How to Add a Shop Button on Instagram

Turning your Instagram profile into a storefront is one of the most powerful moves you can make for your business online. It simplifies the customer journey, allowing your followers to go from inspiration to purchase in just a few taps. This guide will walk you through everything you need to know to get the View Shop button on your Instagram profile and start tagging products in your posts, Stories, and Reels.

First Things First: What Exactly is Instagram Shopping?

Before jumping into the setup, let's get clear on what you're enabling. Instagram Shopping is a suite of features that allows e-commerce businesses to create an immersive, native shopping experience directly on Instagram. When set up correctly, it adds a "View Shop" button to your profile and enables you to tag your products in your content.

When someone taps a product tag on your post or a sticker in your Story, they aren't immediately sent off-platform to your website. Instead, they're taken to a Product Detail Page (PDP) right within Instagram. This page pulls in information from your product catalog, including:

• Product name and price
• Images and videos
• A detailed description
• A direct link to purchase the item on your website

This seamless process is a game-changer because it reduces friction. You're not just showing someone a cool product in your post - you’re giving them a direct, simple path to buy it the instant they feel inspired. This is how you capture impulse buys and convert casual browsers into loyal customers.

The Eligibility Checklist: Can You Set Up an Instagram Shop?

Meta has specific requirements for businesses wanting to use their commerce features. Instead of wasting time trying to set it up only to be rejected, run through this checklist first. You must meet all of these criteria.

1. Are You in a Supported Country?

Instagram Shopping is available in many countries, but not all. The first step is to confirm your business operates in a supported market. You can find the most current list of supported markets here on Meta’s website.

2. Do You Sell Eligible Physical Goods?

Instagram Shopping is primarily designed for businesses selling physical products. Services, digital products (like e-books or software), and subscriptions are generally not eligible. Your products must also comply with Meta's Commerce Policies, which prohibit a wide range of items, including weapons, animals, and adult products. Read these policies carefully.

3. Is Your Instagram Account a Business or Creator Account?

Shopping features are not available for personal profiles. You must convert your Instagram account to a Professional Account (either "Business" or "Creator"). A Business account is generally the best fit for e-commerce brands.

If you have a personal account, it's a simple fix:

1. Go to your Instagram profile and tap the three lines in the top-right corner.
2. Go to Settings and privacy >,, Account type and tools.
3. Tap Switch to professional account and follow the on-screen prompts. Choose the "Business" category that best represents what you do.

4. Do You Have a Connected Facebook Business Page?

This is non-negotiable. Your Instagram Business Account must be connected to a Facebook Business Page. Behind the scenes, Instagram Shopping is powered by Meta’s broader commerce infrastructure, which is managed through Facebook. If you don't have a Facebook Page for your business, you'll need to create one.

5. Do You Own Your Website Domain?

To use Instagram Shopping, you need to be selling products from your own e-commerce website. You cannot tag products that lead to marketplaces like Etsy or Amazon. The website domain where you sell these items needs to be connected to and verified by your business.

Step-by-Step Guide: How to Add a Shop Button on Instagram

If you've checked off all the items on the eligibility list, you're ready to begin the setup process. This process has four main parts: connecting your product catalog, linking it to Instagram, getting your account reviewed, and then turning on the features.

Step 1: Create a Product Catalog with Commerce Manager or a Platform Partner

Your Instagram Shop is powered by a product catalog. This is a file that contains all the details about your products: names, images, prices, descriptions, website links, etc. There are two primary ways to create and manage this catalog:

Option A: E-commerce Platform Integration (Recommended)

This is the easiest and most sustainable method. If you use a major e-commerce platform like Shopify, BigCommerce, WooCommerce, or Squarespace, they have built-in integrations that automatically create and sync your product catalog with Meta Commerce Manager. When you add a new product or update a price on your website, it syncs directly to your Instagram Shop without any extra work.

For example, in Shopify, you’d simply add the “Facebook &, Instagram” sales channel in your App Store. From there, it will guide you through connecting your assets and syncing your entire product collection.

