<b>Q: Instagram shows some shops with in-app checkout and others that send you to a website. Which should I wa

<b>Q: Instagram shows some shops with in-app checkout and others that send you to a website. Which should I want?</b>

A: They're two different setups. In-app checkout (native checkout = buyer pays without leaving Instagram) is invite-only in select regions and Meta takes a selling fee per order. The link-out version sends shoppers to your own site via product tags, and you keep full control of checkout, upsells, and customer data.

For most affiliates and smaller brands, link-out is the right call. You own the email, you own the pixel data, and you can run your own retargeting. Native checkout mainly helps when friction is your biggest leak — cold audiences who abandon the second they see a new domain.

Also worth knowing: link-out conversions depend heavily on your landing page matching the post. A mismatch here quietly kills more sales than the extra tap does.

Got a question? Drop it in the comments.