In the age of social media, it can be quite challenging to establish a business on Facebook. Not only will you need to arm yourself with the right tools and skills, but you’ll also have to deal with a lot of competition. So to help you out, below are a couple of pointers that will bring you up to speed on how to set up a Facebook store.
Create a Facebook Business Page
Before anything else, you need to make sure you start a Facebook page for your business. At the same time, you need to create a catalog for your products or services. Also, you must make sure you’re the admin of the account. That way, you’ll be able to manage the page and catalog more effectively.
Additionally, if you want to connect your business’ Facebook page to Instagram, you must set up an account on that platform as well. Just make sure you and your business manager (if any) have full access to that account, too!
Configure the Shop Page
Anyway, once you have your own Facebook business page, you can start creating your shop in the Commerce Manager section.
Go to the Create Your Shop page and click Next.
Then choose your preferred Checkout Method. You have the option of checking out via Facebook or Instagram, through another website, or with Messaging.
Proceed to the Choose Sales Channel section, and add your Facebook page (you can also create a new page there). If you plan to focus on your Instagram Shop, then you can skip this step.
Select the catalog you made and click Next. You can change the catalog whenever you want.
Then preview your newly configured Facebook Shop. Review all the store details, particularly the Seller Agreement. Once everything’s in order, you can click on the Finish Setup. Then you’re good to go.
Manage Your Product Catalog
Next, you need to improve your catalog so your future customers can quickly familiarize themselves with what you’re selling. Catalog management is usually done in the Commerce Manager section as well. However, you can also do it in the Business Manager section. Anyway, upon creating a catalog, you need to:
Add and edit information about the products you’re selling, particularly the titles, product descriptions, prices, images, variants, etc. You can upload these items in one go or one at a time.
Create subgroups of items within the catalog so your customers can get to know your products even better. These subgroups can either be sets (if you’re employing Facebook ads) or collections (so you can organize some of your products better).
Assign permissions to your team so you won’t have to manage your store’s catalogs independently.
Upload country and language information so that the shop can automatically adjust your products’ prices and other details based on a viewing customer’s country and language.
Customize the Look and Feel of Your Store
As soon as you’ve finished configuring your Facebook Shop and editing your catalog, time to focus on its aesthetics. Start by customizing its style and layout in the Commerce Manager’s Shops tab. This tab comes with a Preview feature that allows you to see how the page will look as soon as the changes are applied. Additionally, the Commerce Manager automatically saves any changes you make, so it can be published as soon as you’re done. Some of the customizations you can consider include:
- Adding, removing, and arranging your products, featured collections, and promotions on the page.
- Choosing the products you want to showcase at the top section of your Facebook shop.
- Choosing the color of your online store’s buttons.
- Checking how the shop will look on Facebook and Instagram if you switch from light to dark mode.
Improve Your Store’s Homepage
Lastly, spruce up your Facebook store’s Homepage to make it more eye-catching and informative. Add sections where your products, featured collections, and promotions will be displayed. You can also edit the inventory so it can display the items based on your preferences. The best part is, Facebook doesn’t automatically save the changes you make. Instead, It allows you to review the customizations more intensively.
Moreover, you can choose your inventory settings by editing the Facebook page’s More From This Shop section. By tweaking your inventory there, you can show some products that aren’t already displayed on the homepage. You have two inventory settings options: the Default settings that automatically show all the products in your catalog; and the Advanced settings that only display products featured on the homepage, collection, etc.
Wrapping Up
Facebook is an excellent platform to start a business and earn income. Through its many tools and features, you’ll be able to set up a store in no time. And with most people spending an average of 40+ minutes per day on Facebook, the chances of your store getting noticed are extremely high. So follow the tips above and start selling your brand on Facebook today!