As of 19th May 2020, Facebook is now one of the players in the eCommerce space with the launch of Facebook Page Shop. This simply means that you can put up your products for sale, and clients can purchase them through Facebook as they would through your eCommerce store.
This new feature is available on both Facebook and Instagram. If you have a business page on Facebook, you can add the shop feature and use the section as an eCommerce outlet.
Facebook Shop is available to businesses around the world. However, the feature best serves retailers, advertisers and merchants. Simply put, businesses with physical products will have it easier with this new change.
Setting up a Facebook Page Shop
This is a simple and straightforward process. For starters, you must have a business page and some photos of the physical items you wish to advertise. You will need to read through the merchant terms and conditions and agree to them before you can set up shop.
- On your business page, select the Add Shop Section Link. This is best done on PC as opposed to mobile devices, for now.
- Depending on how you have set up your business page, you may or may not see the Shop tab. If you do not see it, go to settings and change your template to Shopping template
- Once you have selected your preferred option, fill in the fields as prompted
- Click Finish once you are okay with the information you’ve filled up
Since the feature is still relatively new, it may not be available to everyone at the moment. Additionally, Facebook is still in talks with industry partners to avail additional vital services to sellers on the platform through third-party integrations.
How to Add Products to Your Shop
Once your Shop is set up, it is time to add products to it. Keep in mind that this feature works best with physical products. Have a few photos of the physical products you wish to sell. Remember to only put up products that comply with Facebook’s commerce policies.
You will need to know how to add and manage products on your Shop. You can do this through the Shop tab or by building a Shop catalogue.
A) Use a Catalog Manager to Add Products to Facebook Shop
This is an inventory platform where you can manage the products you wish to put up for sale. If you intend to do a bulk upload of products, this is your best bet as it makes work easier and faster. Additionally, it is the best option if you intend to run multiple ads across commerce channels.
When you add your first product, the platform automatically creates a catalog. Here is how you can add more products to it.
Click on the Catalogue Manager and you will find your first catalog. If the catalog is automatically generated, it will have the generic name “Products for XX” in which XX is the name of your shop
Click on add item, at which point you will have these options:
- Manual addition where you add one item at a time
- Bulk uploads where you can use a file to upload several items at a go. Such files should be CSV, XML, TSV or Google sheets
- Facebook Pixel that allows you to import products from your eCommerce store and automatically updates the catalog
- Import items from eCommerce platforms such as Shopify, Magento, WooCommerce etc.
- Use Catalogue Batch API which is best done by a developer who is familiar with HTTP requests
Your choice of upload style may be informed by several factors. These are:
- Inventory size and type
- The time and effort required to add all the items you want to your shop
- The time and effort required to manage inventory
- How often your inventory changes over time
If you want to have a simple shop with few items that rarely change, you can opt for the manual upload. If you have a number of items that change constantly, you can opt for the pixel or file upload option.
Using Facebook pixel to upload items to your shop requires you to have micro tags on your website pages. Additionally, you must have installed Pixel. For the file upload, it must be of the specified format
When you decide to import items from an already existing eCommerce platform, the Facebook Shop catalog automatically syncs with the platform. This allows you to manage inventory from your eCommerce store and the changes will reflect on your Facebook Shop catalog.
B) Use the Shop Tab to Add Products to Facebook Shop
- On the Shop tab of your business page, select Add Product. Be sure to use a computer as this option is currently unavailable on mobile devices.
- Add images and/or videos and put a title to each product you upload. Keep the title short and simple
- Add a description of the product and the price. Be sure to include the product’s features in the description. Such features may include the available sizes, colors available, the material it is made of as well as any special instructions such as cleaning and care information
- Once you have added all the products you want in your catalog, click Save. The Catalog will be reviewed and updated in 24 hours.
For best results, it is advisable to follow the guidelines Facebook gives for images, videos, product titles and product descriptions.
