Instagram is officially expanding its Commerce Eligibility Requirements, opening up the Instagram Shopping experience to smaller businesses, including “creators.” Photographers with a large enough following could stand to benefit in a bit way.
The announcement was made on the Instagram Business blog, where the company explained why and how they’ll be expanding the requirements to allow more creators to sell merchandise through the Instagram app:
Today, we’re announcing new Commerce Eligibility Requirements that expand access to Instagram Shopping to more types of businesses, including creators, so they can connect with shoppers and sell their merchandise on Instagram.
Whether you are a candle business making a foray into e-commerce, a musician selling merchandise, or a food blogger expanding into your own cookware line, any eligible business or creator account with at least one eligible product can use shopping tags to drive people to their website to make a purchase.
This is big news for photographers who sell physical products like prints through their own website. Instead of having to point people to a “link in bio,” you’ll be able to create a catalog and link products directly from each individual post by “tagging” them as shoppable.
Major companies and large influencers have been able to sign up for and use Instagram Shopping for a while now, but this expansion will open the flood gates to many more creators. The eligibility requirements are a bit vague still, but you need to have an Instagram professional account that has “demonstrated trustworthiness,” includes an “authentic, established presence,” and you may need to “maintain a sufficient follower base.”
To learn more about the process, check out Instagram’s step-by-step guide to getting set up with IG Shopping here.
Assuming your business is approved, it seems that selling products through Instagram is still limited to physical goods like prints; however, we have reached out to our contact at Instagram to see if this might also change. If these new requirements pave the way for photographers to begin selling services like photo shoots or non-tangible goods like Lightroom presets through the app, it could make the social network an incredibly valuable marketing tool for anyone who has built a significant following.
The new policy goes into effect July 9th for all countries where IG Shopping is available. For more details, check out the full announcement on the Instagram business website, or visit the Facebook Help Center where you’ll find more detailed information on policies and eligibility.
(via Engadget)
Image credits: Header photo by Mike Petrucci, CC0
