How to Set Up Instagram Shopping with Shopify

Turning your Instagram feed into a clickable, shoppable storefront is one of the most powerful moves you can make as a Shopify merchant. This guide breaks down exactly how to connect Shopify to Instagram Shopping, step-by-step, transforming your content from simple brand awareness into a direct revenue driver with a complete walkthrough of the setup process, a checklist to make sure you're eligible, and best practices for creating content that actually converts followers into customers.

First Things First: Are You Eligible for Instagram Shopping?

Meta has a few boxes you need to tick before they'll let you turn on shopping features. Getting this sorted out first will save you a lot of headaches later. Think of this as your pre-flight checklist.

• Your business must be in a supported country. Most major markets are supported, but you can check Meta's official list to be certain.
• You must sell physical goods. Instagram Shopping is designed for tangible products. Currently, services and digital products are not supported for product tagging.
• You need an Instagram Business or Creator account. If you're still running a personal account, you can convert it for free in your Instagram settings under "Account Type and Tools."
• Your Instagram account must be connected to a Facebook Page. You can't have one without the other for commerce features. This connection helps Meta verify your business identity.
• Your business must comply with Meta's Commerce Policies. This is extremely important. Read through the Commerce Policies and the Merchant Agreement to make sure your products (e.g., no tobacco, weapons, adult products) and business practices are compliant. Violating these is the fastest way to get your shop shut down.
• You must own and operate a website domain. Since you're a Shopify merchant, you've got this covered. Meta will ask you to verify your domain to prove it belongs to you.

If you meet all these requirements, you're ready to start the setup process.

How to Set Up Instagram Shopping with Shopify: A Step-by-Step Guide

The entire connection is managed through Shopify's official sales channel, making the setup fairly straightforward to do and follow. Follow these steps to get your accounts connected and your products synced properly.

Step 1: Install the Facebook & Instagram Channel on Shopify

This app is the bridge between your Shopify store and Meta's commercial side of the house (which includes Facebook and Instagram). It syncs your products, manages sales, and keeps your inventory up-to-date across platforms.

1. From your Shopify Admin dashboard, look for "Sales Channels" on the left-hand menu.
2. Click the "+" icon and find the Shopify App Store.
3. Search for "Facebook & Instagram" (it's the official app built by Shopify).
4. Click "Add App" and follow the prompts to install it on your store. You'll be asked to authorize access - go ahead and approve it.

Step 2: Connect Your Assets in Commerce Manager

Once the channel is installed, it will prompt you to link your Meta business accounts. This is where you'll tell Shopify which Facebook Page, Business Manager, Instagram profile, and Commerce Account to use.

• Log In to Your Facebook Account: When prompted, log in with the Facebook account that has admin access to your brand's Facebook Page and Business Manager.
• Select Your Business Assets: The setup wizard will guide you through connecting:
  • Your Facebook Page.
  • Your Instagram Business Profile.
  • Your Business Manager account (this houses all your business assets).
  • Your Facebook Ad Account (even if you don't plan to run ads right away, it's often a required step).
  • Your Commerce Account and Product Catalog. If you don't have one, the Shopify app will help you create a new one automatically. Your product catalog is the digital list of every item you want to sell on Instagram.
• Enable Checkouts: You will be asked how you want your customers to manage checkouts: choose between a checkout on your Shopify store or on the Facebook or Instagram platform. We recommend choosing Checkout on your website. This sends customers directly from Instagram to your Shopify product page to complete their purchases, giving you more sales tracking abilities through your own store.
• Confirm Your Settings: Once you've selected all the correct assets, take a moment to agree to the terms and conditions and then click on "Finish Setup" to save your choices.

Step 3: Sync Your Products from Shopify

With your accounts connected, it's time to make your products available to be tagged. The channel will automatically sync your Shopify store products with its Facebook catalog. From our experience, the first sync takes about 20 minutes, however, after the first setup and syncing, all of your future uploads will become instantly available in Meta's Catalog.

You can manage which products get synced within the Facebook & Instagram channel in Shopify. You have the options to include and exclude certain products from being sold on Instagram or Facebook. For a detailed guide on this topic, you can visit Shopify's official help guides on managing and creating Product Sets.