Option B: Manual Setup with Meta Commerce Manager

If you don’t use a supported platform partner, you can create and manage your catalog manually within Meta Commerce Manager. You'll need to upload a data feed (like a spreadsheet) with all your product information. This method requires more technical knowledge and manual upkeep, as you'll have to re-upload the file every time your inventory or product line changes.

For most small businesses, the integration with a platform like Shopify is dramatically easier.

Step 2: Connect Your Catalog to Your Instagram Account

Once your catalog is set up in Commerce Manager, whether through an integration or manually, it’s time to connect it to Instagram to get everything ready for review. This typically happens as part of the initial commerce setup, but you can manage it manually as well.

1. Go to Commerce Manager.
2. Open the Shops section from the left-hand menu.
3. Click Go to Shops and select your business.
4. From there, you’ll link your Instagram business profile and connect it to the product catalog you just created.

Step 3: Submit Your Account for Review

With a catalog connected, you can now request that Instagram enable Shopping features for your account. This is a final review to ensure your business and products meet their policies.

1. On your Instagram profile, go to Settings and privacy.
2. Tap Business tools and controls.
3. Find and select Set up Instagram Shopping. (If you don't see this option, your account likely hasn't been recognized as eligible yet, which may just take time).
4. Follow the steps. You'll confirm your website domain and submit your account for review.

The review process can take anywhere from a few hours to a couple of weeks, though most are completed within a few days. You'll receive a notification in the app once your account has been approved.

Step 4: Turn On Shopping Features!

Congratulations! Once you receive the approval notification, you're on the home stretch. Now you just need to turn everything on.

1. Go back to Settings and privacy >,, Business tools and controls (or similar depending on your account setup) >,, Shopping.
2. Select the product catalog you want to connect to your profile. This should be the catalog you created in Step 1.
3. Tap Done.

And that's it! Once you complete this step, the "View Shop" button will appear on your Instagram profile, and you'll be able to start using product tags across the app.

Using Your New Shopping Superpowers: Best Practices

Getting the Shop button is just the beginning. Your real mission is to integrate shoppable moments naturally into the content your audience already loves.

Tag Products in Your Feed Posts

You can now tag products directly in your images, videos, and carousel posts. When composing a post, you’ll see an option to “Tag products." Simply tap on the product in the photo and search your catalog to find the corresponding item.

Pro-Tip: Don't just post sterile product shots. Showcase your products in a lifestyle context - how they're used, how they look, how they make you feel. Then tag them. This transforms inspiration into a shopping opportunity.

Use the Product Sticker in Stories

Stories are a prime location for driving sales. The "Product" sticker is incredibly effective. Simply select it from the sticker tray, choose a product from your catalog, and place it anywhere in your Story. Viewers can tap the sticker to see the PDP without leaving your Story. Use behind-the-scenes videos, unboxings, or "product of the day" features to drive sales.

Make Your Reels Shoppable

As Reels continue to dominate feeds, making them shoppable is a must. You can tag products in Reels just like you do in feed posts. Create short tutorials, styling tips, or satisfying product demonstrations, and attach the relevant product tags. Reels reach a much broader audience than your followers, making this a powerful tool for customer acquisition.

Build Curated Collections

Don't just leave your products in a disorganized grid. In Commerce Manager, you can create "Collections," which are themed groups of products. Think "New Arrivals," "Best Sellers," "Gift Ideas," or "Summer Wardrobe." Collections make your Shop tab much more user-friendly and encourage browsing.

Final Thoughts

Setting up an Instagram Shop transforms your profile from a highlight reel into a direct sales channel. By meeting the eligibility requirements, connecting a product catalog, and enabling the feature in your settings, you can make it incredibly easy for followers to buy what they see in your content.

Once your Shop is live, keeping your feed full of fresh, shoppable content is the next step. Managing all that content - planning product launch posts, scheduling shoppable Reels, and engaging with customer comments - can be a lot to juggle. That's where we built Postbase to make a huge difference. By giving you a simple visual calendar to plan your content and a reliable scheduler built for a video-first world, we help you save time and keep your new shop consistently in front of your audience, without the stress.