Updated June 17, 2025 • Written By Oky Sabeni
So, you want to connect Instagram to your Shopify store. It’s a great idea, and often the first step merchants take to make their site feel more dynamic and branded. Most start by looking for a simple app to display their Instagram feed on their homepage.
But a simple feed is just the beginning. The real power of a Shopify Instagram integration isn’t just showing your own marketing posts—it’s about leveraging your community's content to build powerful social proof and drive sales directly from your galleries.
This guide will show you the complete strategy, from a basic feed to a revenue-generating machine, and recommend the best Shopify Instagram app to get the job done.
The most common reason to get a Shopify Instagram app is to display your latest posts on your store. This helps keep your site looking fresh and visually connects your store to your social media presence. Apps in this category do one job very well: they create a simple, clean gallery of your feed.
Good options for this specific task include apps like Instafeed or MP Instagram Feed. They are reliable, easy to set up, and will get your posts onto your site quickly. But if your goal is to increase sales, a feed is not enough.
A standard Instagram feed only shows your own content. It’s your marketing, your product shots, and your brand voice. That’s valuable, but it isn't authentic social proof.
The real magic happens when you showcase content from your actual customers. Every time a customer posts a photo of your product and tags your account (@yourbrand) or uses your hashtag (#yourbrand), they are creating powerful user-generated content (UGC). This is the difference between saying "buy our product" and having a crowd of happy customers showing everyone else "I bought this product, and I love it."
The best Shopify Instagram apps don't just show your feed; they also find and aggregate all of this valuable instagram ugc, turning your customers into your most effective sales force.
Once you're displaying both your own beautiful feed and your customers' authentic UGC, there's one final step: close the loop and turn inspiration into revenue. A shoppable Instagram gallery allows you to tag your products directly in the photos and videos. When a visitor sees a look they love—whether on your feed or from a customer's post—they can click to buy it right there, without having to search your store.
This transforms your galleries from simple decorative elements into powerful conversion tools, directly impacting your bottom line.
So, the ideal Shopify Instagram app needs to do three jobs: display your feed, aggregate your UGC, and make it all shoppable. While some apps only do one piece of the puzzle, a comprehensive platform can handle the entire strategy.
Socialphotos was designed to execute this entire strategy in one simple, affordable package. We believe the best Shopify Instagram app is one that helps you build powerful social proof and directly drive sales.
Key Features for a Complete Instagram Strategy:
While basic feed apps are a good start, Socialphotos is the complete shopify ugc app that turns your Instagram presence into a measurable part of your sales funnel.