How to Add View Shop on Instagram

Turning your Instagram profile into a real storefront starts with one powerful call-to-action: the View Shop button. This small but mighty button acts as a direct link to your products, closing the gap between discovery and purchase. This article will guide you through the entire process of getting set up with Instagram Shopping, from meeting the initial requirements to creating a product catalog and finally making that button appear on your profile.

What is the "View Shop" Button on Instagram?

The "View Shop" button is a call-to-action that appears on your Instagram profile page, just below your bio. When a user taps it, they’re taken directly to your Instagram Shop - a native, front-and-center storefront showcasing all your products. It’s separate from your regular feed and acts as your brand’s dedicated digital retail space right inside the app.

But it's more than just a button. Tapping into Instagram Shopping unlocks a suite of features designed to make selling on the platform seamless:

• Product Tags: Tag your products directly in feed posts, Reels, and Stories. Users can tap a tag to see the product name and price, and then tap again to view a detailed product page.
• Product Detail Pages (PDPs): Each product in your catalog gets its own page on Instagram. It includes product images, a description, pricing, and a link to purchase the item on your website.
• Shop Tab in Explore: Your shoppable content can appear in the dedicated Shop tab in Instagram's Explore page, exposing your products to a massive audience of active shoppers.
• Collections: You can organize your products into themed collections, like "New Arrivals," "Summer Essentials," or "Best Sellers," making it easier for customers to browse and find what they’re looking for.

Essentially, adding the "View Shop" button isn't just about linking to products, it's about fundamentally transforming your Instagram presence from a purely content-based profile into an interactive, revenue-driving channel.

Before You Begin: The Instagram Shopping Eligibility Checklist

Before jumping into the setup process, it's important to make sure you have all your ducks in a row. Instagram has specific requirements to maintain a trusted shopping environment. Going through this checklist first will save you a lot of time and frustration down the line.

1. Have an Instagram Business or Creator Account

Instagram Shopping features are not available for personal profiles. You need a professional account to access commerce tools. If you haven't switched yet, it only takes a minute.

• Business Account: Best for retailers, brands, service providers, and organizations. Gives you access to analytics, promotions, and contact information on your profile.
• Creator Account: Designed for public figures, artists, and influencers. It offers more flexible profile controls and slightly different growth tools.

Both account types are eligible for Instagram Shopping. To switch, go to your Settings and privacy >, Account type and tools >, Switch to professional account and follow the prompts.

2. Sell Eligible Physical Goods

Instagram's Commerce Policies state that your shop must primarily sell physical products. Services, digital products like courses or ebooks, and certain restricted categories are generally not permitted. Be sure you are selling items that comply with Meta's Commerce Policies and Terms of Use.

3. Have Your Own E-commerce Website

This is a common point of confusion. Instagram Shopping is a storefront, not an entire e-commerce platform. It drives traffic to where the final sale happens, which is your own website. You need an established website on a domain you own where customers can complete their purchases.

4. Be Located in a Supported Market

Instagram Shopping isn't available everywhere just yet. Make sure your business operates in a country that is on the list of supported markets. The list is extensive, but it's always good to double-check.

5. Connect to a Facebook Page

Since Instagram is part of the Meta family, its business tools are all interconnected. You must have a Facebook Business Page connected to your Instagram professional account. You don't necessarily have to be active on the Facebook page, but it must exist to serve as the backend connection for tools like Commerce Manager.

Step-by-Step Guide to Adding Your Shop to Instagram

Once you’ve ticked off all the items on the checklist, you’re ready to start the setup process. This is done through a Meta tool called Commerce Manager, which is the central hub for all your selling activities across Instagram and Facebook.

Step 1: Set Up Your Shop in Commerce Manager

Commerce Manager is where you'll create your shop, add your products, and manage your inventory.

1. Navigate to the Meta Commerce Manager and click "Get Started."
2. You’ll be asked to choose where you want customers to check out. The most common option is "On your website." This means when a customer decides to buy, they will be sent to the product page on your site to complete the purchase.
3. Select the Instagram business account you want to add a shop to (and its connected Facebook Page). Provide a business email address and proceed.

Step 2: Create and Populate Your Product Catalog

Your catalog is the foundation of your shop. It's a structured file containing all the information about your products: names, images, descriptions, prices, stock levels, and website links. You have three main ways to get products into your catalog.

Method A: Manual Addition

Best for: Brands with a small handful of products that don't change often.

