Nov 11, 2021 | Ecommerce, Marketing Strategy, News

The Basics of Facebook Shops

Basics of Facebook Shops

If you use the internet (which, the fact that you’re reading this leads us to believe that you do), chances are you’ve done some online shopping. Almost anything can be purchased online, whether that’s ordering clothes to be shipped to your home, scheduling and paying for a service, or even getting food for delivery or pickup.

There’s no denying that ecommerce is on the rise. In 2021, ecommerce sales are expected to account for 18.1% of all retail sales worldwide. And that’s not all. Ecommerce is growing so rapidly that it’s projected to make up 22% of all retail sales by 2023.

Social media platforms like Facebook have seen this trend and created their own tool to help businesses sell products online: Facebook Shops.

 

What Are Facebook Shops?

Facebook Shops were launched in 2020 in response to the shift in shopping behaviors to be more online-centric due to COVID-19. The idea was to provide a way for small business owners to sell products directly from Facebook and their family of apps (including Instagram, Messenger, and WhatsApp). With Facebook Shops, users can select and purchase products from their social media accounts without having to navigate to a business’s website to shop.

Facebook Shops allow store owners to group their products into featured collections by category or trend, and list individual products as well. Special offers and discounts can be added, making it a highly customizable option for businesses looking to get started in the world of ecommerce, or for businesses that want to expand their current ecommerce efforts to social media.

 

Benefits of Creating a Facebook Shop for Your Business

If you currently have a website that doesn’t have an ecommerce option, or you don’t have a website at all, creating a Facebook Shop is a great way to quickly add an online shopping option for your customers. There’s also no cost to get started, so that­’s a big advantage as well!

A Facebook Shop can also be integrated into your current ecommerce option if you have one. When you set up a shop, you have the option to choose how you want people to complete their purchase: on your own website, on Facebook or Instagram, or via direct message.

A large benefit of a Facebook Shop for your business is the social advertising that comes with it. Users that follow your business page on social media will find your products listed in their feed as they scroll Instagram and/or Facebook. They are able to then shop and view other products directly, allowing you to capture people who were not necessarily actively shopping or searching for your products. You can also run paid advertising to promote products in your shop through Facebook and Instagram to reach people who are not currently following your business.

Having a Facebook Shop also offers a new way to provide customer service. Customers are able to message your page with questions through Facebook Messenger, WhatsApp, or Instagram Direct.

 

Go LIVE to Promote Your Business and Products

Once you have your Facebook Shop set up, you can do a Live Shopping stream from your business page. With this feature, you are able to tag products in your store when you stream live from your page, and those products will appear at the bottom of the screen with a link to the product listing in your Shop. This is a great way to showcase your products while providing more details or styling and usage ideas for your products.

As an example of how this might be used, a retail gift shop just received a new line of candles that they will now offer in their store. That gift shop will be able to go live from their Facebook or Instagram page to talk about the candles in more detail, describing the materials used, the history of the brand, or what scents are available. At the bottom of the screen, the business can tag the new products in their Facebook Shop. Now users who are viewing their live video (or watching the recording later) can click the product and make a purchase right then and there.

This is also a great option for showcasing new products that might be confusing to consumers. Start a live stream showing the features of the product and a demo of how it can be used, and answer customer questions live!

Whether you already have an ecommerce website or you’re looking for a way to break into the world of ecommerce, Facebook Shops provides a new and effective way to do it! If you’ve read through all this and need help building or maintaining your Facebook Shop, let us know! Our team of experts at River Valley Media Group is ready to assist.

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