How to use Instagram for ecommerce: guide for online sellers

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Nearly 15 years after acquiring Instagram, Meta is firmly in control of the social media landscape, with platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and Messenger attracting billions of users daily.

Aside from being one of the world’s most used entertainment apps, Instagram is also widely considered to be a prime destination for ecommerce businesses.

The platform generated roughly $37 billion in direct social commerce sales over the last few years. However, Meta phased out the Instagram Checkout feature in September 2025, officially ending the era when consumers could purchase products without leaving the Instagram app.

Still, it’s important to note that in 2025 alone, Instagram generated approximately $250 billion worth of sales through referral commerce.

This statistic shows that Instagram remains a powerful product discovery tool that can help independent sellers and merchants on online marketplaces expand the reach of their products by creating additional sources of organic and paid traffic.

Let’s explore how online sellers can benefit from using Instagram to promote and sell their products.

Ecommerce on social media

Social networks are effective channels for marketing your products to your potential customers. The most popular social media platforms worldwide include Facebook, YouTube, WhatsApp, WeChat, and Instagram.

Depending on your business type, some platforms may work better than others.

When talking about ecommerce on social media, there’s a difference between social selling, using paid ads, and actually using a platform as a marketplace.

What is social selling?

Social selling is about converting followers into customers.

It’s about building relationships and credibility naturally by getting to know your prospects, by asking them engaging questions, answering their questions, and responding to comments and complaints.

Recent market research shows that social selling attracts 45% more business opportunities. It’s a cost-effective way to capture relevant traffic, as it targets social media, where customers spend a lot of time.

Selling on social media marketplaces

Selling on social media marketplaces means using the platform’s sales features to actively market products.

Social shopping, on the other hand, refers to any purchase made through social platforms, such as social media apps, communities, social marketplaces, or recommendations from recommendation algorithms.

Examples of social selling and shopping can be found in any features in social networking apps that allow merchants to sell goods directly in the app without the user leaving it, or Shoppable Posts that enable businesses to tag brands and include links to their products in their organic posts.

According to Caroline Ohrn, Product Director at Webinterpret, shoppers today want a simpler route to their favorite products. However, many ecommerce purchase journeys are too complex, relying on redirects between platforms and requiring multiple steps.

Social shopping addresses the problem of a long, slow redirect process that causes many shoppers to exit the window before reaching checkout.

Using paid ads

Ecommerce advertising is on the rise, and social networking sites, such as Instagram, are part of this online sales trend. Running paid ads on social platforms has become an invaluable element of digital marketing strategies because it helps to significantly increase traffic to a website, an online store on an online marketplace like eBay, or an account page, and maximize sales conversions.

By the end of 2026, Instagram is projected to generate more than half of Meta’s overall ad revenue.

Driven by the massive growth of Reels and the steady, high engagement generated by Stories, ad spending on Instagram is around 15% higher than on Facebook, as the platform has become Meta’s primary engine for product discovery.

Consequently, Instagram offers excellent growth opportunities for advertisers.

Top 20 Instagram ecommerce stats

Instagram presents plenty of sales opportunities to international ecommerce sellers.

The platform boasts a global user audience that encompasses almost a third of the planet’s population.

The highest concentration of users is in India (480.55 million), followed by the United States (181.75 million) and Brazil (147 million). Moreover, the number of the platform’s active users in the USA is projected to reach 190 million by 2030.

Additionally, Instagram users spend more per purchase than those of other platforms like Facebook or TikTok, with the Average Order Value ranging from $65 to $89.

Consumers also frequently make purchase decisions based on something that they saw while browsing Instagram.