In Commerce Manager, you can add products one by one. You'll upload an image, write the title and description, set the price, add the link to the product on your website, and fill in other required details. While simple, it becomes very slow and difficult to manage if you have more than ten or twenty items.

Method B: Use a Data Feed (Spreadsheet)

Best for: Brands with dozens or hundreds of products who can manage a spreadsheet.

You can create a structured data feed using a spreadsheet template (Google Sheets or CSV). You fill out columns for product ID, title, description, price, availability, image URL, and link. You can then schedule regular uploads from this file to keep your catalog updated automatically. It works well but requires some initial technical setup to get the spreadsheet columns just right.

Method C: Integrate with an E-commerce Platform (THE BEST OPTION)

Best for: Almost everyone.

If you use an e-commerce platform like Shopify, BigCommerce, WooCommerce, or Squarespace, this is by far the easiest and most reliable method. These platforms have direct integrations (often called "sales channels") with Meta Commerce Manager.

The process is incredibly straightforward. For example, with Shopify, you just add the "Facebook & Instagram" sales channel inside your Shopify admin, connect your Meta account, and it will automatically sync your *entire* product library to your Commerce Manager catalog. When you update pricing, change an image, or run out of stock in Shopify, it automatically updates on Instagram as well. This keeps everything in sync and prevents the dreaded scenario of promoting a sold-out item.

Step 3: Submit Your Account for Review

Once your catalog is connected and shows your products, you're ready to submit everything for review. This final check is done to confirm that your business, products, and website all comply with Meta’s policies.

1. Head back to the Instagram app.
2. Go to your profile and tap Settings and privacy >, Business/Creator tools and controls.
3. Look for the option to "Set up Instagram Shopping." If you have already worked through Commerce Manager, this step will be quick. You’ll just need to confirm your catalog and settings.
4. Follow the prompts to submit your shop for review.

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

Step 4: Enable the "View Shop" Button and Start Tagging!

Congratulations! Once you're approved, you just need to flip the final switch.

1. In the Instagram app, go back to Settings and privacy >, Business/Creator >, Shopping.
2. Select the product catalog you want to connect to your profile.
3. Tap "Done." And just like that, the "View Shop" button will now appear on your Instagram profile.

Now the fun begins! You can now start using product tags in your content. When creating a new post, Reel, or Story, you'll see an option to "Tag Products." Just tap it and select the product(s) from your catalog to feature in that piece of content.

Now That You Have a Shop, Here's How to Make it Successful

Simply having the "View Shop" button isn't enough, you need to actively integrate it into your content strategy. Here are a few ways to start strong.

Lean into Shoppable Content

Don't just post product glamour shots. Create content that shows your products in real-world scenarios. This is where Reels and video thrive. For example:

• A clothing brand can create a Reel showing 5 ways to style one shirt, tagging the product.
• A kitchen goods company can create a quick recipe video using one of their pans, tagging the item in the clip.
• A skincare brand can show a soothing evening routine, tagging each product as it’s used.

Build and Promote Collections

In Commerce Manager, you can group your products into curated "Collections." This is a fantastic way to guide the shopping experience. Organize collections by season ("Holiday Gift Guide"), by product type ("Best-Selling Skincare"), or by a specific theme ("Work From Home Essentials"). You can feature your collections prominently in your Shop.

Announce Your Shop to Your Followers

Make a big deal about it! This is great news for your community. Plan a small launch campaign for your Instagram Shop. Use a mix of feed posts, Stories, and Reels to announce that they can now shop directly from your profile. Explain how to use product tags and direct them to the shiny new "View Shop" button on your bio.

Final Thoughts

Getting the "View Shop" button on your Profile is a game-changer that transforms your page from a simple content feed into a powerful tool for social commerce. It involves setting up your accounts correctly, connecting a product catalog through Commerce Manager, passing the official review, and you're well on your way to driving sales directly from the content you're already creating.

Once that shop is live, focusing on consistent, high-quality content is what will truly drive traffic and sales. Creating shoppable Reels, Stories, and posts day in and day out is a huge part of a successful Instagram strategy. With Postbase, we built a tool to take the headache out of scheduling that content. We designed a visual calendar and a streamlined publishing workflow because we understand modern social media is about more than just photos - it's about video. Our platform helps you plan and schedule your shoppable content across all platforms without the friction, so you can spend your time building a brand people are excited to shop from.