When using the Shop tab, the Add Product button may redirect you to Catalogue Manager. If this happens, it means that you probably aren’t allowed to use the Shop tab just yet. As such, you can use any of the aforementioned ways to add products using a Catalogue Manager.
How to Drive Traffic to Your Facebook Shop
There are various ways that you can let your target audience know about your new Facebook Page Shop. Here are some simple tips.
- Advertise the shop on your business page
- You can add Call to Action button on organic posts and stories that redirects to the Shop
- You can tag products on you page posts
- You can use paid ads on your page with CTAs to the shop
While Facebook hasn’t rolled out ads for shops just yet, this feature is in the pipeline. Additionally, there will be a Live Shopping feature to further enhance a shopper’s experience.
Working with Facebook Shop’s Commerce Manager
Once you set up your Shop, the Commerce Manager comes in handy to help you sell products and manage inventory. The good thing is that you can use the Commerce Manager for both Facebook and Instagram Shops.
Here are the tasks that the Commerce Manager will help you to manage.
- Handles fast checkout for purchases made directly on Facebook
- Handles order tracking and inventory management
- Handles payouts, tracks cash flow and provides financial reports
- Seamlessly integrates with third-party features to promote commerce
- Handles customer issues such as chargebacks, returns and refunds
- Allows you to assign permissions to only those you’d like to give access to business information
- Offers actionable business insights and recommendations on how to better use Shops to increase sales
Commerce manager is available to all, regardless of the size of the business and number of products. It is also good to note that Commerce Manager can also help you with your taxes.
Selling on Facebook Page Shop
As of now, Facebook is not charging for selling on the platform. However, if you use Facebook’s checkout process, you will be required to pay 40 cents for any order that is up to $8 or 5% for any order that is more than $8. Note that this is the standard rate market rate for check-out processes.
The Shop is set up in a way that the shopper can ask a question or seek clarification when shopping via Messenger or WhatsApp. If you decide to have the same shop running on Instagram too, shoppers can reach out through Instagram Direct.
Facebook Page Shop Features to Look Out For
Since Facebook Shop is relatively new, there will be countless changes over time. For starters, here are some of the changes that Facebook is working on.
- Shop integration with other eCommerce platforms such as Shopify
- Express checkout globally and not just in the US
- Live shopping and ads
- Loyalty programs and rewards awarded to clients shopping on Facebook
- Customizable storefront
In the true Facebook fashion, we’ll likely see a lot more changes in this new addition as time goes by.
Why Should You Try Facebook Shop
Here are some of the benefits available to you now
- You can add an unlimited number of items to your virtual shop
- You can customize your shop’s inventory by organizing into categories and collections
- Instant communication via Facebook Messager with clients who are shopping
- In-depth analytics per product – how many people viewed, clicked and bought a product
Frequently Asked Questions
Setting up and using Facebook Shop to advertise and sell your products is absolutely free.
However, if you decide to use Facebook to check out, the market rate processing fees apply
You can now sell directly to customers from your social platforms.
Your social media followers do not need to go to other sites to purchase your products; they can do so right there as they scroll through the feed.
This not only improves shopper experience significantly; it also helps the business get more sales from avid social media users who may not ordinarily visit your eCommerce store.
No. Facebook Marketplace is a platform where people post items; new or used, that they would like to sell.
The marketplace has both buyers and sellers within the same locality.
Facebook Shop on the other hand, is simply a virtual shop on Facebook – you display your products and interested parties will come to buy.
Yes. These two have differing functionalities.
With Instagram Shop, the products can be found on Stories as well as organic feed. Additionally, the products can be found via the Search and Explore button. The information pertaining to a product such as its features, size, price etc. is available on Instagram. When shoppers tap on a product, however, they are redirected to the business’ site where they can make a purchase.
Facebook Shop, on the other hand, allows shoppers to complete a purchase right there and then without leaving the platform. With Facebook, you have an actual storefront that you can customize and not just posts where you can tag products.
