How to Access Instagram Shop

Turning your Instagram feed into a shoppable storefront is one of the most powerful moves you can make for your brand, connecting the content people love directly to the products they can buy. This guide breaks down everything you need to know about Instagram Shop, whether you're a shopper ready to browse or a business eager to get your digital doors open for the first time.

A Shopper's Guide: Finding and Browsing Instagram Shops

For shoppers, Instagram Shop is designed to make the journey from inspiration to purchase as seamless as possible. Instead of seeing a cool product in a post and then having to leave the app to search for it on Google, you can now discover, browse, and sometimes even buy it without ever leaving your feed. It turns visual discovery into a direct shopping experience.

How to Find Shoppable Products on Instagram

Instagram makes it easy to stumble upon products in a few different places throughout the app. Once you start noticing the signs, you'll see them everywhere.

• On a Brand’s Profile: The most direct way is to visit a brand's Instagram profile. If they have a shop set up, you'll see a prominent "View Shop" button right below their bio. Tapping this takes you to their complete product catalog, organized just like a mini-website within their profile.
• In Feed Posts: While scrolling your feed, look for a small shopping bag icon in the bottom-left corner of an image or video. Tapping the post will reveal product tags with the item's name and price. Tap the tag again, and you'll be taken to a Product Detail Page with more info, images, and a button to view it on the website or checkout.
• In Instagram Stories: Brands and creators can use special "Product Stickers" in their Stories. If you see a sticker with a product name on it, you can tap it to see the product details and shop directly from there. It's a quick and casual way to share shoppable moments.
• In Instagram Reels: Similar to feed posts, you might see Reels with tagged products. A "View products" banner will appear at the bottom of the video. Tapping it will show you a list of the featured products, which you can then browse and purchase. This is huge for brands demonstrating a product in action.
• From Creator and Influencer Accounts: It's not just brands that can tag products. When an influencer partners with a brand, they can tag the brand’s products in their own content. This allows you to shop a look or a recommendation directly from a tastemaker you trust.

What to Expect When You Check Out

When you've found something you want to buy, the checkout process can go one of two ways. Some businesses in eligible regions have "Checkout on Instagram" enabled. This allows you to complete the entire purchase - entering payment and shipping information - without leaving the app. For others, tapping the "View on Website" button will redirect you to the brand’s own e-commerce site to finish the transaction. Both methods are secure and streamlined, just with a slightly different final step.

A Business Owner's Guide: Setting Up Your Instagram Shop

Ready to start selling? Setting up an Instagram Shop integrates your product catalog directly with your profile, allowing you to turn your followers into customers. It's a game-changer for e-commerce brands, big and small. While it involves a few moving pieces, the process is straightforward if you follow the steps.

Step 1: Check Your Eligibility

Before you get started, make sure your business ticks all the right boxes. It'll save you a lot of time down the road. Here's a quick checklist of the necessary requirements:

• Location: Your business needs to be located in a market where Instagram Shopping is supported. The list is long, but it's worth double-checking.
• Product Type: You must primarily sell physical goods. Some services are being tested, but as a general rule, Instagram Commerce is built for physical products.
• Commerce Policies: Your business must comply with Meta’s Commerce Policies. This covers things like prohibited content and community standards.
• Account Type: Your Instagram account needs to be set to a Business or Creator account. You can easily switch this in your account settings if you're currently using a personal profile.
• Connected Facebook Page: Your Instagram Business account must be connected to a Facebook Page. You can’t set up a Shop without this link.

Step 2: Connect a Product Catalog

Your product catalog is the foundation of your shop, it's the digital file that contains all your product information, like names, images, prices, descriptions, and inventory levels. You have two main ways to create and manage this catalog.

Option 1: Create a Catalog Manually with Commerce Manager

If you don't use an official e-commerce partner like Shopify or BigCommerce, you can set everything up through Meta’s Commerce Manager. This is the central hub for all your selling activities on Facebook and Instagram.

