There are many different social media platforms when it comes to social media marketing, but few are as powerful as Instagram. In fact, there are well over one billion Instagram users across the world today. One of the best ways to connect users to your products is through Instagram Shopping.

If you’ve tried to use this awesome feature but came up short, don’t worry. Read on to learn some common reasons why your account might not be eligible for shopping, and what you can do to fix it!

Check Your Country

You know that Instagram Shopping is a great tool, but it’s not available for businesses in all countries across the world. For example, businesses in places like China, Nigeria, and Vietnam are not eligible for Instagram Shopping.

If you aren’t in a country that’s eligible for Instagram Shopping right now, you have a few options. The first is to move your business to a country that is eligible, but that’s not always possible. The other is to keep an eye on the Instagram Shopping eligible countries list because they are always updating that list.

Do You Have an Instagram Business Account?

Instagram Shopping is only available for people with an Instagram business account. That means that if you’re trying to link to your products on your personal Instagram account, you won’t have any luck.

If you don’t have an Instagram business account, it’s pretty easy to set one up. The first way to do it is to convert your personal account into a business. This can be done by going to the settings tab and selecting “Switch to Professional Account.”

Your other option is to create a separate account to use as your business account. It’s important to note that an individual is only permitted to have five Instagram accounts at a time, so be judicious about setting up accounts.

What Products Are You Selling?

If you’re running into problems with Instagram Shopping, it might be because you’re not selling eligible products. That’s right, Instagram Shopping limits its usage to products that are actually physical products. You cannot use it for virtual products.

If you’re having issues despite selling physical products, it might be because your products are not approved. Every merchant who signs up must sign a merchant agreement and must abide by their commerce policies. Check your merchant agreement to see if your product is eligible.

Stay on Track With Instagram Shopping!

Instagram Shopping is one of the most powerful ways to connect potential customers to your products, but it’s not a tool that’s available for every person to use. Spend some time making sure that everything is correct with your account before getting flustered and trying to delete Instagram. Following these simple steps will help you get there!

Do you need more help with things like Instagram captions and Instagram Story Viewer? We’ve got you covered! Check out the rest of our blog for tons of tips that’ll make you a social media marketing pro.