Drive Sales with Instagram Live Shopping
Instagram Live Shopping is a new way for brands and creators to sell products during an Instagram Live broadcast.
This new Instagram e-commerce feature provides an innovative way to shop on the app. During the live broadcast, featured products are shown at the bottom of the screen, so viewers can easily tap to purchase.
This fully integrated experience is excellent for brands who want to drive sales and makes it easier for viewers to shop!
Why is Instagram Live Shopping so Effective?
Going live on Instagram is one of the best ways to connect with your followers in a direct, transparent, and authentic way.
Who Can Use Instagram Live Shopping?
Instagram Live Shopping is available for accounts using Instagram Checkout, which is currently limited to eligible US-based brands and creators.
With Instagram Checkout, customers can tap to view a product and then continue the payment process directly within Instagram.
How to Prepare and Launch Instagram Live Shopping
Preparation
After setting up your Instagram Shop and enabling Checkout, do the following steps to get ready for your Live Shopping event:
- Set your sales goals. Aim to achieve one goal per broadcast.
- Learn how to use Live Scheduling to mark the time and date of your live broadcast and to announce the upcoming event on your Instagram account. Go for consistently regular streaming to grow and solidify your following.
- Enable the Checkout feature of your Instagram Shop.
- Tag up to 30 items to include in your product catalog three days before going live.
Scheduling
Do the following steps to announce an upcoming Instagram Live:
- Tap the plus (+) sign or Story on top of the app or swipe right on your phone to activate the camera.
- Select the Live mode from the menu at the bottom of your screen.
- Click the schedule or calendar icon on the left side of the screen.
- Type in the title of your live event and select a start date and time before hitting the "Schedule Live Video" button at the bottom of the screen. Instagram allows you to schedule at least one hour before your live broadcast and up to three months before the event.
- You can click Add Products based on your selected items during the preparation phase.
- Once you're done, a window with "Your live video is scheduled" will appear. Click the "Share as post" button at the bottom of the screen. This will create a post in your Feed, which will notify your followers about the event.
Launch
To activate Instagram's Live Shopping feature:
- Click Instagram Story or the plus sign or swipe right on your phone to open your camera.
- Choose Live from the menu at the bottom of your screen.
- Tap on the shopping bag icon on the left part of your screen to add the products you pre-selected to sell during the broadcast.
- Tap the round button when you're ready to go live.
Instagram Live Shopping Features
Video customization
You can activate filters, post stickers, or flash a question posted by your viewers while you are live. Doing so can drive conversions, making your viewers feel seen and heard.
Image and video-sharing
Flashing still photos or playing videos of your products in action will supplement what you've already shown during the live broadcast. The additional visuals can also make the product more appealing to your viewers.
Action buttons
An Instagram business account allows you to feature call-to-action buttons such as "Add to Bag," "Review Product," and Checkout. They serve as prompts that will guide your viewers along their buying journey.
Comment filtering
You can prevent offensive viewers' comments from appearing on the live chat by scrolling down to your Privacy settings and going to Hidden Words. Under this option, you can turn on "Hide comments" or tap "Advanced comment filtering" to manually add words and phrases you don't want to see on the chat.
Appoint a live moderator
After going live, click the three dots in the comment bar below your screen and click "Add a Moderator." The person you choose to act as moderator has to be among the live audience. Instagram sends moderators a notification and allows them to report offensive comments and remove someone from the live event.
Announcements
You can customize an announcement about a new product. In Live Shopping, a countdown clock will display the number of hours, minutes, and seconds before the set hour of the launch. The clock will turn into an Add to Cart button when the time is up.
Live Rooms
With the Live Rooms feature, you can call an influencer or a credible personality whose values align with your brand to join your live session. You can invite them one at a time or bring in all three or more guest hosts simultaneously.
Tips for Optimizing Instagram Live Sales
Be well-prepared but give room for spontaneity.
Be deeply familiar with your products (their benefits, how to use them, cost, and so on) so that you can share details confidently during the broadcast.
Give yourself as much time as needed to remember your primary lines and visualize how you want your upcoming show to flow. This will make you sound more natural on the day of your show. This will also allow you to pace yourself better in case of any sudden changes.
You can also rehearse on Instagram before the event. After tapping Live, click on the Audience (eye) icon and select “Practice."
Moreover, make your surroundings look presentable and test all your equipment to ensure they're working as they should.
Choose to go live when launching a new product.
Your followers can be inspired to buy a new product when they see how it works in real time. It's also the best time to get viewers' questions and show off your product's capabilities. Giving time for Q&A can address any doubts about the item's function and safety.
Plan your engagement points.
Be sure to make your live session entertaining, not just informative. Encourage connection by sharing how you benefited from the product. Or ask your audience questions verbally or through video customizations. Inviting an influencer or other creators to your show can also help heighten engagement.
Save and repurpose your live shopping session.
After your live event, click the End Now button and select Share or Download Video from your options. You can reuse the file with an added caption and location by uploading it to your Profile or Feed. You can also choose the people to share it with through Tag People.
Remember to broadcast consistently.
Going live regularly gives people a sense of stability and something to be excited about. Make a schedule for the long term and tell your audience what to expect on your next show, so they have more reasons to join your future broadcasts.
Instagram Live Shopping is about to change the way we shop online. Are you ready for that?
We’re here to help you with your strategy, content, and engagement.
Book a free consultation with our Instagram Expert to find out how we can help your business grow.
Enjoy Instagramming!
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