How to Sell on Facebook Shops for Business Success

Wondering how to sell on Facebook?

Would your business benefit from Facebook Shops?

Facebook Shops is a new way to make the most of your Facebook Page.

And the best part? It’s free!

Let’s get started.

Why sell on Facebook?

I bet before you read this, you checked Facebook. Or you’ll check it after reading this.

That’s because nearly three-quarters of users check in daily.

Which means over 2.5 billion people could potentially see what you post there.

And that includes your products!

What you need for a Facebook Shop

Because it’s Facebook, setting up a Shop is relatively simple. There’s a bit of work to do but it’s worth it.

There are two main tools used to do the job. One is Commerce Manager. The other is Catalog Manager. We’ll get to them in a bit.

Before you set up your shop, you’ll need:

• A business representative name, national insurance number, and date of birth to verify your ID.
• A federal tax identification number that matches a legal business (or the same idea for your country if you aren’t in the US).
• Bank account information to receive payments for your products.

It’s worth noting that Marketplace is something different from a Shop. Marketplace is free to use, and anyone can sell items there.

Marketplace is more like a free version of eBay with people selling new or secondhand stuff.

There’s no requirement to be a business on Facebook or provide this information for Marketplace.

But you don’t get all the perks of a Shop either!

How to add a Shop to your Page

If you’re already a Facebook Page owner (and you should be!), then you can transform this into a shopfront for your products.

To go this:

• Go to the Page and select the ‘Shop’ tab.
• Click ‘Go to Commerce Manager.’
• Select ‘Checkout on Facebook or Instagram.’
• Then select ‘Set up on Commerce Manager’ to get started.

If you don’t find a Shop tab, go to your Edit Page Info section, and change to the Shopping Template.

You can also set up the Shop via platforms like Shopify or BigCommerce if you have products already on them.

Using Commerce Manager

Commerce Manager is the tool used to sell and manage orders on Facebook. You’ll need to be on a desktop device to use it.

Once you click to it from your Page, you can start. If you don’t already have Business Manager, you’ll need to create this first – it will prompt you, so don’t worry.

Next, pick your sales channel or if you want to use an existing partner like Shopify.

Link your existing business accounts by:

• Linking your Page and Instagram account.
• Linking and naming accounts.
• Linking an existing catalog.
• Giving a valid bank account and name if you are in the US.

Facebook will then create a new Catalog.

Here you can customize your business preferences, shipping policies and return policies.

Next add a business address, merchant category code and the states where you are registered. Make sure this is all correct as the address can’t be edited later.

Finally, link up your bank account to get paid when people buy your products.

Using Catalog Manager to manage your inventory

Once the shop is up and running, Catalog Manager is where you track your inventory and advertise your products.

Start by clicking Set Up Your Catalog and entering Catalog Manager.

Click to Add Products if you only have a few items, or import a data feed if you have lots. FB recommends manual if you have 50 items or less and your inventory doesn’t change often.

Either select ‘add product’ to add one product. Or choose ‘upload once’ to add a data feed of multiple products.

Can you create collections in Commerce Manager?

You also have the option to create collections in Commerce Manager.

Once you have set up the basic shop, you can create these with their own name, description, and media cover. Each collection needs two or more products.

Log into Commerce Manager then ‘Shops’.

Click edit and +Add from the left column. Choose ‘create new collection’ and confirm, then complete the details.

Click Save, then Submit and Publish to make the collection live.

You can add up to 30 items to a collection.

How to customize your Facebook Shop

So, you’ve got some products on the Shop. But it doesn’t look how you want it to.

That’s where customizing the shop comes in.

Go to ‘Shop Builder’ to make the changes.

You can choose the layout tab to add, remove and arrange any collections.

Then you can customize the look with colors, appearance, and size of text and the buttons showing.

Go with brand colors so your Shop looks the same as the other places you sell.

How to create the best product listings

Creating a product listing is about more than popping in a few keywords and some important information.

It is how you sell your product to people.

It is a combination of your visuals and your words that make the sale.

Here’s a few tips on product listings:

1. Use the product name to drawn attention to any special offers such as 25% off or Buy 1 Get 1 Free.
2. Use your brand name in the product name to make it recognizable.
3. Use key information in your product description but also keep in brand voice so it matches other marketing.
4. Over 98% of users will be on mobile so choose images that work best on the small screen.
5. Take photos yourself where possible rather than using stock shots.
6. Have clean and clear product images that aren’t cluttered to help showcase the product.
7. Make sure your products follow Facebook’s Commerce Policies to avoid being banned (every item is reviewed before showing).

Managing orders when you sell on Facebook

When you sell something on your Shop, it will be Commerce Manager that helps you handle the orders.

Orders show all orders, any waiting to be dispatched, completed orders and ‘more’ (for any chargebacks).

You can change the status, view the order number, and other information here.

When you send an item, you can buy postage through USPS. Facebook then shows the item as dispatched.

However, if the purchase price is lower than the price of the delivery label, you’ll need to buy postage manually. Then mark the item as dispatched.

You can cancel an order or issue a refund here.

If there’s a chargeback, it will show under disputes. You can appeal it but if it goes against you, there’s a $20 fee.

Facebook Ads for products

Facebook Collection Ads are a special feature to promote your products.

You can access it through Ads Manager and set objectives such as traffic, conversions, catalog sales, and store traffic.

There are templates available to add your products, including Instant Storefront.

You can then choose a specific order, or order dynamically if you have 50+ products.

Best practices for selling on Facebook Shops

As with everything Facebook, there are some tips to help you make the most of your new Shop.

Here are a few:

• Use Facebook Insights to see what’s working – you can see things such as sales, content views, checkouts initiated and more.
• Make sure your inventory is up to date – if something sells out on another platform, update it on the Shop.
• Get orders out within 3 days – this is the standard dispatch time and what Facebook expects.
• Respond to queries within 2 days – again, this is what Facebook expects.

Infographics provided by Headway Capital and edited as allowed by CC 4.0 license.

Selling on Facebook the easy way

If you want to sell on Facebook, this is the easiest way to do it.

It creates a shop experience for your customers that is in line with normal e-commerce.

You can easily manage inventory, add products, and keep up with orders.

You can even venture into Facebook ads if you want!

Have you tried a Facebook Shop yet?