Instagram's New Rules Will Soon Let Creators Sell Products In The App

Instagram Shopping, the feature that enables sellers to create a storefront showcasing their products to potential customers, is expanding to include a wider number of sellers, including creators. Instagram announced the change on Tuesday, stating that its Commerce Eligibility Requirements now cover more types of businesses, including small-time creators like soap-makers, artists, food bloggers, and more.

Starting on July 9 in every region where Instagram Shopping is available, sellers who meet the new eligibility requirements will be able to create a digital storefront that their fans can browse.

Instagram provides some examples of the types of users who will benefit from this change, including musicians selling band merchandise, crafters selling their merchandise online, or any eligible creator (or business) that has at least one eligible product to sell.

These sellers are able to use shopping tags that potential customers will use to find their products. For businesses in the US that have been included in Instagram's checkout test, their customers can place orders directly in the Instagram app. For everyone else, the Instagram digital storefront instead directs users to the seller's website for the purchase.

Assuming you plan to sell on Instagram, you'll be required to have a single website with all of the products you're selling. The Instagram digital storefront will use shopping tags from this website so that users have a consistent place to buy products from the seller. Instagram says that it will notify users about whether they're approved as a seller and will explain their decision in cases where the request is rejected.