e-Commerce using Facebook Shops

Earlier this week, Facebook announced the launch of Facebook Shops, a new platform for businesses to begin selling products and offering deals online to Facebook and Instagram users.

Facebook Shops is free to use (merchant fees apply when items are purchased) and, according to the social media giant's announcement, the goal "is to make shopping seamless and empower anyone from a small business owner to a global brand to use our apps to connect with customers."

SHOPNoble has seen that many of Noble County's small businesses are already active on Facebook, engaging with customers daily. Many who don't already have e-commerce platforms on which to sell products might find SHOPNoble an affordable, highly visible way to expedite the expansion of their business by going "online".

Facebook Shop allows businesses to sell products using their own e-Commerce platform or by importing products from any of the following e-Commerce platforms a business may already be using: Shopify, WooCommerce, BigCommerce, Magento and OpenCart. Find details here.

Here are a few highlights about using Facebook Shops we offer based on SHOPNoble's own exploration on how to get started:

1. Understand selling fees. If you don't already have a merchant agreement with one of Facebook's platform partners listed above, you'll need to agree to using Facebook's commerce platform. Those fees are explained here. Facebook will have options on how you receive payments, including direct deposit to checking,
   

2. Understand how you'll receive payments when something sells on Facebook. It's pretty straightforward; Facebook will ask for your checking account information at set-up. Facebook will require that you ship products within three business days and mark the sale as "shipped". Most sales proceeds are deposited into your bank account within 8-10 business days, though some unusual transactions may take up to 30 days. You can read more here.
   

3. Confirm your existing Facebook page is a Business Page. Personal profile pages and other non-business pages may not be used as Shops. If the Facebook profile you use for your business has a "Like" button, it is probably a Business Page. If the page is not a Business Page, you can set one up using these instructions. We also found this how-to video helpful: https://youtu.be/gu9Hgazn_5g
   

4. Use the correct Templates and Tabs setting for your Business Page. Go to your Page and select Edit Page Info from the top menu. Then, on the left menu panel, select Templates and Tabs and look at your Current Template setting. If it isn't already set to Shopping, edit it by clicking the Edit button, then View Details for the Shopping template. This will set your Page to a Shopping Page.
   

5. Tell Facebook how you want to conduct commerce. Use their Commerce Manager to connect your Business Shopping Page to an e-Commerce platform.
   

6. Set up your Shop. Select the Shop option from the left menu on your Business (Shopping) Page and begin adding products and creating offers, as allowed by Facebook's terms and conditions.

Facebook offers loads of documentation to help answer most questions that might arise. If you run into a challenge try searching using Facebook's search box from any page, or a Google search to find more help on the internet. SHOPNoble is also here to help research and find answers to support all of Noble County's small businesses. Just give us a call at (260) 636-3800 or drop us a line at info@noblecountyedc.com.