Instagram has paved the way for many businesses that are successfully running their ads and marketing campaigns on the platform. Thanks to its business tools, many e-commerce stores, such as those on Shopify, are able to promote their products and services to their target audience by Shopify Instagram integration. By using the Instagram product feed, these stores can easily showcase their products directly on their Instagram profiles, making it simple for customers to browse and shop seamlessly.
In 2023, Forbes recorded that 34% of Instagrammers use the platform for online shopping, creating a space for businesses to take their online presence to the next level.
If you’re a Shopify store owner who wishes to take their business on Instagram, you’ve reached the right place.
In this guide, ‘How to connect Shopify to Instagram?’, we shall explain the step-by-step process to link Shopify to Instagram, enabling Instagram Shopping, and setting up all the necessary tools and accounts to connect the two and start your Instagram marketing journey on the ‘gram.
Let’s dive right into it!
Table of Contents
Benefits Of Selling On Instagram With Shopify
Instagram came as a boon to the e-commerce landscape, offering businesses a powerful platform to sell on Instagram. Here’s why you should connect Shopify to Instagram –
Broader Reach
Instagram has a massive global user base, exposing businesses to millions of potential customers. This platform is viral among younger demographics, making it ideal for brands targeting this audience.
Better Visibility
Instagram offers features that can boost the visibility of your ads, Shop, and products on the platform. It’s easy to create different types of content through posts, reels, stories, etc. You can use templates and other creative elements to make your campaigns captivating.
Access To Instagram Shopping
Instagram Shopping is a feature that lets you access the business side of Instagram. Once you create a professional account (also called a business account) on Instagram, you gain access to ecommerce marketing tools and analytics that can help improve marketing campaigns and build strategies.
Access To Meta Technologies
Integration with Meta helps take your marketing campaigns to the next level. It offers various advanced marketing tools that help build online Shops, run ad campaigns, create a target audience, retarget those ads, create a product catalog, and more.
Prerequisites For Linking Shopify To Instagram
Before we dive into the process, it’s important to set up certain accounts and follow policies before link Shopify to Instagram and understand them. Let’s explore these prerequisites –
- A Shopify Store: You must have an existing Shopify store or create new Shopify store before you start.
- Instagram Professional Account: It’s important to convert your regular account into a professional account. A professional account on Instagram provides access to features that help with your instagram marketing efforts and insights into your business.
| ❗Note: Normal Instagram accounts won’t be able to help you run a business account and use analytics tool. To gain access to Instagram Shopping, you have to switch to a professional account. |
- Facebook & Instagram Sales Channel: This is a sales channel on Shopify that acts as a bridge between Meta technologies and Shopify. It helps set up ads, marketing campaigns, etc., on Facebook and Instagram.
It is the key to connect your Shopify store to Instagram. - Facebook Account: A Facebook account that you use for your business and offers access to Commerce Manager, Meta Business Suite, Facebook Shop, etc.
As a good practice, ensure that the email ID you use for your Facebook account is also being used for Instagram. Using the same email ID removes the hassle of errors and separate account integration. - Facebook Page: Your Facebook Page is where potential customers can view your business. This is also where you will connect your Instagram account.
Facebook’s Commerce Policies
Following Facebook’s Commerce Policies ensures that your products are not disapproved and that you do not get entangled in legal complications.
These policies state the following –
- Commerce listings must not violate Meta’s Community Standards.
- You cannot sell the following – adult products, alcohol, body parts & fluids, weapons, tobacco, drugs, used cosmetics, vehicle parts, medical products, ingestible supplements, and streaming digital content in an unauthorized manner or interfering with the functionality of electronic devices.
- Discrimination in any form, including race, gender, age, religion, disability, etc., is an offense.
- You cannot sell stolen goods, documents, currency, financial instruments, etc.
- Gambling is not allowed. Services that violate an individual’s modesty and involve exploitation are strictly prohibited.
- Do not promote violent or hateful products.
- Do not promote jobs that can be marked fraudulent, misleading, or have an unclear business model.
- You must reside or sell in an eligible country.
Connect Shopify To Instagram
Let’s dive into the process of connecting the Shopify store with Instagram:
Setting Up Your Instagram Professional Account
An Instagram professional account is your business account. It lets you access Instagram Shopping and provides tools for gaining insights into customers’ behaviors and managing marketing campaigns.
To switch to a professional account, visit your Profile > ‘Edit profile’ button. Scroll down and locate ‘Switch to professional account.’