1. Go to the Commerce Manager and create a new catalog.
2. Choose how you want to add your items. You can add them one by one (manual upload) or use a data feed (like a spreadsheet) to upload them in bulk.
3. For each item, you’ll need to provide details like a title, at least one image, a description, and a price.

This method works well for businesses with a small, manageable number of products that don’t change very often.

Option 2: Sync with an E-commerce Platform (Recommended)

This is the most popular and efficient method. If you already have an online store on a platform like Shopify, BigCommerce, WooCommerce, or others, you can directly integrate it with Instagram. This syncs automatically and keeps your catalog updated in real time. When something sells out on your website, it’s marked as "sold out" on Instagram, too.

To do this, you’ll typically log into your e-commerce platform's dashboard, find the Facebook or Instagram sales channel integration, and follow the simple on-screen instructions to connect your account and sync your products.

Step 3: Submit Your Account for Review

Once your catalog is set up and linked, it's time to enroll your Instagram account in Instagram Shopping. The approval process ensures your business meets the platform's guidelines.

1. Open your Instagram app and go to your profile.
2. Tap the menu button in the top right, then navigate to Settings and Privacy.
3. Tap on Business tools and controls (or Creator tools and controls).
4. Select Set up Instagram Shopping.
5. Follow the prompts. Instagram will ask you to confirm your Facebook page, select your product catalog, and specify the website domain you’ll be selling from.
6. Once you’ve confirmed everything, submit your account for review.

The review process typically takes a few days, but it can sometimes take longer. You'll receive a notification in your app once your account has been approved.

Step 4: Turn On Shopping and Start Tagging!

Congratulations! Once you've been approved, the real fun begins. Now you can activate all the shoppable features across your account.

First, head back to your Settings and Privacy page, then navigate to Business >, Shopping. Here, you’ll be able to select the catalog you want to use for your profile. This will add the "View Shop" button to your profile page, creating your official storefront.

Now, you can start tagging products everywhere:

• In a new feed post: When you’re creating a new post, you’ll now see an option to "Tag Products." Tap it, tap on the product in your photo, search for it in your catalog, and you're good to go.
• In a new Story: From the sticker tray in Stories, select the "Product" sticker, search for the item in your catalog, and place it wherever you like.
• In a new Reel: When sharing a Reel, look for the "Tag Products" option to link items from your catalog.

Pro Tips for a Successful Instagram Shop

Just having a shop isn’t enough, you need to make it an inviting and engaging experience for your audience.

Build Compelling Product Collections

In Commerce Manager, you can group your products into themed collections, like "New Arrivals," "Gift Ideas for Her," or "Summer Styles." These collections make your shop easier to navigate and feel more curated, helping customers find what they're looking for without getting overwhelmed.

Showcase Products in Lifestyle Contexts

Don’t just post plain product shots on a white background. Show your products in action. If you sell home goods, style them in a beautiful room. If you sell apparel, create Reels that show different ways to wear an outfit. Context helps people imagine how your products will fit into their lives.

Promote Your Shop Consistently

Promote Your Shop Consistently. Make shoppable content a regular part of your content strategy, not just a one-off effort. Tag products in a mix of feed posts, Reels, and Stories. Remind your followers in captions that they can "tap the link in our bio to shop the full collection" or "tap the shopping bag icon to shop this look."

Final Thoughts

Instagram Shop is a powerful feature that closes the gap between discovery and purchase, making it an indispensable tool for e-commerce brands. Whether you're browsing your favorite creator's recommendations or setting up your own digital storefront, the platform offers a direct path from inspiration to checkout.

Getting your shop set up is the first step, but driving consistent traffic is what builds a profitable business. This is where planning your content becomes so important. At Postbase, we built our visual calendar to help creators and brands map out their content strategy. Seeing all your planned Reels, Stories, and posts in one place helps you schedule promos, plan campaigns, and consistently tag your products without the chaos of managing it all on the fly.