Article Written by Katina Jaye Beveridge, ASBAS Advisor, Western Sydney Business Centre.
Facebook and Instagram have now made it easier for businesses to sell from anywhere via Shop. Whilst most of NSW is in lockdown, it is vital business can remain open. Shop is an online storefront where customers can browse, explore and buy their favorite products directly from these platforms.
Facebook currently has more than 1.2 million monthly active Shops with over 300 million monthly visitors. These numbers are expected to spike through 2021 as Facebook plans to introduce the feature to WhatsApp. Shop is also planning to expand to Marketplace to help vendors take advantage of the billions of customers who use this part of Facebook.
Facebook is also improving the selling experience for businesses by making the most out of the Custom Audience feature. This means that vendors can easily retarget those who interacted with their products on Instagram and Facebook.
Shopping Custom Audiences can be generated from the following actions or events:
- People who viewed your products
- People who added your products to their basket
- People who purchased your products
This way, businesses won’t have to miss out on all possible leads.
How to Set Up a Facebook Shop
Shop has made it easy for vendors to create a single online store where customers can access their products on both Facebook and Instagram. Creating a Facebook Shop is easy and free. Before that, here are the things you will need to set up a Shop:
- A Facebook account
- A Facebook business page
- Physical products
- Link to a valid bank account (for US-based stores)
- A tax identification number (for US-based stores)
These are the steps you can follow to create your own Shop:
- Log into your Facebook account.
- Go to your Facebook Page and set up the Shop page.
- Complete your shop details.
- Configure your payments.
- Add products to your Facebook Shop.
- Manage your orders.
You can choose the products you want to feature from your catalog and customize the look of your shop with a cover image and brand colours. People can access your Shop from your Facebook Page or Instagram profile, or through stories or ads. Facebook Shops has made online shopping more convenient for your customers because they have the option to complete the order on your website, or on the social media app itself, making the process seamless for online shoppers.