Proven Ways to Sell Clothes on Instagram and Make Money

12 min read

If you’re in the business of selling clothes, then you should know that having a strong presence on Instagram is crucial. Instagram has a huge audience with a focus on visual content, which helps to promote products like clothes.

Simply having an Instagram account for your clothing business is not enough. You need to make sure that you’re using the right strategies to sell your clothes on Instagram.

To give you a head start, let’s go over some ways to sell clothes on Instagram. By following these tips, you’ll be able to reach a wider audience, boost your sales, and take your business to a new level. Let’s get started!

Why Sell On Instagram?

It’s safe to say that selling online, especially on Instagram, is great for any kind of business, no matter what type. Let’s break down why.

Instagram Has a Huge Audience

Instagram is a fast-growing social media network with incredible advertising potential. Billions of people will hang out on the platform for hours, watching stories, reels, IGTV, live broadcasts, and scrolling feeds.

There are more than two billion active users on Instagram, and as one of the most popular social networking platforms globally, it has become a key platform in the ecommerce world.

Users Look for Brands on Instagram

In the quest to discover new products, more than 200 million Instagram users visit at least one Business Profile every day. The platform’s format helps users find what they want quickly.

For example, Instagram Reels are great for product discovery, as there are more than 200 million Instagram accounts recommended to users based on their interests and activity. Instagram’s algorithm can help you reach your target audience on the platform.

In other words, your choice to sell on Instagram will inevitably draw people to your business.

You Can Sell Right on the Platform

Instagram Shopping allows businesses to set up a dedicated Shop tab in their profile and tag products in postable content. That means your potential customers can buy a product right from your profile—without even leaving the app!

Users can click on a product tag to learn more about the product and buy it right away

Shopping on Instagram is very popular among consumers—44% of people surveyed use Instagram weekly to shop using features like shopping tags in posts.

All you have to do to sell on Instagram is convert your profile into a business account. That way, you have access to countless advertising tools and analytics that can help you succeed with your endeavor.

The best way to sell products is to connect your online store to Instagram. This requires having an ecommerce platform. If you sell online with Ecwid by Lightspeed, you can do that in no time.

Please note that on April 27, 2023, Meta announced changes to Facebook and Instagram Shops across different regions. See how your Shops on Facebook and Instagram experience may be affected in the Meta Business Help Center.

How to Sell Clothes On Instagram

It is pretty easy and relatively simple to set up your shop online. To sell clothes on Instagram, follow these steps:

1. Decide What Clothes You Want to Sell

First, you need to decide what kind of clothing store you want to set up. You can simply sell new clothes online, either clothing you make or dropship. You can also create a place for others to purge stuff that they do not wear anymore and then sell used clothes. See, that’s the best part of owning your own store: you get to decide what you want to do!

If you decide to sell second-hand or vintage clothes, a key thing to note is that the clothes should be in good condition—aka no stains, noticeable flaws, or holes.

2. Set Up your Instagram Account

To start selling on Instagram, make sure your Instagram business profile has these three key features:

Profile photo: You should choose a logo or photo that is on-brand. This is what people will use to identify your clothing company.

Eye-catching bio: Include a well-crafted and eye-catching bio in your Instagram Business profile. Make sure it is clear and gives a simple, concise description of your clothing business. In other words, let people know what you have to offer through your bio.

Learn more: How to Write a Great Instagram Bio for Your Business Profile

Link to your online shop: You should also add a clickable link to your store in the URL section of your bio. This shows up in your profile and helps drive traffic to your online store from stories and individual posts. Your unique URL also affords you the chance to track how many visits you have on your website.

This bio has it all: contacts, link to the site, and a CTA to encourage users to shop

3. Take High-Quality Pictures

When it comes to selling clothes on Instagram, high-quality images are a must. Your photos should be well-lit, brightly colored, and clear. Avoid using filters that make your photos look overdone or washed out. Instead, focus on highlighting the natural colors of your clothing.

In addition, be sure to style your clothing in a way that is visually appealing and showcases the garments in the best light possible.

In the item description, include the measurements of each item and provide any other important details. Though having concise and informative descriptions are good, engaging visuals are essential, so you should focus a lot of energy on pictures.

4. Use Hashtags Strategically

Hashtags are a great way to reach a wider audience on Instagram. When using hashtags, be sure to use them strategically in order to maximize their impact. First, do some research to find out which hashtags are most popular within your niche. Start putting those hashtags in your posts, using a mix of both popular and niche-specific hashtags in order to reach both a wide and targeted audience.

When it comes to clothes, specify the dominant characteristics of each clothing piece. Indicate whether they are from a thrift store, vintage, classic, or popular brand. You should especially be specific if you’re selling gear. Hashtag the posts based on the new customers and audiences you want to attract.

6. Use Instagram Product Tags

Product tags are a proven way to use Instagram optimally. With product tags, you can use the platform like an ecommerce site. Potential buyers can click on each item in all kinds of posts. And then when a tag pops up, it shows the price and how to purchase the item. This makes buying your products seamless while cutting down on tiring DMs about costs and details.

Tip: use product tags in stories when posting pictures of your customers

Learn more: How to Sell on Instagram in 2022: Complete Beginners Guide

7. Post Engaging Content

In addition to using high-quality images and strategic hashtags, it’s also important to post engaging content if you want to sell clothes on Instagram. Your posts should tell a story and highlight the unique features of your clothing line.

Make sure to post content that is interesting and relevant to your target audience. The goal is to create content that will resonate with potential customers, making them want to learn more about your brand and buy your products.

Ensure to utilize the different types of content available to you, including reels, stories, and lives. You can make all the content you create shoppable, increasing the odds that customers will buy your clothes from a video or image.

You can tag products in your reels too

8. Use Calls-to-Action

If you want people to take action after seeing your posts (i.e., buy your clothes), then you need to include calls to action in your captions. For example, you could include a link to your website or online store in every post. Or, you can include a specific call-to-action in your posts, like “Shop Now” or “Visit Our Website.” By including CTAs in your posts, you’ll be more likely to drive traffic to your site and close sales.

9. Offer Discounts and Promotions

Offering discounts and promotions is a great way to increase sales on Instagram. People love getting deals on clothing, so take advantage of that by offering deals from time to time. For example, you could offer free shipping for orders over $100, or give away a free item with every purchase.

Whatever the discount or promotion you decide to offer, just be sure to promote it heavily across all of your Instagram content so that people know about it.

Final Thoughts

Selling clothes on Instagram can earn you enormous revenue. If you are already using social media to make sales, you probably already know this fact. But if you haven’t taken advantage of social platforms yet, you are missing out on the plethora of benefits embedded in selling on Instagram.

While there is no promised amount of money you can make selling clothes on Instagram, doing so will only help your business thrive. With some effort and your newfound knowledge on how to sell clothes on Instagram, you can make a significant sum. Just make sure you have quality merchandise, give reasonable prices, and promote your store appropriately.

Using a rock-solid and reliable ecommerce platform like Ecwid by Lightspeed will give you an even greater chance for success. More so, Shoppable Instagram posts from the platform’s ecommerce side helps you meet your customers’ needs, all while connecting with news, your favorite brands, and friends. Using all the tools at your disposal will help you have a profitable and sustainable business.

What are you waiting for? Get started selling clothes on Instagram from your Ecwid store today!

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Sell on Social Sell on Instagram

Sep 29, 2022

About the author

Max has been working in the ecommerce industry for the last six years helping brands to establish and level-up content marketing and SEO. Despite that, he has experience with entrepreneurship. He is a fiction writer in his free time.