Imagine a marketplace in the UAE that almost half of the population visits regularly. This would surely be the place to set up your shop if you wanted to sell products. Perhaps you thought we were referring to the Dubai Mall (the world’s largest). Instead, we’re thinking of Instagram, the social media app that doubles up as a shopping platform. Over 45% of the UAE population browses the platform regularly.
Instagram makes it easy to sell goods, which is a fantastic place for your business to launch an online presence. In this blog, we get expert tips from Rawan Kayat, Head of Content at Zbooni, who provide tools and solutions that support businesses with payment on various digital platforms, including social media. We also describe other ways to sell on Instagram:
Expert Advice From Rawan Kayat Of Zbooni
Rawan, Head of Content at Zbooni, answers your key questions about selling on Instagram.
Do I Need A Business License To Sell On Instagram?
In the UAE, you need a business license to sell anywhere. The good thing is it is now easier to get one. Zbooni has partnered up with Meydan Free Zone to make obtaining licenses seamless, easier and faster.
Can I Make Money With 1,000 Instagram Followers?
Yes, you can! Every follower is a potential customer if you are communicating the right thing. Sometimes starting with a small community is even better because you can quickly respond to questions on chat and take the conversation further by showing real engagement with your potential clients. You can also convert that conversation into a transaction by generating an order with a payment link that can be sent over any chat. With Zbooni, you can increase your conversion rate by 81% by creating an order in 10 seconds, sending it via chat and getting paid on the spot.
How Much Money Can I Make On Instagram?
The sky’s the limit – and we can help you get there. You can link your Instagram page to a store where people can view all your products and purchase from you. This increases the possibility of impulse purchases – and 81% of shoppers believe social channels help them make a shopping decisions.
For example, our partners put their Zbooni store in their Instagram bio. When this link is clicked, it redirects customers to a page where they can browse products and prices and can either check out on their own or click on a “Chat to shop” button that allows them to talk to the store on WhatsApp in case they have any questions, concerns or need any customization.
How To Grow On Instagram Without Spending Money?
There are four main things you need to be doing:
- Be consistent in posting and updating your page, and keep yourself informed. Currently, Instagram is trying to move away from still images to reels, so create your content accordingly. Instagram’s algorithm will push your content’s reach.
- Keep your customers happy because word of mouth is significant. People telling their friends about their experience with you helps you grow organically.
- Send free samples to influencers if that is a possibility for you. Most of them will publish their stories, which will help you spread awareness and gain followers.
- Be responsive by answering your clients’ questions by chat, whether on Instagram or if they redirect to WhatsApp. Remember that 53% of shoppers say they would instead buy from companies they can reach by chat.
How Do I Retain My Customers After They Have Purchased From Me On Instagram?
Retention of customers is as important as securing new customers. With the new era of social commerce, forget traditional re-marketing tools such as emails. A huge 70% of shoppers say they would only engage with personalized marketing messages – and messages have a 98% open rate compared to emails with only a 10% open rate. The best re-marketing tools are those that meet the customers on the channels that matter the most to them. For example, Zbooni is introducing personalized collections, a feature that allows you to curate collections for your customers based on what you already know about them and send those collections to them via chat.
Thanks to Rawan for these practical insights! Learn more about Zbooni here.
START YOUR BUSINESS ON INSTAGRAM NOW WITH AED 1,042 PER MONTH
How To Sell On Instagram?
At Meydan Free Zone, many businesses working in our high-tech office spaces sell products on social media platforms like Instagram. Our experts support many at Meydan Commerce – a unique service that helps startups sell on e-commerce platforms. Based on this experience, we’ve put together the following tips to help you sell on Instagram.
- Identify your niche: A vital step in selling any product or service on Instagram is to figure out your niche and how you can differentiate your company. Instagram provides plenty of useful tools for figuring out what kinds of products and goods people are interested in, so use hashtags and find out more about what’s hot.
- Perform competitor research: As with any business plan, it’s imperative to know what your competitors are selling, how they speak about their products, and which hashtags and Instagram marketing techniques they use. You can then use this information as inspiration and figure out creative ways to differentiate your brand.
- Set up Your Website: To be able to sell any products on Instagram, you first need an online store through which you can sell your products. At Meydan Free Zone, we can provide plenty of help and support when building an attractive, easy-to-use and profitable website.
- Apply For An Instagram Business Profile: This step is free – you register your company with Instagram. At this stage, you can also set up an Instagram Shop, which will connect to your external website.
- Start Marketing Your Goods: Success on Instagram depends on your marketing savvy. It would be best if you learn how to take attractive photographs, use tools such as hashtags, and figure out the best time to post your content to get on Instagram’s Explore page.
- Create Shoppable Posts:Â A Shoppable post is a post where you show an image/video of your products and include a link where customers can buy it from your web store.
- Develop A Marketing Strategy:Â You don’t want your Instagram profile to seem cluttered with sales content, so try to find a balance between general branding and marketing posts and those more specifically about selling your products.
- Use Live Shopping:Â Instagram allows you to create Live Shopping events where you demonstrate your product in a live environment, and viewers can watch you describe the item and ask questions. This encourages much more interaction and engagement with you, letting your potential customers ask questions and, therefore, boosting higher sales.
- Use Instagram Checkout:Â Instagram Checkout is a feature that you can add to your Instagram Shop profile, allowing people to order directly from Instagram without having to leave the app. This makes it easier for people to purchase goods through their social media feeds and is especially helpful for impulse purchases.
NEED MORE IDEAS TO SELL ON SOCIAL MEDIA IN THE UAE?
Cost Of A Business License To Sell On Instagram In The UAE
Applying for a business license to sell on Instagram in the UAE starts from AED 12,500 at Meydan Free Zone. For this, you will receive your business license and use smart offices with 24/7 access and high-powered internet. You’ll be based in attractive surroundings, which you can use as a background for eye-catching Instagram photos (we are right by the golf course and racecourse, as well as attractive, landscaped shopping and leisure facilities).
What Is The Penalty For Selling On Instagram Without A Business License?
All businesses in the UAE must have a business license if they wish to sell products and services, and this includes businesses selling through social media platforms like Instagram and Facebook, WhatsApp, TikTok and other platforms. The UAE government has warned that individuals or businesses that sell products on social media without a license in the UAE could face fines of up to AED 500,000, according to the Khaleej Times.
APPLY FOR YOUR LICENSE TO SELL ON SOCIAL MEDIA
Why Meydan Free Zone?
Meydan Free Zone is a fantastic location for setting up your company and selling products on Instagram. All our office space is furnished with high-powered internet, which is, of course, vital when it comes to selling products and services online. Since we are open 24/7, you know you’re always able to work and sell products to customers around the world. You won’t be short of attractive backdrops for your photos, as we are located in central Dubai, right by the golf course and racecourse. You’ll also never be far from attractive scenery, including Dubai’s iconic skyline and seashore.
In addition, starting an Instagram business at Meydan Free Zone will provide you with plenty of networking opportunities with other e-commerce and social media businesses. And, of course, you’ll benefit from broader advantages of basing yourself in a free zone, including 0% income tax, 100% foreign ownership and no VAT. Our consultants can support you with all aspects of business setup in Dubai, so you’ll be well placed to begin selling on Instagram and making money.