Here are the top 20 Instagram usage and ecommerce stats:

1. 3 billion people actively use Instagram every month.
2. Instagram is the social media platform of choice for younger generations, since 62% of the 3 billion Instagram users are aged between 18 and 35.
3. Approximately 500 million people use Instagram every day.
4. 200 million Instagram users visit a business profile daily
5. 90% of Instagram users follow at least one business account
6. 80% of Instagram users also have Facebook profiles.
7. On average, users spend 33 minutes per day on the platform, while Gen Z users spend 53 minutes daily on Instagram.
8. Over 500 million accounts use Instagram Stories every day.
9. 62% of people are more interested in a brand after seeing it in Instagram stories.
10. Reels have a 22% higher engagement rate than standard video posts on Instagram.
11. Over 75% of businesses in the US use Instagram. 7 out of 10 hashtags on Instagram are branded.
12. The platform recommends using 3 to 5 hashtags per post.
13. Posts with geotags are reported to get 79% more engagement.
14. Over 70% of users say that Instagram videos help them decide which products to buy.
15. Over 80% of online shoppers use Instagram for product discovery.
16. After seeing a product/service on Instagram, 83% search for more information, 28% visit the retail store, and 54% make a purchase.
17. Over 80% of businesses consider engagement to be the most important metric.
18. 78% of consumers say content creators are their preferred way to verify a product before buying.
19. Sponsored posts containing #ad have increased by 150% since 2023.
20. Ecommerce brands regularly producing video content generate up to ten times more interactions on Instagram than they do on Facebook.

Top 10 Instagram tips for your ecommerce store

The following Instagram ecommerce tips will help you increase user engagement and sales opportunities on Instagram.

#1 Produce content consistently

There is no rule for the volume of content on Instagram, but good quality and consistency are key. Hence, post high-quality and engaging content for your followers. To do it consistently, consider automating the process with a scheduling app.

Stand out by developing a unique tone, voice, and style. As Instagram users are mostly younger than Facebook users, a casual vibe may work best.

If you offer discounts, announce them visually, with attractive, unique graphics and clear text overlays.

#2 Give your photos a touch of creativity

Flooding your feeds with product photos may come across as too salesy.

Too many similar product images posted one after another won’t make a good impression, either.

Don’t hesitate to get creative by showing the lifestyle and culture around your products. You can also build positive associations with your brand and its products by associating sports shoes with a healthy lifestyle and by educating your followers.

To build an emotional connection with your target audience and appeal to new audiences, you can post behind-the-scenes photos of your products or share exclusive footage or photos from live events.

Take a look at Megan Ray’s Instagram page, Peppermint Pine, for inspiration.

She regularly shares personal photos showing the progress of her knitwear/crochet products.

The recommended image size for Instagram photos is 1080 x 1440 or 1080 x 1350 pixels.

#3 Master your hashtags

Incorporate relevant hashtags for your products into your Instagram advertising strategy to improve search optimization. Although each post can include up to 30 hashtags, studies have shown that it’s not about the more the better.

Instagram’s algorithm uses hashtags to categorize posts, and adding ten or more to a single post may trigger the algorithm’s spam filter.

Ecommerce tip

Engagement decreases with posts that use 6 or more hashtags, so using 5 or fewer is much more effective.

Types of hashtags:

• Geotags include a city or locale. They are useful for brick-and-mortar stores to help consumers find directions, hours, and other information.
• Branded tags are specific to a product, its name, or slogan. All of your posts will come up when Instagram users click that hashtag.
• Niche tags are super focused on a specific term with low search volume.

You can add bulky tags, such as geotags and niche tags, in the first comment of your post. Check out the example below to discover how relevant hashtags help expand the reach.

#5 Share user-generated content

Buyers trust social proof as much as they trust personal recommendations.

Studies show that 95% of Instagram users search for social proof to find out what others are saying about a product.

As a result, consumers are more likely to choose products with positive feedback than those with low ratings and negative reviews.

That’s why so many businesses use platforms like Instagram to share user-generated content by asking their Instagram followers for product reviews or sharing photos and videos featuring real buyers using products with branded hashtags.

Then they can reshare such posts on their profiles and mention their customers.

This is a great way to build a community, expand reach, establish trust for the brand, improve customer loyalty, and drive more sales.

Creating an engaged community with plenty of user-generated content is important. By posting content created by your users, you cultivate a brand image that is approachable, down-to-earth, and humane.

#6 Nurture relationships with customers and prospects

Don’t hesitate to like posts of your followers. 65% of customers said that they would be honored if a brand liked their post.

