Q: Is Instagram in-app checkout worth it, or does sending people to my own site convert better?

Q: Is Instagram in-app checkout worth it, or does sending people to my own site convert better?

A: A small apparel brand ran both for 6 weeks. Native Instagram Checkout (you pay inside the app, never leave) converted tagged-product taps at 4.2%. Their 'visit our site' link-in-bio path converted the same traffic at 1.6%, mostly because mobile site load and a second login killed momentum. Net: native checkout roughly 2.6x the completed orders on identical posts.

The catch: Instagram takes a selling fee on native checkout, around 5% per transaction at the time. They still came out ahead because the lift in completion more than covered it.

Also worth knowing: run your own 2-week split before committing. Brands with a fast, single-tap site sometimes beat native.

Got a question? Drop it in the comments.