Facebook Shop 101 🛍️

 

Are you a retailer that’s on social media? Or perhaps a home-based business collating orders online? If so, it’s time to consider adding Facebook Shop to your social media profile to increase your sales because Facebook has 2.9 billion active users!

 

But firstly, you may be wondering: What’s Facebook Shops?

 

Facebook Shops explained 🛒

 

If you’re new to what Facebook Shops is all about, Facebook Shops is a free-to-use tool available to retailers (small or big) to provide them with an online storefront on social media.

 

Aimed at making shopping a seamless experience, through Facebook Shops, followers and visitors of your page can now browse, explore and purchase goods directly from your Facebook and Instagram page. 

 

Such a benefit is ever more so relevant in today’s world, where customer journeys play a critical role in business sales. According to Ali Hersh Pace, North America Luxury & Retail Lead at Facebook, “Today’s consumers expect brands to provide a seamless shopping experience across their retail channels.” 

 

In addition, the 2020 report from Nielsen shows that the omnichannel shopping experience has grown by 50%. Most shoppers—66% of them—use mobile devices (Discovery Led Shopping Study), and as a result, a growing trend indicates that more shoppers are using social media to discover and learn about brands. 

 

With Facebook Shops helping to minimise the number of touchpoints your customers go through before buying your products, this provides an integrated omnichannel experience that speeds up the purchase process. With everything on the same platform, this also reduces the need for your customers to search elsewhere to find your products, limiting the threat of unnecessary competition.

 

So, why Facebook Shops?

 

“What if omnichannel experiences aren’t that important to me?”

 

“Surely having an eCommerce is enough! My customers can get to my site as long as I provide them with the URL, right?”

 

More than just offering another eCommerce platform, Facebook Shops enables your business to:

• Grow your brand identity and showcase your products through visually appealing collections
• Use ads to help your potential shoppers discover your brand
• Gain valuable insights to make a data-driven evaluation for your brand
• Appear in the dedicated Facebook Shops or Instagram Shop within each app after you successfully create Facebook Shops for your brand
• Talk to potential shoppers since it is integrated with Messenger or Instagram Direct

 

In other words, it provides an easy way to market your products across Facebook’s family of apps. And with the potential of Facebook Shops being introduced to WhatsApp Business in the future, this makes Facebook Shops an invaluable tool for a growing business competing in today’s competitive marketplace.

 

How to get started with Facebook Shops?

 

Here are some tips to get you started with Facebook Shops.

 

1️⃣ Check and fulfil all the Facebook Shops requirements

In order to use Facebook Shops, your business must first be eligible for it. This includes being in a country market where either Facebook or Instagram Shop is supported. 

 

Additionally, you should also:

• Own a Facebook Business Page or an Instagram Business account
• Have admin privileges in your Business Manager account
• Have manager privileges for the Facebook catalogue of your brand

 

For the complete list of requirements, please refer to Facebook’s resource here.

 

2️⃣ Start from Facebook Commerce Manager

 

Get started by going to their Commerce Manager. You can follow their onboarding process by clicking the “Get Started” button and selecting the “Create a Shop” button. After that, go through the process and provide the necessary information, like your preferred checkout method, the Business Page you want to add, etc.

 

Always read everything thoroughly.

 

3️⃣ Fill in your business information

 

In the onboarding process, Facebook will ask for necessary information about your brand. For example, you will be required to provide the contact information for your business, the category that best suits your brand, location, description, etc.

 

4️⃣ Put in your physical goods and shipping details

 

After filling in all the information, Facebook will provide a prompt for you to add in your products before the launch of your Facebook Shop. Should you wish to make further edits to your product listings, you can still change them later (e.g. removing or editing descriptions) after launching your Facebook Shops.

 

5️⃣ Customize your Facebook Shops in the Commerce Manager

 

Make tweaks to the visuals of your Facebook Shops before its launch. Not only can you edit the layout or style of your Facebook Shops, but you can also use the “Preview” tab to see how your online storefront looks in front of your potential customers to revise the design to your taste.

 

Learn more about the customisation page through Facebook Business Help Center.

 

6️⃣ Organise your products into a beautiful collection

 

Still in Commerce Manager, make use of the “collection” feature to showcase your goods.  For example, you can feature your summer line for your clothing brand by creating a collection. You can create a collection by:

• Go to the “Layout” tab on the Facebook Shops customisation page
• Press the “Add Collection” button
• Add your goods to the collection

 

7️⃣ Launch time

 

After taking time to set up your Facebook Shops, review everything at first. When you feel they are ready to publish, go ahead, launch it, and spread the word about it.

 

The bottom line 📖

• Brands of all sizes can use Facebook Shops because it is free
• It creates a pleasant online storefront that works across a family of apps from Facebook
• An enjoyable and seamless experience is a plus point for the buyer’s journey of your potential shoppers

 

Creating seamless experiences among all your marketing touchpoints can drive customer acquisition