How to Set Up Instagram Checkout

Turning your Instagram feed into a direct sales channel is one of the most powerful moves an e-commerce brand can make. Instagram Checkout removes the friction of sending users to an external site, allowing them to purchase products they love without ever leaving the app. This guide will walk you through setting up Instagram Checkout from start to finish, covering everything from eligibility requirements to tagging your first shoppable post.

What Exactly is Instagram Checkout and Why Should You Use It?

In short, Instagram Checkout lets customers tap on a product tag in a post or Story, select options like size or color, and pay for the item right inside of Instagram. Their payment and shipping information can be saved for future purchases, creating an effortless, one-click experience that feels native to the platform.

But why is this a big deal? It all comes down to reducing friction. The traditional social media sales funnel looks something like this:

• User sees a product they like on your feed.
• They click the "link in bio."
• They search for the product on your website.
• They add it to their cart.
• They navigate a mobile checkout page, entering their shipping and payment info.

At every single step, you risk losing that customer. A slow-loading page, a forgotten password, or a clunky checkout form can end the sale. Instagram Checkout streamlines this entire process into a few taps, dramatically boosting conversion rates by capturing followers while their purchase intent is highest.

Are You Eligible? The Essential Checklist

Before you get started, it's worth making sure your business meets Instagram's requirements. This part is non-negotiable, so review this list carefully.

• Location: Your business must be located in the United States. For now, Instagram Checkout is only available to U.S.-based merchants.
• Account Type: You need an Instagram Business account or Creator account. Personal profiles cannot use this feature. Swapping over is easy - just go to Settings >, Account >, Switch to Professional Account.
• Connected Facebook Page: Your Instagram account must be connected to a Facebook Page. If you don't have one, you'll need to create one. You don’t need an active presence on the Facebook page, but the connection is required for backend management.
• Commerce Policy Compliance: You must sell physical goods that comply with Meta's Commerce Policies. This means a standard catalog of approved items - things like services, digital products, and some restricted categories aren't eligible.
• Established Presence: Your account needs to demonstrate trustworthiness, which typically means an authentic, established presence with a sufficient follower base. Instagram doesn't state a hard number, but new or empty accounts often struggle with approval.

Setting Up Your Commerce Manager: The Foundation

The entire backend of your Instagram Shop lives in Meta's Commerce Manager. This is where you’ll manage your product catalog, view sales, handle fulfillment, and get paid. If you haven't set this up yet, it's your first major step.

Step 1: Get to Commerce Manager

You can get started by navigating directly to Meta's Commerce Manager setup page. Click “Get Started” and select “Create a Commerce Account.”

Step 2: Choose Your Checkout Method

You’ll be asked how you want customers to check out. The options are:

• Checkout on your Website
• Checkout with Facebook or Instagram
• Checkout with Messaging

To use Instagram Checkout, you must select "Checkout on Facebook or Instagram." This is the key that unlocks the native in-app purchasing experience. It tells Meta you want them to process payments directly, rather than sending shoppers to your site.

Step 3: Connect Your Accounts

Next, you’ll connect your sales channels. Commerce Manager will prompt you to select the Facebook Business page associated with your brand. Once you’ve chosen your page, all connected Instagram Business accounts will automatically appear. Select the Instagram profile where you want to sell products.

Step 4: Input Your Business and Financial Information

This is the administrative part. You'll need to provide your business's legal name, official business address, business category, and state tax registration number for every state you operate in. After that, you must link a business bank account to receive payouts from your sales. Have your account and routing numbers ready to go.

Creating and Connecting Your Product Catalog

Your catalog is the digital inventory of every product you sell. Every item you want to tag on Instagram must exist in your catalog first. You have three main ways to build it.

Method 1: Connect a Partner E-commerce Platform (Recommended)

This is by far the easiest and most effective method for most brands. Commerce Manager integrates directly with major platforms like Shopify, BigCommerce, Adobe Commerce, and more.

Connecting your existing e-commerce store creates a seamless, automated sync. When you add a new product in Shopify, it appears in your Instagram catalog. When an item sells out, its stock is updated automatically. This prevents you from accidentally selling out-of-stock items and saves a ton of administrative time.

To set this up, choose "Sync from a partner platform" during the catalog creation process and follow the authentication steps for your provider.

Method 2: Use a Data Feed

If you have a custom website or use a platform without a direct integration, you can build a catalog with a data feed in the form of a specially formatted spreadsheet (e.g., a Google Sheet or a CSV file). You map your product data - like `Title`, `Description`, `Price`, and `Image_Link` - to Meta’s required columns. You can then set up a scheduled fetch so Commerce Manager automatically re-imports the spreadsheet periodically to keep your catalog updated.

Method 3: Manually Add Products

If you only have a handful of products, you can add them one by one directly in Commerce Manager. You’ll need to upload images and manually input all the product details like name, description, price, shipping information, and inventory levels. This method is fine for getting started, but it becomes difficult to manage as your business grows.

Submitting Your Account for Review

Once your Commerce Manager and catalog are set up, the next step is to activate Instagram Shopping and officially submit your account for review.

1. Open your Instagram profile and tap the menu in the top right corner.
2. Go to Settings and privacy >, Creator tools and controls (or Business tools and controls).
3. Tap Set up Instagram Shopping.
4. Follow the on-screen prompts. Instagram will verify your connected Facebook page and ask you to select the product catalog you want to use.
5. Finally, submit your account for review.

The review process can take anywhere from a few hours to several days. Instagram is checking to make sure your business and products comply with all of its policies. You’ll receive a notification in your "Professional dashboard" once your account is approved.

How to Tag Products and Drive Sales

Congratulations, your shop is live! Now it's time to put it to work. You can turn almost any piece of content into a shoppable moment.

Tagging Products in Feed Posts

For single-image, video, or carousel posts in your feed, the process is straightforward. When you’re creating a new post, after you’ve written your caption, you’ll see an option to “Tag Products.” Tap it, then tap on the photo where you want the tag to appear and search for the product from your catalog.

Pro-Tip: Use carousel posts to showcase multiple products or different angles of one hero product. You can tag up to five items per image/video in a post.

Making Stories Shoppable with Stickers

Stories are perfect for driving urgency and a "behind-the-scenes" feel. You can add a shoppable element using the "Product" sticker.

1. Create your Story as usual (image or video).
2. Tap the sticker icon at the top of the screen.
3. Select the "Product" sticker.
4. Choose the item from your catalog that you want to feature.
5. You can customize the sticker's text and color to match your story's aesthetic.

When viewers tap the sticker, they'll see the product page and can proceed to checkout right from your Story.

Tagging Products in Reels

Given the reach of Reels, this is one of your most powerful sales tools. After you’ve filmed and edited your Reel, you’ll find the “Tag Products” option on the final share screen along with the controls for your caption and cover photo. The process works just like a feed post - you can tag products and collections directly in the video.

Final Thoughts

Setting up Instagram Checkout is a process with several steps, but breaking it down - from eligibility checks to setting up Commerce Manager and creating your catalog - makes it much more manageable. By enabling purchases directly within the app, you create a seamless experience that meets your customers where they are and turns your content into a powerful engine for sales.

Of course, a powerful shop needs a consistent stream of great content to keep customers engaged. Since we were tired of tools that made scheduling complicated, we built Postbase from the ground up to make social media management simple. It offers a beautiful visual calendar that helps you plan and schedule all your content, including product-tagged Reels and Stories, ensuring you always have fresh looks hitting your feed. This lets you focus on creating amazing shoppable experiences while our platform handles the rest.