Facebook Shops: Another Online Way to Connect with Customers
Published: June 1, 2020
Author: Jessica Guedes
Mid-May, Facebook announced their latest product release: Facebook Shops, a new avenue for customers to discover and shop for new products from their favorite brands. Shops will live on a business’s Facebook Page or Instagram profile and can be discovered via stories, product taggings, or a profile CTA.
Facebook Shops come with Commerce Manager, which gives businesses real-time data on performance (content views, clicks). In addition, Shop set-up and customization will live within Commerce Manager; however, Facebook hinted to future partner integrations that will benefit brands who already work with 3rd-party services.
Facebook Shops is the first of several products Facebook will be rolling out to aid businesses in connecting with their customers online. Facebook plans to integrate Shops with their messaging services (Messenger, WhatsApp) to further connect businesses and their customers. Other notable soon-to-launch features include live shopping and loyalty program integrations.
Now is an ideal time for more online options for brands to connect with their customers. Some quick stats from Facebook’s Shops launch on the shift to online shopping in 2020:
- 75% of respondents plan to avoid shopping centers
- 51% of businesses report increasing online interactions with their clients
- 21% of operational SMBs report that they are now conducting all of their sales online
Getting Started with Shops
Facebook Shops is still considered a BETA. Questions about Facebook Shops? Need help setting up your first Shop? 3Q Digital can provide guidance in catalog management, creative strategy for Shops, and (eventually) how to tie them to your paid media strategy.
If you have not received communication that your business profile is eligible for Shops, hang tight! This product will continue rolling out. BUT there are steps you can take to ensure your eligibility in the meantime:
- Ensure that you’ve agreed to Facebook’s Merchant Terms
- Successfully link to a bank account
- Have your TIN (Tax Identification Number) ready
Once you’re onboarded, some tips to ensure you’ll be set up for success:
- Use a product catalog and test Dynamic Product Ads or Dynamic Ads for Broad Audiences
- If you already use a product catalog, set up time to audit the images and fields. Creative best practices suggest that clear, consistent product images are the way to go.
- Continue to use the Product Tagging feature on your Instagram page
- Begin (or continue!) testing the Collection Ad formats. Historical learnings from top collection ads can guide your Facebook Shops strategy.
