In today’s world, everything revolves around social media and networking. Constant updates, posting, sharing of information, and ideas is what keeps people busy. Everybody is aware and in the loop 24*7. Especially for businesses today, it is extremely important to establish your presence on various social media platforms and get the right kind and amount of engagement. 

If one wants to be successful they can’t just sit back and wait for the customers to reach them, they need to reach out to the customers. In today’s world where most companies are using multiple platforms, it is tough to beat the competition if one doesn’t know where their customers are hanging out. Facebook just happens to be the hotspot of all such activities. 

Facebook is the largest social network in the world, with more than 1.09 billion people logging in daily. In fact, it has been observed that Facebook users spend an average of 40+ minutes per day on the popular social networking site. Out of that, a good chunk of the time goes towards Facebook shopping.

A Facebook shop is a tab that one can configure on their Facebook page to promote and sell their products directly to users on the platform itself. When Facebook users click on a product, they’ll be shown an expanded product page. On this page, they can see product pictures and videos, and read the product description.

Therefore, it’s time to take advantage of Facebook as a selling platform. Facebook might not give one as many e-commerce features, but you definitely get everything that is truly essential for you to start selling your products. 

Benefits of Facebook Shop : 

The most crucial benefit of the Facebook Shop is that one can run their entire operations via Facebook without the need of any pre-existing online store. But that is merely the beginning, there are multiple other advantages such as 

1. Being able to add an unlimited number of products
2. Organizing the products into various categories and collections 
3. Being able to communicate with the customers directly through the page
4. Checking the stats on sales, visits, and much more
5. Getting products to appear on the Facebook Marketplace, giving one access to a much larger base of potential customers

The steps to open a Facebook Shop page :

Before we get to the steps on how to do it, there are a few basic requirements to keep in mind. Those are –

• A Facebook (obviously!)
• A Facebook business page 
• One can only sell physical products, hence there is no way to sell downloadable or digital products through Facebook Shop
• Agreeing with Facebook’s Merchant Terms

Now coming to opening a Facebook Shop Page, that can be done in a few simple steps that are mentioned below. 

• Change the template 

This step is only necessary if you don’t see the Shop tab below your Facebook cover photo. (Settings at the top of the Page > Templates and Tabs in the left column > Edit next to your template > View Details > Apply Template > OK.)

• Click on ‘Shop’ in the left menu

Following the Add Shop Section link, you’ll find what this section allows you to do. Click to continue upon reading. 

• Agree to Facebook’s Merchant Terms and Policies

Read it carefully before agreeing. This could include information about what you are permitted to sell, for example, it could also tell someone how to handle any problem regarding return and refund policies.

• Select Checkout Method

Once you agree to the terms and policies, you can select the type of checkout you prefer. Basically it is about choosing the method of payment. Generally, there are 2checkout  methods – Message to Buy and Check Out on Another Website. This means that a buyer will be able to purchase the product by sending you a message. 

The other option allows you to send people to other e-commerce websites, from where they will complete their purchases. 

• Select the currency and hit save

Choosing the wrong currency or wanting to change the checkout method will mean deleting the shop and creating a new one. All the goods and services added to the shop will be deleted too. To do that, click on the Shop Tab and select the gear icon in the top right corner and choose Delete.

• Describe your product

A little box will appear, where you can put general information about what you’re going to sell, in 200 characters.

• Start adding products 

The form requires adding a photo, name, price, description, and visibility of the product/s. There are some other toggles that one can use as well. One can’t publish a product without using at least one picture. It is best to use a picture which matches the preferred dimensions of Facebook. It is also possible to add a video as well. 

• Add collections

If you want to sell many products of different types, Facebook allows you to create collections with them. Categorized collections make navigation easier for buyers and improve their shopping experience. This feature becomes visible when some products have already been added. Next is to create a name for your collection, add products, and choose “Feature this Collection” to make it stand out in your shop. 

• Change the Call to Action button

Facebook creates a call to action button on the right corner under your background image that leads to the shop on your page. It can easily be customized later, and one can even add a link there to their website.

Well, now that the shop is set up, there are just a few easy activities one can undertake to promote it. 

In general, there are three possible ways to spread the word. 

• Sharing the entire shop

  – Choose “Share your shop” on the right top corner and add some text. If you run several pages or groups choose different pages and post on them as well. This post’s link will be active and the clients will be redirected either to the Facebook shop, or real one when they tap on a visual.

• Promote separate products

  – Tag it in your post, select the last item under the text box and type the product’s name or ID. It’s that simple!

• Sharing collections

  – Collections are also shareable in the Facebook shop section. They’ll appear nicely in the form of a Carrousel when shared.

After this is done, you are set to go ahead and make the most out of selling and take your business forward.

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