How to Fix “Your Shopify Store Isn’t Eligible for Instagram Product Tagging” Error (Quickly)

It’s the mystery that’s been keeping you up for days. You’ve tried all the ways you can think of and read every thread on the Shopify community, but why isn’t your store eligible for Instagram product tagging?

It’s like a carrot is held out to you but you can’t reach it no matter what you do, and the answers aren’t easy to find.

Here are the reasons you’re encountering this error and what you can do to fix it.

If you get the “Your store isn’t eligible for Instagram product tagging” error, it could be due to any of the following reasons:

Instagram Shopping isn’t available in your location

Instagram Shopping has not been rolled out to every location yet and you can check the list of supported countries. If you are physically in a location where it is not supported due to travel, you may also face issues with tagging your products.

Your products or store do not comply with Instagram guidelines

If you’re selling items that are prohibited on Instagram such as weapons, your account will not be eligible for Instagram Shopping. Your products must also be directly available for purchase on your Shopify website or Instagram.

Only physical goods can be offered on Instagram Shopping.

You don’t have an Instagram Business profile

Change your Instagram to a business profile before setting up Instagram for your store. Add in your email address and Shopify website to your profile so that Instagram knows that you are a legitimate business.

Your Instagram account isn’t linked with your Facebook Business page

You need to be an administrator on your Facebook Business page or Business Manager account to do this. Go to your Facebook page, click Settings at the top and connect your Instagram account. Set up Instagram Shopping to link your product catalog.

Go to your Instagram account, click on Settings and select Accounts. You should see the option to link your Instagram to your Facebook.

If none of the reasons above applies to you and you’re still having issues, report the issue to Instagram and the Facebook support team. The team may take a few days to review your store and investigate the issue but they can solve your problem.

To report a problem on Instagram, go to your Profile > Setting > Help > Report a problem. Fill out the Facebook Support form and a member of the support team should get back to you. Unfortunately, Shopify support is unlikely to help because the issue lies with the Instagram and Facebook platforms.

While waiting, you can try the following steps to fix the error.

1. Change your Instagram Business account back to a Personal account

You’ll change it again later but this step resets your account to clear any potential issues. Go to your Profile > Settings > Account > Switch Back to Personal Account.

2. Disconnect your Instagram and Facebook

On Instagram, select Settings > Account > Linked Accounts > Facebook and you’ll see the option to disconnect your Facebook page.

Go to your Facebook page and tap Settings > Instagram > Disconnect. Next, go to your Facebook Business Manager and click on Settings > Account > Instagram. The option to disconnect your Instagram account should be there.

3. Change your Facebook page template to the Shopping template

On your Facebook page, go to Settings > Edit > Template. You’ll see the option to click Edit and choose the Shopping template for your page.

Ensure that your Facebook page has a category assigned to it as not having one may be a reason why you’re encountering the error.

4. Reinstall Instagram

Go to the Settings menu in your phone and clear your Instagram app cache. If you are using an iPhone, go to Settings and select the Instagram app. Turn on the slider that says Reset cached content.

On an Android phone, select Settings > Apps > Installed Applications and select Instagram. Press the Clear Cache button.

Delete the Instagram app from your phone and reinstall the app before logging back into your Instagram page.

5. Change your Instagram account to a Business account

Head to your Profile > Settings > Account > Switch to Business Account.

6. Create your product catalog on Facebook

Go to your Facebook Business Manager and select Catalog Manager to create a product catalog.

Choose the E-commerce option as your product category.

To get approved for product tagging, Instagram requires at least nine products in your Facebook product catalog. It’s best to manually add your products to your product catalog as this prevents any potential issues caused by loading in your products from Shopify. You don’t have to add your entire catalogue in the beginning, add at least nine products before trying the rest of the steps.

7. Set up Commerce Manager on Facebook

The Commerce Manager is located in your Business Manager account. Select Create & Manage > Commerce Manager where you’ll be asked to input your business details such as your business address and bank information. This allows Facebook to verify your business information which will allow Instagram to approve your Instagram shop.

8. Connect your Facebook catalog to your Facebook shop

Go back to your trusty Business Manager and select your product catalog. Head to the Use cases section where you’ll see the option to connect a Facebook page.

It may take anywhere between five to fifteen minutes for the connection to be completed.

9. Set up the Shop Now Button

It’s time to set up the shop now button that takes people to your Facebook shop. Go to your Facebook page and click Add a button > Shop with you > Shop on your page.

10. Reconnect your Instagram and Facebook

Before you take this final step, ensure you have the most updated version of the Instagram app.

Go to Instagram and select Profile > Setting > Linked Accounts > Facebook to connect your Facebook page.

Log in to your Facebook account and go to your page. Click Setting > Instagram > Connect accounts.

It may take a few days to get approved before you are eligible to use Instagram Shopping to sell your Shopify products on Instagram.

How Do You Get Approved For Instagram Shops?

The requirements you need to meet in order to be approved for Instagram Shops are:

1. An Instagram Business account that is compliant with all guidelines and policies
2. Your products can be directly purchased from your Shopify website or Instagram Checkout
3. Instagram Shopping is available in your location and market
4. Your business is established and trustworthy with a valid business website, address and contact details. Your privacy policy and refund and return policy should also be clearly visible.
5. Your Shopify website does not provide misleading information to sell products
6. Your store is selling physical goods

How Do You Tag Items In Stores On Instagram?

Ensure you’ve activated the Shopping feature on your Instagram account by going to your Instagram Profile > Settings > Business > Shopping and choosing the product catalog to connect to your account.

To do product tagging on an Instagram post, add a photo as usual and write in your caption. Choose the option to “Tag products” and you will have the option to tap on your photo and select a product from your catalog to tag.

When you’re happy with your post, publish it.

You can also add a Shopping sticker to your Instagram Story and choose the product that you want to feature and sell. This also offers the option to change the text colour of the sticker and move it to where you want it to appear on your Story before you publish your Story.

If you have a verified account or over 10,000 followers on your page, you’ll have the swipe-up feature where you can directly take followers to your product page from your Instagram Story.

Conclusion

Selling your Shopify products on social media can be what you need to grow your business, which may make it worth the hassle of trying to fix the “Your Shopify store isn’t eligible for Instagram product tagging” error.

You may need to disconnect your Facebook and Instagram and change back your Instagram account to a personal profile before switching it back to a Business profile. Go through the steps again of changing your page template, uploading your product catalog, creating a Commerce Manager, and connecting your Facebook page and catalog. Finally, you can try connecting your Instagram and Facebook again and check if the error is resolved.

Try these steps above and expand your social media reach to sell your Shopify items.