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Are you an entrepreneur and do you sell your products from a physical store or from a webshop? Then Facebook and Instagram Shopping might be the marketing tool for your business. Facebook and Instagram Shopping is a webshop function with which entrepreneurs can set up their own online shop windows on Facebook and Instagram. In this blog, you can read how Facebook and Instagram Shopping work, how you can adjust your online shop window, and why it is so customer-friendly.
During the corona crisis, entrepreneurs noticed that selling through online channels has become increasingly important. Entrepreneurs were not allowed to open their shops and Dutch consumers had to stay at home. Companies such as Amazon.com, Bol.com and Coolblue.nl saw their online sales grow at a rapid pace. Social media platforms such as Facebook and Instagram have been wanting to compete in the e-commerce world for some time. For example, the channels introduced various e-commerce functions such as Marketplace and Product Tagging. However, this time Facebook and Instagram are going a big step further in their e-commerce plans for their users.
Facebook and Instagram wanted to make it as easy as possible to set up your webshop as an entrepreneur. First of all, it is wise to set your Facebook and Instagram page as a business page. Setting up your social media page as a business page opens many doors. This way you can view statistics of your messages, advertisements and visitors. In addition, the entrepreneur can add his catalog to his or her company page. If you want to set up your Facebook or Instagram Shop, you can easily select products from your catalog and add them to your Shop. As can be seen in the images below, Facebook and Instagram will guide you extensively through the step-by-step plan for setting up your Facebook and Instagram Shopping.
Once your Facebook and Instagram Shop has been launched, it can then be shown to the online users. Consumers will find the Shop on the respective Facebook and Instagram business pages plus in the dedicated shopping tab. In addition, the Shop can be found in posted posts, Stories and Reels of the company. Entrepreneurs can also place paid ads in the message box for their Facebook or Instagram Shop. Consumers can then view the entire collection in the Shop, save products or place an order on the company’s website/webshop. At the moment it is only possible in the United States to complete the checkout in the Shop on Facebook and Instagram. Meta would like to make this available to all online consumers of both platforms as soon as possible.
Of course, Facebook already knows the Facebook catalog where products can be added. However, the Facebook catalog is very different with the new Facebook and Instagram Shop feature. The options within Facebook and Instagram Shopping for the entrepreneur, but especially the online consumer, are much more extensive than with the standard Facebook catalog. For example, online consumers can filter by product categories. Other extensive options within Facebook and Instagram Shopping are explained below.
When you are setting up your Facebook and Instagram Shop, you will be given the options to adjust the layout and style. Examples are adjusting the size, color and style of the text in your Shop. Moreover, as an entrepreneur you can add your own corporate identity color by means of a HEX code. Various buttons within your Facebook and Instagram Shop can also be personalized. While designing your Shop, Facebook sets you a constant example. In addition, it is possible to switch and preview the Shop in Instagram. This way you ensure that your Facebook and Instagram Shop are fully connected to your target group(s) and company.
Nowadays it is also possible to start your own livestream via Facebook or Instagram. Companies are already taking advantage of this by starting live streams showing and promoting products. Facebook and Instagram now want to make it possible to integrate Shopping with live streams. This will mean that online consumers will be able to purchase products via live streams. For example, models can present products in a live stream and tag them in the live stream. The relevant product will then appear from the Facebook Catalog in the image of the online consumer.
The new Facebook and Instagram Shopping have been developed to fully serve the online consumer. It is easy to communicate with consumers via social media channels and Facebook and Instagram make good use of this. They offer customer service for the shopping features through other online channels. Has the customer bought something via Facebook or Instagram Shopping and does he/she have a problem? Then they can easily get help from the company in question by sending a message via Facebook Messenger, Instagram Direct or WhatsApp. In this way, companies can speak to the customer quickly and in a targeted manner and help the customer with the problem. This will give a positive boost to the relationship between customer and company.
Finally, Meta is testing Loyalty Programs on Facebook for online consumers and businesses. With the Loyalty Program, consumers can link their current subscription/accounts with a company with their personal Facebook Account. When linked, consumers can view the status of their products in Facebook, earn points for activities within the Facebook Shop, and receive discounts on purchases. These are all means that Meta is testing to make it more pleasant for online consumers to shop via Facebook instead of the traditional online sales channels. When it turns out to be a success, Meta can decide to use it for Instagram as well.
Curious about the possibilities of Facebook and Instagram Shopping for your company? Feel free to contact us or drop by our office for a cup of coffee. Our online marketers have experience in setting up and promoting your Facebook and Instagram Shop.
050 – 553 23 34
