Facebook might have been in the e-commerce space for years, but Instagram entered the game like a seasoned player too. In some ways, they’re making faster progress than Facebook in dealing with people who want to sell their products through these social media sites. Sadly, this also means Instagram accidentally skips out on a lot of things which leaves merchants confused as to how to deal with the website.
Here, we’ll deal with how to get your account approved for FB & IG shop. In general, if you can get it approved for the Instagram shop, the setup’s similar so your Facebook account will get approval too. So, let’s focus on Instagram, and your FB shop will come along.
1 . Shopping Template On Facebook and Business Account
We’re assuming you already have a Facebook Page for your e-commerce business. Here, you have to click on your Facebook page’s settings section. On the left, you’ll find the Templates and Tabs section. Click on it and you’ll see Templates in bold. Under it, there’s the edit button. Choose Shopping as the correct template.
Now, go to the settings tab on your Instagram account and switch to a Professional account, and make sure to go with a Business account.
2. Setting Up Product Catalogue
Now, go to the Business Manager of your Facebook page. Here, you’ll have to create your product catalog manually.
Look for Catalog manager and once you find it, select Create Catalog button. The setup process is easy and when you get to the category page, don’t forget to choose E-commerce. Then, check Add Products Manually. In here, add an image of the product along with the name, description, website link, content ID, and currency.
At least 9 products have to be added to your Facebook shop before Instagram approves it. A variation in color and size is counted as different products, so getting 9 products shouldn’t be difficult. If there are too many products in your online shop to manually upload them all, choose the ones that are a priority, and later you can import items once you have approval from Instagram.
In case you own a Shopify store, it’s best not to use it to automatically update the product catalog. Instagram has certain rules for how it wants the product information to be available. Read up on it and use the guide to fill in the details manually.
3. Commerce Manager
Before we get Instagram’s approval, let’s get your FB shop running. Navigate to Business Manager and under it, Commerce Manager. Click Create and Manage and follow the instructions. Answer all questions with legitimate answers. Facebook needs to know your store is real for it to count it as an e-commerce business.
4. Link Facebook Catalog
For this, go back to the catalog section in Business Manager. Select the catalog you have manually uploaded and you’ll find the Use Cases area for it. There’s the Facebook Page Shop Section at the end. Follow the instructions and your catalog should start showing up on the Shop tab of your Facebook page in about 15 minutes.
5. Shop Now
Again, open your Facebook page and click on Add a button option. In the window that pops up, first, click on Shop with you. Then, you get the Shop Now option. Facebook will then ask if you want people to shop from your website or from your Facebook page. Naturally, go ahead and select your Facebook page.
6. Link FB Page To IG Business
Go to your Instagram settings, then account, and then linked account. Choose Facebook business page. Also, click on the edit profile button on your Instagram profile and connect your Facebook business page there as well.
On Facebook, go to your Facebook page and then navigate to Settings. You’ll notice the Instagram tab on the left. Click on it and then on Connect to the Instagram button.
Have I Been Approved For FB & IG Shop?
After you’ve completed these 6 steps, the only thing you can do is wait for the approval. This confirmation can take from a couple of hours to days. Sometimes, it can take two weeks before Instagram finally reviews your accounts and decides to approve your shop. If even after 3 weeks, you don’t hear any feedback from Instagram, it would be a good idea to contact Facebook and enquire what’s the matter. Facebook’s customer support team is efficient and it doesn’t take them long to detect issues. As long as everything is done rightly from your end, you should be approved.
To know whether you’ve been approved, just open your Instagram Business account. If you see the app asking you to begin tagging your products, it means you have been approved. Even if you don’t see the message but have been approved, go to the Business section and then the shopping section. Choose the catalog that has the products manually uploaded and link it to your Instagram account. Now, your products can be tagged and customers can shop directly from your Instagram account.
We’ve already made sure your Facebook page has direct shopping approval.
Other than all these steps, make sure your Instagram and Facebook shop complies with their respective policies. Your store should also be in one of the supported markets of Facebook and Instagram. Other than that, giving correct information and not neglecting the rules should do the trick.
Final Thoughts
Well, now you know what to do if you want to make sure your Facebook and Instagram shop doesn’t face any issues. After you’ve created those shops, the next crucial step is advertising the shop and reaching new customers. Jag&Wolf can offer consultation on this matter. Setting up ads on these social platforms is no easy task. If you don’t get your target market right, you can lose a massive amount without any profit. It’s a double-edged sword; so it’s always better to go ahead with proper guidance.
If you need help building and scaling your online store, we reccomend Pathway, which will keep you on track, give you monthly goals, dashboards, tips and the ability to spy on your competitors. Pathway will also serve as your educational and operational dashboard.
Click the link below if you use Shopify https://apps.shopify.com/pathway
Click the following link for any other e-commerce solution including Amazon. https://pathwaycommerce.com