How to use Instagram Shopping
Instagram has a feature called “Instagram Shopping” that allows you to tag your products in your Instagram photos. Your followers can then click on the photo to read more about your products, see prices, and go directly to your online store to shop. You can also tag your products in your story with Instagram Story Stickers. This has become quite popular on Instagram and gives you a great opportunity to market your products.
We at Cake it easy have now made it possible for you to connect your product catalog to Instagram so you can use Instagram Shopping. See the steps below. And don't worry, the list may look daunting, but it's relatively easy. If you need help, just contact us.
Connect your products to your Facebook account
You must have a Facebook Business Manager account to connect your products to Facebook.
Select Log in and log in with your Facebook account. This will take you to your Facebook Business Suite where you will see all the business accounts that your account is linked to. The bakery's Facebook page and Instagram profile should be connected there.
Go to Trade Administration .
Click Get started .
Under “Choose how you want to sell,” select Create a catalog .
On “Select type”, select Online shopping .
On “Configure Settings”, select Upload Product Information .
Under “Catalog Owner,” select the bakery’s Facebook account .
On “Catalog name” you can write “ Cake it easy ”.
You have now created a catalog. Select View Catalog .
You are now in Trade Administration. Select Products in the menu on the left (under “Catalog”).
Select Add items in the top right corner. Then select Add more items .
Under “Select preferred option”, select Data stream .
At “Are you ready to upload the spreadsheet or file?”, select Yes .
On “Choose how to upload your file,” select Use a URL .
Go to Cake it easy and get the URL.
Go to the admin tool at Cake it easy .
Select Products in the top menu.
Select Instagram/Facebook in the submenu and click Copy link to clipboard under “Your Facebook data stream file URL”.
Go back to the directory layout and paste the link under “Enter the URL of where your file is stored”.
You can ignore the username and password fields. Select Next .
Under “How often do you want your data feed to be updated?”, leave it as is (every hour). Select Next .
On “Confirm settings and upload”, click on “Default currency” and select NOK - Norwegian krone .
Select Next . And select Upload on the next page.
You're done! Your product catalog will now be uploaded to Facebook and Instagram.
Convert your Instagram account to a business account
In the Instagram app, go to your profile.
Select the ☰ icon in the top right.
Select Settings .
Select Account .
Select Switch to Business Account (at the very bottom of the page). If it says “Switch to Personal Account” instead, you already have a business account and can skip this section.
Select the category for your business, confirm your contact details and connect to your Facebook Business Page.
Adding a Facebook Page to Your Instagram Profile
Go to your profile.
Select Edit Profile .
Select Page under Public Business Information.
Select the bakery's Facebook page, or select Create a new Facebook page . If you've already linked your Facebook page to your Instagram account, you can skip this section.
Enable Instagram Shopping
In the Instagram app, go to your profile.
Select the ☰ icon in the top right.
Select Settings .
Select Business .
Select Set up Instagram Shopping.
Select Get started .
Select Connect to Facebook Account . Log in or verify your Facebook account.
You will then be taken to “Sign up for shopping.” Select the product catalog that you connected to Facebook earlier.
Select Next .
Verify the domain of your online store. It should appear automatically.
Select Submit for review .
Now you need to wait for Instagram to review your account and product catalog. This process usually takes a few days. Once approved, you will receive a notification from Instagram.
Turn on Shopping
Once your account is approved, you can turn on Shopping features. Note: If you don't see Shopping in your settings, your account is likely still under review.
In the Instagram app, go to your profile.
Select the ☰ icon in the top right.
Select Settings .
Select Business .
Select Shopping .
Select Products .
Check that the product catalog is marked with a blue dot on the right. If it is, you're all set!
How to tag products in Instagram posts
Now you're ready to tag products in your Instagram posts! To do this, start by uploading a photo as normal, and follow the instructions below before publishing it.
Tap Add photo.
Add a caption.
Tap Tag products.
Press the image.
Search for product.
Select product.
Tap Done.
Press Share.
You can tag five products in one photo, but if you add an image carousel you can tag 20 products. You can tag products in both existing and new posts.
Tag products in Stories
Follow these instructions right after you select a photo for your story, before publishing it.
Tap the label icon in the top right.
Select the product label from the label tray.
Select the product from your catalog that you want to highlight.
Move the product label to where you want it to appear in your story.
Change the text color on the label icon by tapping the label.
Share your story.
Troubleshooting: You can't select the product on Instagram
If you see your product catalog on Instagram, but you get a message that “ This product does not use the domain you have selected for your store on Instagram ” when you try to select it, you need to make this setting.
Choose your company.
In the menu on the left, click on the Brand Safety section.
Select Domains .
If there are no domains there, click Add and Create new domain .
Enter the name of your domain (e.g. mydomain.com). Remember that it should be without “https://www.”.
On the next page, you will find the drop-down menu below where it says “Verify your domain” and “Select an option.” Select Update DNS TXT record with your domain registrar .
If you don't know how to do this yourself, you can take a screenshot of the page and send it to us at Cake it easy and we can fix this with your domain registrar.
When you receive confirmation from us that it is ready, go to the same page again and select Update DNS TXT record with your domain registrar again, and press Verify domain .
If you were then notified that the domain has been registered, you should be able to share the products on Instagram again :)