding Up

Instagram, the giant engagement social network, can boost your eCommerce performance. Following the tips and steps above, your business can get maximum exposure and engagement that it needs for conversions. These features can improve how your online business shop works.