Instagram is one of the most popular platforms on the internet. It gives people a chance to show off their vacation pictures, their food, and their tan lines. It made superstars out of the Kardashian family, and it has become a place for celebrities to post their political views.
If you are thinking of starting an E-commerce store, you probably know that you will have to advertise, and you may wonder what sales platform you should use. There is a way you can open a dropshipping business right on Instagram.
According to the Printful website, the e-commerce platform Ecwid lets people create an Instagram Shop by simply enabling a feature called Shoppable Instagram Posts. It only takes a few minutes to set up your Instagram Shop.
What are Shoppable Instagram Posts?
When you post a link to one of your products on most social media sites, a potential customer will have to click on a link that will take them to your website. Shoppable Instagram posts let customers buy your products right from their Instagram accounts. Ecwid is offering free trials of this new service.
You will need a business account to get started with this service. You will also need a product catalog on Facebook.
Advantages of an Instagram Shop
All of your Instagram followers will automatically see the products you post about on Instagram, and your posts will appear on both Facebook and Instagram. 60% of people say that they have heard of a new product through Instagram. It is one of the most successful and popular ways to advertise a product nowadays, and millions of people shop this way every day.
It requires very few steps to buy a product because Instagram integrates with several e-commerce platforms. You are not limited to Ecwid, and it is easy to post products and change prices.
Most businesses that are on Ecwid use a dropshipping business model. The e-commerce business does not store inventory, instead, they use the services of a dropshipping warehouse. Products are packaged and shipped on an on-demand basis.
Disadvantages of an Instagram Shop
The majority of Instagram’s users are younger people. If this is not the demographic that your product would appeal to, you may want to look for a different way to reach your potential customers.
The only user data you are provided with is the customer’s checkout information. Market research is essential to running any successful business, and most online e-commerce stores will offer you a statistics tracker of some kind.
A statistical tracker will let you see the habits of your customers when they visit your store. You will see demographics on your visitors as well. You will be able to tell where traffic is coming from and at what stage people are abandoning their carts, which can be critical information. Hence, Instagram should not be the sole place you sell your shirt.
The Most Successful Instagram Campaigns
There have been some truly impressive Instagram campaigns over the years. One of the most successful campaigns was one for the National Geographic Society, which has 74.2 million followers. They have gotten a new generation of people interested in the Earth and all of the creatures on it.
Sonic Drive-In came up with a very clever campaign using the idea of the Instagram square. They gave away square milkshakes that were created by Chef Jacques LaMerde to their Instagram followers.
Followers clicked on an ad, and then they chose a flavor of milkshake. The milkshake was delivered to their door. All the customer had to do was take a picture of the shake, and they got it free.
Orange Theory Fitness Center had a successful hashtag campaign. They had their followers send them before and after pictures with the Orange Theory hashtag. The company would then post the pictures along with encouraging messages.
Starbucks has launched several successful hashtag events on Instagram. They have had red and white cup competitions where followers hashtag them in a picture with a red or white cup. Everyone who sent them a picture was entered into a raffle for a gift certificate. They also had a campaign called Starbucks Stories that they promoted largely on Instagram. It featured short stories about Starbucks ‘ corporate impact on various communities.
You have worked hard on your products and they deserve to be seen. Creating a dropshipping store on Instagram is worth a try. Instagram is certainly a worthwhile place to advertise and create shoppable posts to make everything easier for your customers.
