To succeed in business, you can't sit back and wait for customers to come by themselves. You have to reach them, and one way to do this is to create a Facebook shop. This is a huge potential and opportunity for businesses that sell products online. Read this article to see if this solution is for you.
Facebook shop - what are its characteristics?
Facebook is no longer a platform just for checking out what's going on with your friends - it can now be used effectively for your business purposes. A key principle in marketing is to be where your consumers are, and Facebook has, over the years, become a place that enables you to build relationships between your company and your customers.
Situations around the world that paralyse stationary trade are accelerating the growth of the e-commerce market. The Silicon Valley giant has done its bit by creating Facebook shops. How do they work?
Brands can now showcase their products in the platform area and the fanpage at the top of the page gains a 'Shop' tab, which makes it easier for customers to browse the range. What's more, when product images are published, they can be tagged. This gives users the chance to read information about the goods and check the price.
At the moment, direct sales via Facebook are not possible in Poland. Customers are redirected to a subpage with the product in the online shop, where they can finalise the purchase. It is also possible to complete the transaction using a message on Messenger or WhatsApp, but then it is up to the retailer to process the payment. 
What should you know about setting up a Facebook shop?
Setting up a shop on FB is intuitive and child's play, but a few conditions must be met. First of all, you must have a fanpage with management rights. This is what makes it possible, among other things, to create advertising campaigns. You can easily create a fanpage from your private profile, which you can use to access your company page.
The second issue is the need to be an administrator in the Company Manager. The tool facilitates the organisation and management of the business. As with the fanpage, it is set up via a private account.
Once you have met these two conditions, you can move on to setting up your Facebook shop. The available wizard on the platform is very intuitive and smoothly guides you through the configuration of each option.
- To start with, go to the Sales Manager website.
- Select the method for finalising the purchase - check the option "finalise purchase on another site", which will redirect customers directly to the shop.
- Choose a fanpage to link the shop to.
- Select an account in the Company Manager.
- Add products to your shop.
Remember that it can take anywhere from a few days to up to two weeks to verify a shop on Facebook.
Facebook shop - who can set one up?
A Facebook shop can be created by anyone who has an online shop, a fanpage and is an administrator in the Company Manager. There are no other requirements at this time.
Is the Facebook shop free or paid?
Wondering how much a Facebook shop costs? The good news is that the portal does not charge anything. It's completely free to run a shop, so even if it doesn't generate any profit, you lose nothing. It is also worth mentioning that Facebook does not charge any commission on the product sold in the shop.
Of course, if you want to reach a larger audience, you can opt for advertising campaigns and promotional posts, but these already require a fee. How much you invest in them is entirely up to you. 
How do I set up my Facebook shop properly?
You already know how to set up a shop on FB, but what next? Well, you gain access to the Sales Manager, where you can manage the catalogue and configure the list of people who, apart from you, have access to manage the shop.
In the past, the most problematic stage was adding products to the shop. This involved manually entering descriptions, headings and assortments, which was terribly time-consuming. Nowadays, with the right configuration, you can import the entire range from your shop into Facebook. In this way, all the data is pulled from the created product catalogue.
In addition, the product catalogue created on Facebook allows the creation of advertisements for both dynamic remarketing (applicable to users who have interacted on the website) and prospecting, i.e. catalogue ads targeted at new audiences. It is also possible to include adverts in the form of so-called collections, which can be viewed in full-screen mode on mobile devices.
The downside of this feature is the way products are displayed in the shop - at the moment there is no way to arrange them by category to make it look harmonious and transparent.
How do I add and tag products in the Facebook shop?
In order to add a product to the Facebook shop, it must meet certain requirements. The offer must be active in the shop, it is also mandatory to specify the manufacturer and to provide a specific delivery date. You can add products manually or use the pixel for this.
To begin, go to the 'Sales Manager' tab, in the Company Manager. After clicking "Add catalogue", a wizard will appear on the screen. First select the type of catalogue and then the method of product upload. The last step is to enter the owner of the catalogue and its name.
When it comes to importing products into your Facebook shop, you have two solutions: you can add them manually or import them from your shop. In the case of the second option, you must indicate to Facebook where it should retrieve your product range data from. Moving forward in the Sales Manager, select "Catalogue" from the menu on the left, click "Data source" and then "Add items".
A pop-up with three options will appear on the screen, select 'Scheduled statement' - the products from your website should read. Once you have moved on, of all the options displayed, click 'Scheduled statement' and then indicate the address of the product file.
The final step is to schedule an update. Its frequency depends on how many products you have in your shop. According to the experts: the fewer there are, the lower the frequency is recommended. Finally, you name the data source, choose a default currency and upload the source file.
You've added products to the shop, just how do you now tag them in a photo/video in a post? It turns out that it's not complicated or time-consuming. It works exactly like tagging people - when you click 'Tag products', you have to indicate where you want to tag the goods in the photo/video. A drop-down list will then appear with the entire available range in your product catalogue. It is worth noting that you can tag items both when you add the photo/video and after publication. All you need to do then is open the published post and select "Edit" and then "Tag products". 
Facebook shop - how should it be run?
Setting up a Facebook shop is one thing, it is a separate matter to run it with care. In order for sales to grow successfully, you need to take the time and care to encourage potential consumers to take an interest in your brand. How do you run a Facebook shop to make it profitable?
Above all, remember that most people are visual. Purchasing decisions are largely made on the basis of appearance. An eye-catching design, a clear and legible presentation of the products in the Facebook shop are key to attracting customers. The aesthetics of the message play a huge role - even the most beautiful packaging presented in a gloomy and uninteresting setting with poor lighting will not save the first impression.
On the internet, users like to review other people's opinions - it is no different when buying a particular product. Reviews from other people can motivate or, conversely, discourage you from buying a particular item. Ensure that only reviews from satisfied users appear under your products.
The e-commerce market is a place where reliable customer service is extremely important. Not only does the customer count on a smooth transaction, but he or she also expects quick answers to questions and assistance if problems are encountered. To ensure that everything goes smoothly in this area, use the shop's Messenger to communicate with customers. Consumers will appreciate the quick and efficient way in which you respond to messages and address their concerns.
In addition to tagging your products on your company fanpage, advertise them, as well as your brand as a whole - this is how you will best reach new customers. How do I promote my online shop on Facebook? With the help of advertising campaigns, you will be able to reach more people with your offer and increase brand awareness in the market, which will contribute to increased sales.
What are the benefits of running a shop on Facebook?
Facebook is no longer just a social network, so it makes sense to use the solutions available to retailers to continually increase traffic and conversion rates for your online shop. Considering the benefits and potential costs, a Facebook shop is an investment that simply pays off.
Benefits for retailers:
- Adding photos and product descriptions;
- promoting the items you want to sell;
- limited offers - the option of temporary promotions on selected products;
- product presentation adapted to the app - the majority of internet users shop via mobile devices;
- access to advanced statistics;
- products you can later add to the Marketplace;
- product labelling in photos/videos;
- Directing the recipient to the product card in the shop.
Pros for users:
- convenient access to the offer within the platform;
- the ability to add products to a list of favourites;
- the option to sort articles by price, relevance or date of addition;
- viewing the products on sale;
- easy finalisation of the transaction - the customer is redirected to the shop's website, where he or she completes the purchase.
Summary
Nowadays, it is hard to imagine a thriving business without marketing activities on Facebook - setting up a fanpage and shop costs nothing and can allow users to quickly become familiar with our brand and the products we offer. Secure finalisation of transactions, transparency, the ability to tag products in pictures, communication with the customer via Messenger - all this reinforces the belief that a Facebook shop is an excellent sales tool.
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