Using Instagram Shoppable Tags to Engage Your Audience
Learn everything you need to know about Instagram shoppable photo tags, who can use them, and how best to work them into your e-commerce marketing strategy.
Social media changes constantly. That’s one of the most exciting yet frustrating things about it. You have your e-commerce marketing strategy set and ready to go for the year – then, suddenly, you’re hearing about some new feature released on Instagram. Now, you have to adapt your strategy to incorporate that recent change.
Well, have no fear! We’re here to explain everything you need to know about Instagram shoppable tags: their value, how to use them, and why you should consider adding them to your social media marketing plan.
What are shoppable tags?
A shoppable photo tag is essentially a link embedded in your Instagram posts that, when clicked, will take the user to your e-commerce store, product catalog, product page, or even your Facebook Shop. Photos that have been tagged show a small white button in the lower left-hand corner of the image that says, “View Products.”
When an Instagram user clicks that button, it reveals the previously hidden shoppable tags. Users can then click on those tags to view more information or visit a link to buy the physical goods shown in the image. You can even customize the product sticker to match the colors of the photo it’s attached to.
This functionality will soon spread to Instagram videos and photo carousels, giving users even more opportunities to add shopping tags.
Who can use shoppable tags
When Instagram shoppable tags were first introduced, the app limited their availability to only a few existing business partners. However, the feature has now been opened up to all business profiles, shopping partners, and qualified public Instagram accounts in the US for Android and iOS. You can tag up to 20 products in a single post, as well as go back and add tags to previous single-image posts, reels, and Instagram Stories.
Please note that if you have an Instagram business account, you must have received approval and be set up for Instagram Shopping to use the feature. Once approved, you’ll see a notification on your Instagram Profile.
If you are an individual aged 18 years or older on a qualified public Instagram account, you can tag products as long as your account has been active over the last 30 days with no more than 2 policy violations. Alternatively, you can use the feature if another business account has approved you to tag their products. Reference the Commerce Policies for more details on what types of products are acceptable.
You can also set up Instagram Shoppable Tags through your Facebook page, Facebook Business Manager, or even Shopify and Bigcommerce if you use those plugins for your virtual store.
You may also want to try using Instagram Checkout, a feature of Instagram Shopping that allows customers to make purchases without leaving the Instagram App.
A new marketing strategy for product tags your Instagram feed
Now that you know what shoppable tags are, it’s time to talk about how they can help you with your marketing efforts. Most retailers aim to engage prospective customers in as organic a way as possible, create interest in their products, and turn that interest into sales conversions funneling users from their Instagram feed to their shop tab. The functionality added by this new feature means that any feed post or story can have those shopping features.
You might already see the opportunity inherent in a shopping post that doesn’t look like a shopping post. As you no doubt have experienced personally, an internet ad that is obviously an ad is easily ignored and dismissed. However, if your posts have more of a lifestyle-feel, they are more likely to catch the eye when they appear in a user’s feed. The image isn’t hidden behind marketing – it IS marketing. If that user likes what they see, they can click on the small button on the bottom left to find out more product details. Your marketing goes from making ad copy to making art that people can connect with. And really, aren’t you more likely to buy from a company that you think understands the needs and wants of its customers?
On a final note, shoppable posts also give you another tool to pass along to any Instagram influencers you already work with. Some influencers’ feeds can get bogged down with sponsor posts, making the consumers’ experience of following them less enjoyable. This kind of hidden product tag lets you create an organic experience for the user.
First Media and your Instagram posts
At First Media, we’re tech-savvy leaders at the intersection of digital media and social commerce. No matter the content type, we surprise and delight by elevating the ordinary to become extraordinary moments of joy that inspire action IRL. We’re just what you need to take advantage of shoppable posts: a partner that can create content people love to watch and engage with. Our top-notch creative teams and production capabilities consistently execute on trends ahead of the competition.
Keep your marketing future-focused as we help you push the edge of digital media, catching these new waves of technology as they start to surge and riding them into the future with confidence and success.
For more Instagram tips, check out this article on our expert tips for advertising on the app. If you’re interested in learning more about working with influencers on TikTok, Instagram, Twitter, or any app you can think of, check out our article on the value of and strategies for influencer marketing.