Tap on ‘Switch to professional account’ and complete the setup.
Now that your Instagram account is set, let’s move to Facebook Page, where we will be able to link to the Shopify store.
Link Instagram To Facebook Page
Now that you’ve created a professional Instagram account for your business, let’s connect it to your Facebook Page:
- Go to your Facebook Page. In the top-right corner, click the drop-down and select Settings > Instagram.
- Click ‘Connect Account’ and follow the steps to finish the connection setup.
| ❗Note: If you do not find the option to connect Instagram on the Facebook Page, you can jump to installing the Facebook and Instagram sales channel, which can help integrate your Shopify store with Instagram. |
Adding Catalogue From Shopify To Facebook
- On Meta Business Suite, go to All Tools > Sell products and services > Commerce. This will open the Commerce Manager.
- On the left side of Commerce Manager, click the dropdown menu and select the business account you wish to connect with Shopify.
- Scroll down to the Catalogues section. Click ‘+ Add Catalogue.’ You’ll reach this page:
- Next, select the type of catalogue—choose E-commerce > Online products [select ‘Local products’ only if the option applies to your business]. Click Next.
- Select ‘Connect E-commerce Platform’ as shown in the picture above. Under the partner platform, select ‘Shopify.’ Then, click ‘Go To Shopify.’
- You’ll be redirected to your Shopify store. You’ll be either asked to log in or to install ‘Facebook & Instagram.’ You’ll be taken to the Shopify app store when you click it.
The following section will focus on installing the Facebook & Instagram sales channel.
Connect Instagram With Facebook And Instagram Sales Channel
The Facebook & Instagram Sales Channel will create a path between Shopify and Instagram and help integrate the two platforms. It also helps link Shopify to all Meta-related technologies. Let’s see how you can install it:
- There are two ways to access the installation page: you can click the ‘Install Facebook & Instagram’ button after clicking ‘Go To Shopify,’ or you can install it yourself.
To install it yourself, go to the Shopify app store or your Shopify admin and enter ‘Facebook & Instagram’ in the search bar.
- Then, select the option that says ‘Facebook & Instagram.’
- Once you reach the app page, click ‘Install.’
- Once done, click ‘Start setup.’
- Select a payment method and ensure that you’ve set the following information that’s displayed in the image –
- Next, connect your Facebook account that is associated with your business.
- Select a business asset that will be used to connect the Shopify store. Ensure your chosen asset is not already linked to a Shopify store.
- In the ‘Manage Facebook & Instagram data sharing preference,’ select your preference: Conservative, Enhanced, or Maximum. Different levels of data sharing decide how much customer data you wish to accumulate.
Conservative: Minimum data accumulated
Enhanced: More than Conservative
Maximum: Gathers all of the customer data - Select the Facebook Pixel that will track customer data. Adding Facebook Pixel helps collect customer data [called events] that provides insights into customer activities on your online store or Facebook ads.
| ❗Note: If you see ‘Something went wrong,’ restart the setup process from adding your Facebook account to selecting your Business assets. Check if a catalog exists, or if the assets come under the particular account you use for your business. Finally, accept the terms of service and again submit it for review. |
Method 2: Adding Product Catalogue Using ‘Upload Product Info’
Another way to add your product catalogue is to upload product info. Instead of clicking ‘Connect a partner platform,’ choose the other option.
Click ‘Create.’ Your catalogue will be created. Then, click ‘View Catalogue’ on the ‘Finish’ setup page. Choose between Manual, Data Feed, Partner Platform or Pixel.
Manual – This is suitable for small inventories. You have to fill out a form manually and add items.
Data Feed – Upload a data feed file (spreadsheets like Excel/Google Sheets) or a data feed URL.
Partner Platform – Connect with your partner platforms, such as Shopify or BigCommerce.
Pixel – Add items by using Meta Pixel.
- Accept the terms and conditions and submit for review.
Now that you’ve connected Facebook & Instagram, your sales channel will be under review. Once that’s done, you can easily link the Shopify store with Instagram.
Set Up Facebook Shop
After the review process, your sales channel(s) will be set. Your ‘Shop Info’ will still be under review; meanwhile, you can focus on the Facebook Shop.
Now, you may wonder, “Why do I need a Facebook Shop?” Here’s why:
1. You need to connect your Instagram professional account to Facebook Shop.
2. Unified product catalog that you can access on Facebook and Instagram.
3. Facebook and Instagram have specific commerce policies that must be adhered to. Connecting your Instagram professional account to a Facebook Shop ensures that your business and products are reviewed and approved according to these policies
To set up a Facebook Shop, follow these steps –
- On Shopify Admin, you can click ‘Customize Shop.’
