{"id":374004,"date":"2023-12-08T10:33:16","date_gmt":"2023-12-08T10:33:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/webinterpret.com\/blog\/instagram-ecommerce"},"modified":"2026-06-19T13:39:45","modified_gmt":"2026-06-19T13:39:45","slug":"instagram-ecommerce","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/webinterpret.com\/en\/blog\/instagram-ecommerce","title":{"rendered":"How to use Instagram for ecommerce: guide for online sellers"},"content":{"rendered":"

Ecommerce Planner 2026 FREE download<\/a><\/p>\n

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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.<\/p>\n

Aside from being one of the world\u2019s most used entertainment apps, Instagram is also widely considered to be a prime destination for ecommerce businesses<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

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

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.<\/p>\n

Let\u2019s explore how online sellers<\/a> can benefit from using Instagram to promote and sell their products.<\/p>\n

Ecommerce on social media<\/h2>\n

Social networks are effective channels for marketing your products to your potential customers. The most popular social media platforms worldwide include\u00a0Facebook<\/a>, YouTube, WhatsApp, WeChat, and Instagram.<\/p>\n

Depending on your business type, some platforms may work better than others.<\/p>\n

When talking about ecommerce on social media, there\u2019s a difference between social selling, using paid ads, and actually using a platform as a marketplace.<\/p>\n

What is social selling?<\/h3>\n

Social selling<\/strong>\u00a0is about converting followers into customers.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n

Recent market research shows that social selling attracts 45% more business opportunities<\/a>. It\u2019s a cost-effective way to capture relevant traffic, as it targets social media, where customers spend a lot of time.<\/p>\n

Selling on social media marketplaces<\/h3>\n

Selling on social media marketplaces\u00a0<\/strong>means using the platform\u2019s sales features to actively market products.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

Examples of social selling and shopping<\/strong> 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.<\/p>\n

\"Social<\/p>\n

According to Caroline Ohrn, Product Director at Webinterpret, shoppers today<\/a> 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.<\/p>\n

Social shopping addresses the problem of a long, slow redirect process that causes many shoppers to exit the window before reaching checkout.<\/p>\n

Using paid ads<\/h3>\n

Ecommerce advertising<\/a> is on the rise, and social networking sites, such as Instagram, are part of this\u00a0online sales trend<\/a>. 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.<\/p>\n

By the end of 2026, Instagram is projected to generate more than half of Meta\u2019s overall ad revenue.<\/p>\n

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\u2019s primary engine for product discovery.<\/p>\n

Consequently, Instagram offers excellent growth opportunities for advertisers<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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What are Instagram Shopping Ads?<\/h3>\n

Instagram Shopping Ads give you the option to run organic shopping posts as ads. Users who tap on these ads will be taken to an item description page on Instagram and can proceed to buy from your shop.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Top 20 Instagram ecommerce stats<\/h2>\n

Instagram presents plenty of sales opportunities to international ecommerce sellers.<\/p>\n

The platform boasts a\u00a0global user audience that encompasses almost a third of the planet\u2019s population<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

The highest concentration of users is in India<\/a> (480.55 million), followed by the United States (181.75 million) and Brazil (147 million). Moreover, the number of the platform\u2019s active users\u00a0in the USA<\/a>\u00a0is projected to reach 190 million by 2030.<\/p>\n

Additionally, Instagram users\u00a0spend more per purchase<\/strong>\u00a0than those of other platforms like Facebook or TikTok, with the Average Order Value ranging from $65 to $89.<\/p>\n

Consumers also frequently make purchase decisions based on something that they saw while browsing Instagram.<\/p>\n

Here are the top 20 Instagram usage and ecommerce stats:<\/p>\n

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

    Top 10 Instagram tips for your ecommerce store<\/h2>\n

    The following Instagram ecommerce tips will help you increase user engagement and sales opportunities on Instagram.<\/p>\n

    #1 Produce content consistently<\/h3>\n

    There is no rule for the volume of content on Instagram, but\u00a0good quality and consistency<\/strong>\u00a0are key. Hence, post high-quality and engaging content for your followers. To do it consistently, consider automating the process with a scheduling app.<\/p>\n

    Stand out by developing a\u00a0unique tone, voice, and style<\/strong>. As Instagram users are mostly younger than Facebook users, a casual vibe may work best.<\/p>\n

    If you offer discounts, announce them visually, with attractive, unique graphics and clear text overlays.<\/p>\n

    #2 Give your photos a touch of creativity<\/h3>\n

    Flooding your feeds with product photos<\/strong> may come across as too salesy.<\/p>\n

    Too many similar product images posted one after another won\u2019t make a good impression, either.<\/p>\n

    Don\u2019t 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.<\/p>\n

    To\u00a0build an emotional connection<\/strong>\u00a0with your target audience and appeal to new audiences, you can post behind-the-scenes photos of your products or share exclusive footage or photos<\/a> from live events.<\/p>\n

    Take a look at Megan Ray\u2019s Instagram page, Peppermint Pine, for inspiration.<\/p>\n

    She regularly shares personal photos showing the progress of her knitwear\/crochet products.<\/p>\n

    \"Instagram<\/p>\n

    The recommended image size for Instagram photos is 1080 x 1440 or 1080 x 1350 pixels.<\/p>\n

    #3 Master your hashtags<\/h3>\n

    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\u2019s not about the more the better.<\/p>\n

    Instagram\u2019s algorithm uses hashtags to categorize posts, and adding ten or more to a single post may trigger the algorithm\u2019s spam filter.<\/p>\n

    Ecommerce tip<\/strong><\/p>\n

    Engagement decreases with posts that use 6 or more hashtags, so using 5 or fewer is much more effective.<\/p>\n

    Types of hashtags:<\/p>\n