Retailers, rejoice: shopping stories just got easier with Instagram’s shoppable Instagram Stories stickers.
Now e-commerce brands can use the “product” sticker in Instagram Stories to tag specific products in stories, just like you can with regular Instagram shopping posts.
Brands and consumers have already been using Instagram Stories to shop, but now online stores aren’t limited to trying to get their followers to “swipe up to shop.”
When watching your story, your followers can now tap on each sticker to learn more about the product and, ultimately, make a purchase.
Tagging products in Instagram Stories stickers can be a more organic way to promote shopping on stories, and allows you to showcase product details without seeming too sales-y or spammy.
Here’s everything you need to know about the new shoppable Instagram Stories stickers:
Shopping Made Easy with the New Shoppable Instagram Stories Stickers
With 400 million people using Instagram Stories everyday, it was only a matter of time until Instagram brought an easier way to shop to the platform.
Shopping through Instagram Stories isn’t a new phenomenon, as many brands and influencers have already been priming their followers to “shop their stories” by adding product URL’s and “shop now” CTAs in their stories over the past year.
Now, Instagram is making it easier for retailers with the addition of their shoppable stickers for Instagram Stories:
But what makes this feature so great is that there’s currently no way for businesses with less than 10,000 followers to drive traffic to their products from Instagram Stories, since you’re unable to add links to Instagram Stories.
This means that by using shopping stickers for Instagram Stories, small businesses with under 10,000 followers can now drive traffic to their products through their stories!
What are Shoppable Instagram Stories Stickers?
The new shoppable stickers for Instagram Stories are similar to the regular Instagram shoppable posts: businesses are able to tag physical products from their inventory or e-commerce platform.
When you click on an item in Instagram, you’re able to view the item name, price, and description.
Shoppable Instagram Stories stickers can be placed on both images and videos, and there are 4 different types of stickers: a shopping bag icon, a sticker with the product name in rainbow or grey, and translucent text (similar to the current hashtag and location stickers).
How to Use Instagram Stories Shopping Stickers
Similar to shoppable posts on Instagram, there are a few eligibility requirements you’ll need to check off before you can access shopping stickers for Instagram Stories:
You must be located in one of the 46 countries that the feature is currently available in.
You need an Instagram Business account, which can easily be set up by following our guide here.
You must be on the latest version of the Instagram app on either iOS or Android.
Your business must sell physical goods that comply with Instagram’s merchant agreement and commerce policies.
Your business profile must be connected to a Facebook catalog. This can be created and managed on Business Manager, directly on your business’s Page on Facebook, or through Shopify or BigCommerce.
For the last step, check out our in-depth guide here on how to get your business profile connected to a Facebook catalog.
Once you’ve completed the above steps, you can immediately start adding shopping stickers to Instagram Stories!
How to Add Shopping Stickers to Instagram Stories:
1. Open the Instagram Stories camera and either take a photo or video, or select one from your camera roll.
2. Next, tap the stickers button and select the new “product” stickers.
3. Now you’ll be given the option to select a product from your catalog.
4. Once you’ve picked a product, you can change the color of the sticker by tapping it and move it wherever you’d like on your story.
Just keep in mind that you can’t edit the product name in your story. To do that, you’ll need to open your product catalog and manually change the name there!
Want to save time with your Instagram marketing? You can now schedule your Instagram Stories posts with Later!
Why Use Instagram Stories Shopping Stickers?
Want to know what makes the new shopping stickers so great?
You don’t need to be verified or have 10,000 followers to use them!
Prior to this release, there was no way for businesses with less than 10,000 followers to drive traffic from Instagram Stories.
But thanks to Instagram Stories shopping stickers, businesses of all shapes and sizes can start using Instagram Stories to generate sales.
And given the success of Instagram Stories, shopping stickers could be a huge tool for brands looking to drive sales on the platform.
Shopping stickers on Instagram Stories are a great way to offer product information without coming across like you are constantly trying to push a product on your followers.
Every account and audience is different, so test both swipe ups and shopping stickers to find out what offers the best conversion for your own Instagram Stories.
If you’re looking to drive sales through the link in your Instagram bio, you can get started by linking your existing Instagram posts to product pages via a shoppable, clickable landing page like Later’s Linkin.bio.
Want to drive and track your traffic from Instagram? Upgrade to a Later business plan today and start using Linkin.bio as part of your marketing strategy!
Who Has Access to Shoppable Instagram Stories Stickers?
When the feature was first announced back in June, it was limited to just a few select businesses in the US, but Instagram Stories shopping stickers are now available in 46 different countries (you can find the full list here).
Keep in mind that this feature is only available to Instagram business profiles — so if you’re looking to access it, you’ll need to switch over.
Instagram Introduces New Shopping Channel to the Explore Page
Along with the expanded release of shopping stickers, Instagram also announced a new personalized shopping channel on the Explore page.
Instagram’s topic channels (which launched in June this year) allow you to browse content that pertains to your specific interests, such as Sports, Food, Fashion, Travel, Music, and more.
And with Instagram’s new Shopping channel, you’ll now be able to find product-related posts from the “brands you follow and brands you might like.”
The new Shopping channel on Explore essentially offers a more centralized way to shop on the platform.
Rather than having to look-up the brands you like and browse their feeds for shoppable posts, with the Shopping channel, you can quickly flip through an entire feed of shoppable posts and stories from various businesses.
Given the success of Instagram Stories, these new features are huge news for brands looking to drive sales on the platform. Instagram Stories has become an indispensable tool for businesses trying to reach their marketing goals in 2018 — and now it’s about to get a whole lot easier.
Want to learn how to use your Instagram Stories to grow your business and get more followers? Sign up for our free Instagram Stories course and take your Instagram Stories to a whole new level!