Another way is to go to Commerce Manager > Create Shop > Third-party integration: Shopify. Next, follow the steps to set up your shop.
- Add and create your product listings on the Facebook Shop.
The best part is that you can also set up Instagram shop while you create a Facebook shop. Simply go to the top dropdown and select Instagram.
This is a sign that your Shopify store is successfully connected! With Facebook Shop, you can easily set up your Instagram Shop and customize it to your liking.
Setting up Instagram Shop with Shopify can help you tag products on posts and reels, create shoppable posts, run different types of ad campaigns, and track customer performance.
To track the performance and behavior, utilize analytics, which tells you how well your online business is doing on Instagram. This analytics tool gives you an in-depth look at customer behavior, the time they are online, and traffic and helps build strategy around the data.
Next, let’s see how you can create strategies to improve your sales on the platform.
Monitoring & Optimizing Your Sales On Instagram
To optimize your sales on Instagram, ensure you have a strategy. Here are some strategies that we’ve discussed that will help boost sales on your Instagram Shop or online store –
Identify Top-Performing Products
- What to Look For: Use sales reports in Shopify to identify best-selling products.
- Action: Promote these products more on Instagram, feature them in ads, and consider expanding your inventory.
Optimize Content Strategy
- What to Look For: Use Instagram Insights to see which types of posts and stories generate the most engagement.
- Action: Create more content in the style of your top-performing posts and experiment with similar formats or themes.
Target the Right Audience
- What to Look For: Analyze audience demographics in Instagram Insights and customer segmentation in Shopify.
- Action: Tailor your content and ads to resonate with your most engaged demographic groups and explore targeting new segments similar to your best customers.
Refine Ad Campaigns
- What to Look For: Track ad performance metrics such as click-through rates, conversions, and ROI in Shopify and Instagram.
- Action: Adjust your ad targeting, creative, and budget allocation based on which campaigns deliver the best results.
Improve Customer Experience
- What to Look For: Monitor customer feedback, reviews, and behavior through Shopify reports and Instagram comments.
- Action: Address common issues, improve product descriptions, and enhance customer service to increase satisfaction and repeat purchases.
Conclusion
To summarize, linking your Shopify store to Instagram can help you kickstart your selling journey on Instagram. By sell on Instagram, you can take your online business to more audiences, broaden the reach of your Shopify store, and increase your sales potential.
Connecting Shopify to Instagram will help you reap several benefits. You can now easily tag products, create collections, run ad campaigns, make attractive content, and leverage Instagram marketing to reach a broader audience, engage with customers, and drive sales through targeted strategies.
With reels and posts, create eye-catching content that can easily capture the potential customer’s attention. Now, dive into the realm of Instagram Shopping and unlock its potential to take your business to new heights!
FAQs
How can you add Instagram to Shopify for free?
Connecting Instagram to Shopify is relatively easy and free. Go to your Facebook Page. On the top-right dropdown, click Settings > Instagram. Then, click ‘Connect Instagram,’ and your account will be connected.
However, keep in mind if you wish to access Meta technologies for your marketing campaigns, you need to install the Facebook & Instagram sales channel app, which has in-app purchases.
How do I link products to Instagram?
There are several easy ways to link products to Instagram. One way is using data feed URLs. These URLs carry all of your product information, and when you add them, your product data gets integrated into Facebook. The second way is to download the feed file and upload it manually to Facebook. The third way involves connecting your e-commerce platform. Lastly, if you have created Facebook Pixels, use pixels to add items.
What are the requirements for connecting my Shopify store to Instagram?
To connect your Shopify store to Instagram, you must have a business profile on Instagram, a Facebook page linked to that Instagram account, and a Shopify account with an eligible physical product. Your business must also comply with Instagram’s merchant agreement and commerce policies.
How do I convert my Instagram account to a business profile?
To convert your Instagram account to a business profile, go to your Instagram profile settings, select ‘Account,’ and then ‘Switch to Professional Account.’ Choose ‘Business’ and follow the prompts to complete the setup, which includes connecting to a Facebook page.
What steps should I follow to enable product tagging on Instagram?
After connecting your Shopify store to Instagram, you must submit your account for review using Instagram’s Shopping settings. This usually takes a few days. Once approved, activate the Shopping feature in your Instagram settings to start tagging products in your posts and stories.
