Any savvy online shopper will tell you: The best way to hype up a product is with a limited-run drop. Whether a company is selling sneakers, one-of-a-kind art prints, or small-batch runs of vinyl records, building anticipation for a timed release of a limited supply of something cool is a great way to drum up sales and generate social buzz. And soon, many product drops are likely to be sold through Instagram thanks to the launch of Instagram Drops.
Soon, upcoming Instagram Drops will be featured in their own dedicated section in the Instagram mobile app’s shopping tab (the shopping tools are not available on Instagram’s desktop website). Customers can sign up for notifications so they don’t miss upcoming releases, and once the product drops, purchase it within the Instagram app using Checkout with Instagram.
Instagram Drops are cool for customers, better for businesses
A centralized place to come to in search of product drops could be helpful for shoppers eyeing a rare release, but the real benefit is for businesses—and we don’t just mean big-name brands. While large companies are already taking advantage of Instagram Drops, the tools are also available to small businesses and independent creators who sell their wares on Instagram, and could help them generate hype for upcoming products ahead of release.
How to sell your products on Instagram
In order to use Instagram Drops, your business must meet specific criteria to sell goods on Instagram. If your business qualifies, the next step is to create an Instagram Business account. You can turn any existing Instagram account into a business account from your profile settings; just head to Settings > Account > “Switch to Professional Account.”
From there, you will need to complete several more steps to finish the account setup, join Instagram Checkout, set up a store page, and turn on shopping actions. Instagram offers a helpful walkthrough of the whole process here. Note that Instagram will collect fees on purchases made with its built-in e-commerce tools in the future, but the company is temporarily waiving transaction fees due to the COVID-19 pandemic.