Shoppable Catalogues
Part of Product tagging in social content
Checking a tagged shopping journey on mobile
Follow a public product tag on a phone, check each handoff to order review and record where the route fails.
Open the public tagged post on a phone. Follow the shopping action to the advertised item, cart and order review, and note any change to item, variant or offer. This checks one observed route through the stage reached; it cannot establish that every shopper can finish an order.
Set up the route check
Choose one current post and the exact item it shows. Record the intended Australian delivery area, device, app or browser, date and whether you are signed in. Where possible, use a view without merchant editing privileges. If the post also offers a profile link, check it as a separate route.
Confirm tagging is available in the merchant’s account. Shopify’s help centre includes guidance on Instagram Shopping and on publishing products on Facebook and Instagram by Meta. Another account or platform may present a different path.
Key Compliance & Platform Guidance
- ACCC Social Media Promotions
- Businesses must support claims made in ads
- Shopify Instagram Shopping
- Publishing via Meta platforms supported
Follow each handoff
- Open the public post. Can you identify the tagged item and see the information needed to understand it?
- Tap the tag. Does it respond, and does the first product view identify the expected item or variant?
- Continue to the store. Note whether the app hands off to an in-app browser or another browser, and whether the advertised choice remains clear.
- Select the advertised version and add it to cart if available. Check the item, quantity and current price there.
- Continue to order review without submitting an order. Check the available delivery option, charges and conditions for the destination used.
Stop if a step requires a real payment or an unauthorised order. Reaching order review does not verify a completed purchase.
Locate the first mismatch
Record the last correct screen and the first incorrect one. If the tag opens nothing, inspect the published tag and product status. If it opens the right product family but the wrong default colour, check whether the advertised colour can be selected clearly. If the cart changes the pack or price, correct the offer before promoting that route further.
Merchant-side product and publishing records can help investigate a failure, but they do not replace the public check. After a correction, repeat the same route and record what changed.
Check mobile controls along the way
On the merchant’s pages, try the variant controls and buying actions by touch. Note controls that are hard to distinguish or select. Check that form fields have understandable labels, including when the on-screen keyboard is open.
W3C guidance addresses pointer-target size or spacing and labels for form controls. This short journey check is not an accessibility conformance audit.
Record the affected post and product, observed problem, owner and repeat-check date. The ACCC provides general guidance on social media promotions, can require businesses to back up claims they make on social media, and can investigate and act on false or misleading claims in social media advertising. If the post makes an inaccurate promise, correct that message as well as the destination. Report only the stage the checked route actually reached.
Mobile Controls & Accessibility Check
- Variant controls are easy to select by touchYes / No
- Form fields have clear labels (including on-screen keyboard)Yes / No
- No unauthorised actions or payments required during checkYes / No