In addition, you can run contests and give away exclusive coupons, since over 30% of Instagram users have entered a photo contest or competition at some point.

Consider taking a stand on social and political issues to strengthen your brand’s image.

58% of consumers want brands to take a stand on social issues, while 64% of online shoppers want brands to take a stand on social media, because they believe that brands can create real change.

However, bear in mind that taking a stand may be risky, so give it some thoughtful consideration. By no means make it random! Your stand should relate to your brand’s values and a good cause.

#7 Collaborate with influencers

Consumers will trust an individual’s recommendation over yours, so engage influencers to help you spread the good word about your products. Posts by influencers with larger followings are likely to get more views.

57% of brands reported that Instagram was the most important social media channel for influencer marketing.

The top three industries working with Instagram influencers include 75% of luxury brands, 82% of sports clothing, and 96% of beauty and skincare brands.

#8 Stay efficient

Managing all Instagram publications in-app can be problematic, especially if your audience is most active outside your working hours. Further, regularly logging into your Instagram account may take up a lot of your time.

Consistent content publications and the time of day that Instagram users are most active matter. To increase your efficiency, consider using social media marketing automation tools that allow you to preload and schedule a month’s worth of content.

Finally, remember to engage with your followers and respond to comments. Don’t wait for new notifications to pop up. Build a system and allocate time efficiently to respond to your audience.

#9 Measure your Instagram ecommerce success

Instagram is a visual content platform, which explains its high engagement rates. To check how your Instagram posts and Stories are performing, go to your Instagram business account and the Insights tab.

Access to Instagram Analytics gives you data about impressions, reach per post, purchases, information about your demographic, and the type of content your audience likes the most.

This will give you an indication of which posts and products are popular with your audience, which are worth promoting more often, and which inventory to stock up on.

You can also learn more about people who interact with your posts and follow you, including their gender, age range, and geographic details.

The data about when users are most active, which days of the week, and what time, will help you choose the optimal time for scheduling your posts. Furthermore, if you run Instagram Ads, you can view activity based on reach or impressions.

Ecommerce tip

Remember to keep your finger on the pulse. Instagram is constantly evolving and adding new features. There are also new trends and algorithm changes that may have significant implications for sellers and advertisers.

So, it’s crucial to keep up, check stats, and not risk being left behind.

#10 Use an omnichannel social media sales strategy

To better connect with your customer base, consider investing in an omnichannel social commerce strategy. In other words, optimize each platform to serve its users best and integrate all of your platforms into a single, seamless approach.

If you receive many customer inquiries via X, optimize your strategy for responding to them.

On the other hand, if your followers use your Facebook Page to learn more about your business, focus on creating educational, engaging content, and use your Instagram business profile to sell products, in case this channel attracts the bulk of your products’ buyers.

Instagram shop

After checking your eligibility, you can also set up your Instagram ecommerce storefront. You’ll have to ensure:

• Your business is located in a supported market and sells physical goods.
• Your business complies with Instagram’s commerce policies.
• Your Instagram account is set up as a business account and is linked to your Facebook business page.

After registering your account, you’ll have to create and connect your catalog.

You can get your Facebook shopping catalog synced up to your Instagram business profile, and once you’re done, the next steps involve signing up for Instagram Shopping and tagging your products.

What is an Instagram Shop?

An Instagram Shop allows you to integrate your product catalog with your Instagram profile. You can promote your products directly to Instagram users through posts, Stories, in the Explore tab, and in a special Shop tab on your profile.

An Instagram Shop removes friction from the purchasing process. It’s easier for shoppers to browse your catalog, check prices, or learn more about particular products. They can shop for products and proceed to payment without leaving Instagram.

Conclusion

On social platforms such as Instagram, ecommerce businesses can engage customers, showcase their products in real-world settings, and grow sales.

A third of all users have bought a product they discovered on Instagram, underscoring the opportunities the platform’s global audience offers online sellers.

Thus, consider using Instagram to support your marketplace sales strategy.

For advice on growing your domestic & international ecommerce sales on eBay, Amazon, and other marketplaces, contact our cross-border specialists.