Step 4: Verify Your Domain

Meta requires you to verify your domain to confirm that you own the website associated with your shop. This builds trust and prevents impersonation. You can do this from inside the Facebook Business Manager as follows:

1. Navigate to your Business Manager, go to Business Settings >, Brand Safety >, Domains.
2. Add your Shopify store's root domain (e.g., yourcoolbrand.com).
3. Select the Meta-tag Verification method. Copy the generated tag.
4. In your Shopify admin, go to Online Store >, Themes. Click Actions >, Edit Code on your current theme.
5. Open the theme.liquid file and paste the meta-tag on a new line within the <,head>, section. Save your changes.
6. Return to your Facebook Business Manager and click the "Verify Domain" button. You should receive a confirmation within seconds.

Step 5: Submit Your Account for Review

Once everything is connected and your products are synced, the final step is to request access to Instagram's shopping features. Meta's team will manually review your account to make sure it meets their policies.

1. Open your Instagram app and go to your profile.
2. Tap the menu in the top right, then go to Settings and privacy >, Business tools and controls >, Set Up Instagram Shopping.
3. Follow the prompts. Your connected catalog should appear. Select it and submit your account for review.

The review process can take anywhere from a few hours to a few days. You'll receive a notification in your Instagram app once you've been approved.

Now the Fun Part: Tagging Products to Drive Sales

Congratulations, you're approved! Now you can start integrating shoppable tags into your content strategy. The key is to make shopping feel organic and natural, not like a pushy sales pitch.

How to Tag Products in Your Content:

• Feed Posts: When creating a new post, tap "Tag Products." From there, tap on the photo and search your catalog for the product you want to feature. You can tag up to five products per single image post and up to 20 for carousel posts.
• Instagram Stories: Use the "Product" sticker. You can search your catalog and customize the sticker's color and text to match your Story's aesthetic.
• Reels: While editing a Reel, go to "Tag Products" to select the items featured in your video. The products will appear under a "View products" button at the bottom of the Reel, allowing viewers to shop without leaving the video.
• Instagram Guides: Go beyond single posts by creating curated collections or gift guides featuring your shoppable products. This is a great way to tell a story and recommend multiple items at once.

Best Practices for More Sales from Instagram Shopping

Just turning on the feature isn't enough. To make Instagram Shopping a meaningful source of sales for your Shopify store, combine great content with smart strategy.

1. Create Visually Stunning & Authentic Content

Your Instagram feed is your digital showroom. Ditch the plain, white-background product shots you use on your site. For social, you need lifestyle photography showing your products in use. Show a real person wearing the clothing, a styled kitchen with your new coffee mug, or a beautiful flat lay showcasing your skincare routine. Reels that highlight the product's benefits or a behind-the-scenes look at how it's made perform especially well.

2. Leverage User-Generated Content (UGC)

Your customers create some of your most powerful marketing materials. When a customer posts a photo or video with your product, ask for permission to re-share it - and then make that post shoppable by tagging your products. UGC builds social proof and shows potential buyers that real people love what you sell.

3. Mix Educational with Promotional

Don't just post a product and say "buy now." Use your captions to educate your audience. For a clothing brand, style a piece in three different ways. For a beauty company, show a tutorial. Give your audience value beyond the product, and they'll be more inclined to trust you and make a purchase.

4. Engage with Your Community

When someone comments with a question about a product in a shoppable post, answer it! This active engagement turns passive browsers into active buyers. Responding to DMs quickly about sizing or shipping also helps close sales that might otherwise fall through.

Final Thoughts

Connecting your Shopify store with Instagram Shopping creates a powerful, integrated social commerce experience that meets customers right where they are. By turning your visual content into a direct path to purchase, you reduce friction and make it easier than ever for your followers to become your next paying customers.

As you build out your shoppable content strategy, consistency is key. At Postbase, we built our visual calendar to help merchants and social media managers plan their shoppable Reels, Stories, and posts in one central place. Planning your content calendar in advance gives your brand the consistency audiences love and provides a clear roadmap for your campaigns, eliminating the stress of creating content on-the-fly.