Instagram Dropshipping - How to Set Up Dropshipping on Instagram

Instagram is a remarkable social media marketing platform, boasting an impressive history of producing high engagement and conversion rates for its business accounts.

With the app’s rapid advancement, it has dethroned Facebook as the ultimate social media marketing app, generating 36.9% of Facebook’s total revenue in 2020.

For dropshippers, Instagram presents a wide array of features to market its offerings. These include hashtags, giveaways, influencer marketing, and engaging with people within your niche.

To learn more about all the exciting opportunities in store for you, keep reading as we unravel the path toward a successful Instagram dropshipping career.

What Is Instagram Dropshipping

Other than being a widely used social networking site, Instagram has been accredited as the sales hub of 2023, generating $43.2 billion through its ad revenues.     

With such a resounding success, Instagram opened up a new channel for e-commerce marketing through Instagram dropshipping. This marketing model allows you to sell products by becoming the middleman between the customer and the manufacturer.

The two features that make dropshipping different from conventional online purchasing are:

● You are not required to buy products from the manufacturer before selling.

● You do not need an inventory to store products.

Read further to get an in-depth understanding of how to start dropshipping on Instagram.

How Does Instagram Dropshipping Work?

If you have an Instagram business account, you can use it to promote your dropshipping store and its products. Owing to Instagram’s humungous user base, you can access free organic traffic for your business page.

Moreover, it’s vital to note that Facebook owns Instagram and has recently released an option called FB Shops.

These Shops possess a checkout feature and give dropshippers an opportunity to create their online store on a platform that already has an engaged audience and operate it through their Instagram stores.   

You can attach the link to your dropshipping store in the bio, stories, or posts of your Instagram store. This way, customers can effortlessly be redirected to your store and purchase their favorite products.

In addition, Instagram is a treasure trove for online marketing. Apart from organic traffic, you can employ influencer marketing and Instagram shoutouts to elevate products and brand promotions.

Overall, these characteristics of Instagram assist drop shippers to tap into new markets and boost their visibility.

Advantages and Disadvantages of Instagram Dropshipping

Instagram dropshipping is an insanely powerful business model because of the following advantages:

● Wide market – We know that there are over 1.5 billion active users on Instagram. This cancels out the need to create a separate online store and spends several dollars to attract traffic through paid advertising and SEO techniques.

● Connect with customers on a personal level – Today, shoppers decide whether or not to buy from a brand based on how much they trust it. Instagram provides drop shippers an excellent opportunity to strengthen customer trust through its golden features, such as live shows, Instagram stories, and reels.

However, there are certain disadvantages you need to keep an eye out for. These include the following:

● Stiff competition – Almost every seller understands the pool of valuable opportunities they can accomplish with Instagram. This means they’re already on the platform engaging with their customers by the time you start building your presence. This can make it hard to find your foothold among already established brands.

●  High ads cost – Instagram ads are not economical at all and require at least $300 each month for meaningful returns.

How to Set Up Instagram Dropshipping?

When starting a business, most drop shippers create a website for their stores or sign up at existing shopping stores like Shopify and Etsy. However, this isn't the case when setting up an Instagram dropshipping business.

1. Create a Business Account

To access all the marketing features available on Instagram, create an Instagram account and switch it to a business account.

Once done, set up your profile by adding a relevant bio, adding hashtags, and choose the category of products you'll be selling so that Instagram can connect you with like-minded buyers.

2. Find Reliable Suppliers

Choosing suppliers who offer quality products, timely deliveries, and competitive prices is a critical component of your dropshipping success. Popular platforms like Doba dropshipping, Amazon, eBay, etc., are popular resources for finding reliable suppliers.

Keep in mind that your supplier must conveniently be able to ship products to your target audience.

3. Set-Up Your Instagram Store

After creating a framework for your account by adding the bio and hashtags, start filling in the relevant content into your account, i.e., the product pictures.

Ensure that you choose high-quality pictures taken in good lighting. Make any adjustments needed in the picture and start posting.

4. Craft Compelling Captions and Use Niche-Specific Hashtags

When crafting a caption for a product, add in the necessary details like the name of the product, its price, along with its size and color range.

Hashtags are used to optimize your content, boost visibility, and engage with your target audience. Therefore, use hashtags that best describe your product or the category of products you’re selling to attract potential customers.

5. Add Product Links to Your Stories

While posting about products on your feed is a great way to start your dropshipping business, you can also utilize your stories to post captivating shots and insert product links on your story.

These links can take customers to your official website and allow them to skim through the wide range of products available, enabling them to purchase products readily.

Bottom Line

At this point, you’re all armed up to start your Instagram dropshipping career. As we learned from the information above, while Instagram is a valuable marketplace to begin your dropshipping career, it’s also heavily populated with brands, wholesalers, and drop shippers.

Thus, the only way to ensure your store is destined for success is by offering the most trendy items as preferred by your target market and making optimal use of Instagram’s marketing features.

Partner with Doba dropshipping today to get your hands on the latest trends and capitalize on the change in your audience’s interests.