According to reports, Facebook Shop has been launched in the UK and Canada. People living in the UK and Canada can now use the Shop feature on desktop or mobile.
Originally launched last year, Facebook Shop aim to make it easy for businesses to set up a single online store for customers to access on both Facebook and Instagram. Creating a Facebook Shop is free and simple. Businesses can choose the products they want to feature from their catalogue and then customise the look and feel of their shop with a cover image and accent colors that showcase their brand. This means any seller, no matter their size or budget, can bring their business online and connect with customers wherever and whenever it’s convenient for them.
Facebook Shops features
Facebook Shops have different features depending on your location including:
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Add as many products as you want
You don’t need to upload a product catalogue anywhere else first, and there’s no limit on how many products you can add.
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Customise your product inventory
You can organise your products into different collections so that your customers can browse your shop by category.
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Communicate with customers
Your customers can message the shop on your page with questions.
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Get insights
You can see views, clicks and purchases for each of your products.
Facebook are providing another way for businesses to sell online during the pandemic. The expansion of Facebook Shop also helps them compete with other online marketplaces. Facebook is a hugely popular social media platform that many consumers are already spending hours of their days on and the Shop feature will make it easier to shop on Facebook with businesses.
3 Responses
Started using this feature in the last month to connect with more local audience and offer wider range of products than I can on ebay.
Overall it is pretty easy.. but it has some big flaws in it that have significantly diminished the experience for me.
Firstly, if you do not have URL’s for all your images, you will be loading them individually. (we do not have a website so were excited at being able to feature products on FB)
A long and slow process… and then they don’t all show – which just makes it look to customers like you either haven’t bothered uploading them, or haven’t done it properly and don’t know how to use the platform
Secondly, the AI/Algorithm FB use is, how shall I put it? “over zealous” and hugely inconsistent
Uploading Pet Supplies and being subjected to hundreds of rejections for “selling animals” because the description says “Guinea Pig Food” or “Buffalo Horn Dog Chew”…. or rejections for selling “Medical supplies” because the Tea Tree Cream has some beneficial properties, or the rabbit food has some added vitamins.. yet… variations of identical products are accepted and published…
Wood shavings for small animal bedding is fine if its 1kg, but not if you buy a bulk 25kg bale… because that goes against FB policy of “selling animals” apparently
And of course, you can appeal…. and thankfully I have had many published on review.. but many not.. and its only another AI that’s reviewing it anyway, which begs the question, why was it rejected in the first place..?
I am hoping that these are just teething problems but alas, I am not confident.
Very very frustrating.
Is anyone checking those “articles” for typos before posting ???