Earlier this year, Facebook introduced Facebook Shops to make it easy for businesses to set up an online store for customers where you can display and sell items. Anyone who visits your shop will see your items and can browse them. Stores are accessible via both Facebook and Instagram and are free to create. Businesses can choose the products they want to feature and customize the look of their shop with a cover image and accent colors that match their brand.
Shoppers can find Facebook Shops on a business’ Facebook Page or Instagram profile, or discover them through stories or ads. Customers can browse products, save the items they’re interested in and place an order either on the business’ website or without leaving the app if the business has enabled checkout in the US.
Facebook Shops also allows customers to message a business through WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger, or Instagram Direct. There are also future plans to allow customers to view a business’ shop and make purchases right within a chat.
Facebook Shop Requirements
If you have a Facebook business Page, you can add a Facebook Page shop.
Any business can have a Facebook Page shop, but this feature best serves retail and ecommerce advertisers.
Your Facebook Page shop must:
- Sell physical items
- Agree with the Merchant Terms
- Link to a valid US bank account
- Have a Tax Identification Number (TIN)
Benefits of a Facebook Shop
Facebook Shops can be very valuable to business by allowing you to:
- Distribute your products broadly: When you have a Facebook Page shop, your products may appear in the Facebook Marketplace for more people to discover them.
- Add and customize inventory: There’s no limit on how many products you can add. You can organize your products into different collections so your customers can browse your shop by category.
- Communicate with customers and get insights: Customers can message your Page with questions. You can see views, clicks, and purchases for each of your products.
Creating A Facebook Shop
To set up a shop on Facebook, you must:
- Be a Business Manager admin
- Own your Facebook Page and catalog in the same Business Manager
- Have Manage Page permissions for the Page and Manage catalog permissions for the catalog in Business Manager
You need to use a computer to set up your shop in Commerce Manager.
- Go to Commerce Manager
- Click Get Started to go to the Create Your Shop page.
- In the Start Setting Up Your Shop section, select Your Website. Click Get Started.
- In the Choose Your Business section, you’ll see a list of Facebook Pages you’re a Page admin on. Select the business you’d like to add your shop to and click Next.
- In the Account Details section, provide an Account Name and select a Business Account. Click Next.
- In the Where People Can View Your Shop section, select where you’d like to create your shop. If you have an Instagram business profile and a Facebook Page, you can select both.
- In the Add a Catalog to Showcase Your Items section, select an existing catalog or create a new one and click Next.
- Look over your shop details, review and agree to the Merchant Agreement and click Create Your Shop.
After that, you can create your collections and customize your shop page for your business. Once you publish your shop, people will be able to see your shop once Facebook has reviewed and approved your collections, typically within 24 hours.
Have you tried using Facebook Shops for your business? If so, let us know in the comments below!
