How to set up Facebook shoppable

Along with the development of the internet and generations of smartphones, in recent years, social networking sites have also grown. Social platforms are like human life, including a lot of activities and interactions. We can consider social networks as a virtual life, and also a channel to connect people all around the world. Nowadays, when social networks are becoming more and more popular, people are likely to update their daily life, share status, study, entertain, even selling and purchasing on those platforms. Therefore, the Facebook shoppable feature also developed from there.

The explosion of social networks grows with human needs. With a young user base, busy lives, and active shopping habits, direct shopping at stores can no longer meet all of their needs. Therefore, more and more people choose to shop on social networks. It's much more convenient than going to the store. You only need to stay at home, surfing Facebook, Instagram, etc. through your phone, laptop, and select the products you like from the online stores while still being able to update your friends' status. What could be better than that?

There are many popular social networks today, the habit of using them also depends on each country. However, Facebook and Instagram are the two social networks that attract the most users. Take a look at the chart below to see more!

The chart above is analyzed based on research results of the most popular social networks worldwide as of July 2021, ranked by the number of active users.

Along with the development of e-commerce, the impact of external factors also greatly affects the online shopping trend of users. If before, people used to only buy online from stores far away from them, and if the store is nearby, many people still want to go to the store to buy products directly. However, since the Covid-19 outbreak, people's capacity to travel and communicate has been limited, and with the availability of transportation services, internet buying appears to have become a habit due to its convenience. So, creating an online shop on social platforms is a good choice with the potential market.

Of course, Facebook - the most powerful social platform with the largest number of users today cannot ignore this need of the market. Very quickly, Facebook caught up with the trend and created Facebook shoppable feature that may assist small businesses in adapting to market changes while also making it easier for users to discover and shop for products they enjoy.

What is the Facebook Shoppable feature?

Facebook shoppable is a new feature on Facebook that allows you to create your own store on this platform directly for clients to access on both Facebook and Instagram easily.

• With this new feature, you can easily set up a shop on Facebook and Instagram, products, and collections on your current Instagram Profile Shop and Facebook Page Shop to help customers shop directly on Facebook and Instagram feed without leaving the platforms.

Facebook Shop will operate similarly to a website or an e-commerce site. Sellers can easily upload products, advertise and sell directly on Facebook and Instagram. Shoppers will have the same experience as buying on the website or Shopee, Lazada, etc. with full features such as viewing the list and product details, adding to the cart, paying directly on Facebook/ Instagram or on the business website. Facebook Shop connects directly with Messenger, WhatsApp, and Instagram Direct for sellers to communicate effectively with customers.

• Before you could only sell products on Facebook by posting normally, over a while, customers will find it difficult to find your old posts to buy products.

With the Facebook shoppable feature, it's different, you won't have to worry about that anymore. Because you can create collections, each collection in your Facebook Shop will also have a name, description, cover media, and include at least 2 or more products.

You can organize products into collections with a variety of themes that make your store look neater and more scientific, at the same time, it can help your customers find products that are right for them. Thereby, they will not have the same difficulty as having to find the old posts of the shop before.

• Shops showcase your brand and products in a native mobile experience.

Your shop will be viewed in a full-screen immersive experience and your collections will be shown as personalized products to customers. When you add new inventory to your shop, people can see it in their News Feed, on the Facebook Shop tab, or get a notification to encourage them to visit your shop.

Fanpage and Newsfeed will become a brand's information channel, not a direct selling point. After receiving product information or seeing ads on Newsfeed, customers will go to the store's Facebook Shop section, which is synchronized with Instagram, Messenger, WhatsApp to start shopping and pay directly to the store via card.

• Shops have the ability to have a unified presence on Facebook, Instagram, and Marketplace. Shop customization features are unified across the family of apps.

How can Facebook Shoppable help you with your business?

