To what extent are you embracing Facebook? Facebook already boasts 70 million businesses who use Facebook pages for promotion and 5 million paying businesses on advertising. The company is keen to monetise and profit from ecommerce and part of that is building a selling proposition that can compete with Amazon and eBay They have the popularity and the traffic. How can the make it transactional and take a fee?
You’ll be familiar with the Facebook Store capabilities. You can plug it into your Facebook page. But how many marketplace sellers are getting involved? The impression seems to be that not many are, while the more ad hoc offerings are succeeding with rude good health.
It’s notable that lots of local and niche trading goes on via Facebook. One hobby seller I’ve spoken to recently specialises in buying and selling perfume bottles. She was a keen eBayer until she was stung by buyer fraud. She sent a bottle, it was claimed as lost, and eBay found in the buyer’s favour. She was forced to refund and also lost the bottle. She says the Facebook groups are better at outing the try-hards. There is a closer knit community policing the trading.
When it comes local trading, it’s obvious too that Facebook is successful. Down my way there are numerous hyperlocal groups (even down to communities located within a few streets) selling, trading and exchanging goods. It’s notable that mums and women selling kid’s stuff and fashion items are embracing the trend, in particular. Interestingly, Facebook isn’t making a bean from this exciting new ecommerce development. Related to that, as we’ve written before, Shpock is an interesting development. App based local trade is on the up.
But is a Facebook Store a realistic proposition? You need to build up a following and plug in. Facebook desperately wants to make a lot more cash from ecommerce selling. It is clearly a successful platform but the users have led the way. Can they amplify it?
Do you successfully utilise a Facebook Store?
3 Responses
“buyer fraud” on Ebay?
I think the first lesson people have to learn is how to deal with that situation, I am sure she would have been able to get some type of compensation for the item from Royal Mail, which would soften the blow. But we live and learn.
Today I have had an unauthorised Paypal dispute from a Ebay buyer, the purchase was in Febuary, just short of 4 months. The buyer is still on Ebay and making purchases, lets see how that works out..
Back on Topic…
Yes I have an Ebay store Tab with products listed, but do I “successfully utilise” it? not really.
Setup for me was quite easy as I am still using Woocomerce and there is a “Plug In” for it. Load it, activate it and go live, simple as that.
As far as I can see, Facebook make no money out of me, unlike companies such as Storeya, who charge a monthly fee.
Bottom line is, however you get your products on Facebook, you need to advertise / promote them to your audience / customers, which takes work.
The big question is, are you brave enough to spend the amount you give Amazon / Ebay per month on Facebook Ads promoting your store and would you get the same results / sales?
I think the maintaining fully function functional FB stores is not practical for many sellers but instead should use its (facebook, twitter, pinterest) to promote your products and bring them back to your e-commerce store to complete the transaction. FB stores/groups are a great way to buy/sell locally but not to use as a fully functional e-commerce store within FB in my view.
Facebook plugin for Woocomerce
The buyer looks at the product details on your Facebook shop, if they decide to buy it, the buy button takes them to your own web site check out page with the item preloaded in their basket for them to buy.
Probably not the best shopping experience but it works
At the minute it still shows item that have gone out of stock, you can hide products manually