Instagram Shopping: How to Use It for Geneva Stores

Instagram Shopping for Genevan Boutiques: Complete Instructions
In this practical guide, you'll learn how to:

• Configure and link your product catalogue to Instagram Shopping.
• Create posts and stories with product tags.
• Launch and promote live sales via Instagram Live Shopping.
• Optimise your product sheets for search and conversion.
• Measure performance via Insights and adapt your strategy.
• Promote via Instagram Ads and work with local influencers.
• Manage orders, after-sales service and e-commerce integration.
• Discover Instagram Shopping trends in 2025 and beyond.
• Discover how Lumineth supports you: catalogue audit, technical integration, content creation and analytical tracking.

Introduction

Instagram Shopping has established itself as an essential sales channel for local shops. In Geneva, where urban life and online shopping merge, offering your products directly in the feed and stories makes instant purchases easier. Your subscribers can discover, virtually touch and buy without ever leaving the app.

This tutorial guides you step-by-step: from setting up the product catalogue to measuring sales made, creating tagged publications, organising Live Shopping sessions, paid promotion and working with influencers. You'll also see how Lumineth handles each phase - technical integration, visual creation, copywriting, social SEO optimisation and performance tracking.

1. Preparing and linking your product catalogue

The first step is to create a catalogue in Facebook Business Manager and connect it to your professional Instagram account.

1. Create a Business Manager if you haven't already, then go to the "Catalogue" tab.
2. Add a new catalogue, choose "E-commerce" and select your product type.
3. Import your products via a CSV file or an automatic feed from your site (Shopify, WooCommerce, PrestaShop).
4. Link Instagram: in "Instagram account settings" in Business Manager, link your professional profile.
5. Enable Shopping in Instagram settings under "Business > Shopping".
6. Validate your account and wait a few hours for Instagram approval.

Once validated, you can start tagging your products in your posts and stories.

2. Creating tagged publications and stories

Shopping publications catch the eye and facilitate immediate purchase. To maximise their effect:

• High-quality photo or carousel: staging your products in a real-life situation (shop, litter, set table, etc.).
• Identify products: add up to five labels per image.
• Engaging caption: mix storytelling with a call to action ("Discover our Spring collection at the Ruche de Carouge").
• Strategic hashtags: mix generic and local hashtags (#MontresSuisses, #ModeGenève).
• Location hashtags: add "Geneva" or your neighbourhood to reach nearby residents.

For stories, use the Product sticker: the tag integrates naturally with the video or static visual.

3. Instagram Live Shopping: selling live

Live Shopping sessions allow you to interact and sell in real time :

1. Announce your Live several days in advance via posts and stories.
2. Prepare your products and list them on screen with their features.
3. Enable Shopping so that labels appear automatically.
4. Encourage participation by answering questions and offering promo codes live.
5. Share the replay immediately after the live event in your stories to maximise reach.

This format creates a sense of urgency and proximity, often accompanied by a spike in sales during and after the broadcast.

4. Optimisation of social SEO product sheets

Your product sheets must be written for internal Instagram search and encourage purchase :

• Descriptive title: product name + key attribute + location if relevant.
• Concise description: 100-150 characters, strengths and usage.
• Targeted hashtags: 7-10 hashtags combining generic and specific terms.
• Categories and collections: make it easy to navigate your shop.

Good social SEO increases the visibility of your products in the Shopping tab and attracts qualified searches.

5. Measuring and adapting your strategy

Instagram Shopping "Insights" offer valuable data:

• Tag views: how many users have seen your products.
• Clicks to listing: number of product visits.
• Conversion rate: purchases from the app (%).
• Live performance: live interactions and sales generated.

Combine this data with your CRM and Google Analytics to measure overall ROI and identify the best formats.

6. Promote with Instagram Ads

Paid Shopping ads allow you to reach a wider audience:

• Targeted campaigns: define audiences by location, centres of interest, purchasing behaviour.
• Dynamic formats: product carousel or collection to present several references.
• Controlled budget: start with a small daily amount and adjust according to results.
• A/B testing: test visuals, captions and targets to optimise your campaigns.

Lumineth can create and manage your Ads campaigns, define optimal targeting and analyse performance to maximise your return.

7. Collaborating with local influencers

Influencer marketing builds credibility and extends your reach :

• Influencer selection: choose Geneva-based profiles whose audience matches your customer base.
• Exclusive offers and promo codes: offer discounts reserved for their subscribers.
• Storytakeover: let an influencer host your account for a day.
• Unboxing and demonstrations: send your products for them to showcase on video.

These partnerships generate authentic content and promote local engagement. Lumineth supports you in selecting, negotiating and monitoring these collaborations.

8. Manage orders and after-sales service via Messenger

Instagram and Facebook Messenger offer tools for handling orders and after-sales service:

• Pre-order forms: integration of Messenger links for order taking.
• Quick replies: shortcuts for payment confirmations, delivery times, returns.
• Basic chatbots: automated FAQs for recurring questions (delivery, availability).

Lumineth implements these automations to reduce your workload and guarantee a responsive service.

9. Integration with your e-commerce site

For a seamless customer journey, link Instagram Shopping to your back office :

• Facebook Pixel: track actions (add to cart, purchase) and optimise your ads.
• Automatic product flow: daily synchronisation of your catalogue between site and Instagram.
• E-commerce API: real-time retrieval of stock and prices.

This integration minimises inventory errors and improves the shopping experience. Lumineth can carry out the technical configuration and provide maintenance.

10. Instagram Shopping trends in 2025 and future tips

Developments to watch out for:

• Augmented reality (AR Shopping): virtual fittings and product situations.
• Integrated social commerce: shopping via interactive stories and richer in-app shops.
• Personalised AI: tailored product recommendations based on user profile.
• Short video: Shopping reels and product micro-tutorials.

Adopt these innovations now to stay ahead. With Lumineth, you benefit from cutting-edge support: technology watch, AR prototyping, AI strategy and advanced training.

Points to remember

Conclusion

Instagram Shopping offers a range of powerful tools to convert your Geneva community into loyal shoppers. By following this guide, you can configure your catalogue, create interactive content, promote via Ads and influencers, manage after-sales service and integrate your back office. For a smooth, high-performance rollout, Lumineth offers comprehensive support: audit, technical integration, content creation, ad management and analytics tracking - to turn every follower into a customer.

Appendix

Additional Resources

• Instagram Shopping - Facebook Business
• Meta Developers - Shopping API
• Later - Instagram Shopping Guide
• Lumineth - Our e-commerce and social services