1. It's Free!

Currently, the Haravan platform supports synchronizing the product catalog from the website to the Facebook Shop. Product information, prices, and inventory are automatically updated. No fees, no need to spend time updating products on Facebook Shop. Support implementing dynamic product ads (Facebook Dynamic Ads), helping to market products to people who have previously searched for these products on the website.

If you just started selling and don't have a website with products yet, you just need to spend time researching, building, and setting up a shop on Facebook and Instagram. In case you already have a website, you can consult and install some useful modules that integrate Instagram with your PrestaShop store. A shop owner can create their own products and collections without spending a lot of money or needing a team. Retailers should seize this opportunity quickly, thereby expanding sales channels and managing high-performance businesses.

2. Go global, branding, and increase profit

• Go global: Life on social networks is not only limited by region or country but it can be considered a life of global integration.Social networks are used by users all over the world, regardless of country, region, skin color, or even language. It narrows the geographical distance and opens up new things for all of humanity, everything is so much more convenient because of that. With today's era of technology, you certainly don't want to limit the size of your store to only the country. Why don't we keep up with the trend and bring the store's products to customers all over the world?

• Branding: Social media is a place that a lot of people all over the world visit regularly, so spreading your brand through social media is a great idea. Let's make users everywhere know your brand and find your business through Google listing, marketing campaigns, … or available services that Facebook provides. Remember that social medial is an extremely potential channel to help you promote and spread your brand image.

• Increase profit: Obviously, the more people know about your brand, the more potential customers you will reach. From there, increase interaction, increase conversion rate and certainly increase the store's revenue and profit.

3. User-friendly and not many techniques and marketing are required

• User-friendly: Set up a shop on Facebook and Instagram is very easy, shop owners can create, customize, and design their shop proactively and directly. They can add products, create catalogs and collections easily, or can also sync product catalogs from the website to Facebook Shop if they are available. What about customers? They can shop easily on Facebook or Instagram directly without having to leave the app. Facebook shoppable is a smart and extremely convenient feature, isn't it? All Facebook Shop settings are simple and straightforward but deliver tangible results.
• No high requirement on techniques and marketing knowledge: With Facebook Shop, you do not need to have in-depth knowledge of website design, programming, coding, you just need to understand the basics of marketing. It is like the rough part of the house, and store owners only need to add furniture, arrange and decorate the house.

How to set up Facebook shoppable?

Now I will give you detailed instructions to set up a Shop on Facebook and Instagram. Follow the steps below and create your own store right now!

Before you start, make sure you have everything you need.

You can create both a Facebook company page and a catalog when you set up your shop if you don't already have one. If everything is available, follow these steps:

• You have to be an admin of your Page and catalog in a Business Manager account.

• Make sure both the Page and the catalog have the Manage rights.

You also need to have an account of Instagram business to display your store on Instagram, and that account must be connected to it.

Set up your own store.

• Open "Create Your Shop" page then click "Next".

• Select a checkout method. Click "Next".

• Choose your Page or build a new one if you wish to sell on a Facebook business Page. If you only want to sell on Instagram Shops, skip this step.

• Select your Instagram business account if you wish to sell on Instagram. Click "Next".

• Choose an existing Business Manager account or create one from scratch. Click "Next".

• Click "Next" after selecting the catalog you wish to use for your store. This catalog cannot be changed afterward.

Note: If you have not had a catalog yet, you wouldn't be able to do this step. Facebook will create an "Items for" catalog in Commerce Manager for you immediately.

• When you finish creating your shop, you can add your products.

• Review your shop's details, then click Finish Setup after reviewing and agreeing to the Seller Agreement.

• Make a collection that you'd like to sell in your store.

• Personalize the appearance and feel of your store.

• Publish your store on the internet.

• After Facebook examine and approves your collections, everyone will be able to see your store.

Now, you have done!

You see, setting up a Shop on Facebook and Instagram is simple for all of us. I hope that the users who have clicked through to read this article and are planning to create an online store will do the project they are dreaming about. We hope that this article is useful and can inspire you in your online sales. Have a nice day!