Billions of people use social networking sites like Facebook and Instagram to connect with friends & family,
According to Business of Apps, Instagram has grown from 1 billion users in 2018 to 1.41 in 2021 and Facebook has grown from 2.23 billion to 2.9 billion users in the same period.
But for a global fashion brand, does it make sense to integrate your store directly with these platforms? The answer is an absolute yes.
The rise of digital marketplaces, social media shopping, and eCommerce continues to drive increased demand for popular brands to make their products available through social media marketplaces.
This exact reason led Facebook to create Facebook Shops for eCommerce businesses looking to create online storefronts through Facebook and Instagram. With mobile eCommerce expected to reach a $3.56 trillion value in 2021, it’s clear why this is the focus today. Facebook Shops is free to use, allowing companies to add their products to the most popular social networks available.
Let’s dive into the benefits of Facebook Shops for your international brand, how a Facebook Shop differs from an Instagram Shop, and examples of both in practice.
Facebook Shops Benefits: The 6 Cs
Launching your storefront with Shops is one of the best steps you can take to boost your chance of success. Why? The platform offers several features that brands and retailers will be interested in.
1. Complete Customization
You have complete control over what your storefront will look like online. Tweak the colors, graphics, typefaces, buttons, and general layout to match how you want your brand image to look.
Best of all, even marketers with little design or technical experience can take advantage of the platform’s easy-to-use tools. You even get a mobile preview on the side for instant feedback.
2. Collections
Easily manage what products you want to show off the most. No matter how many different items you need to juggle, keep them organized through Collections, a feature for effectively cataloging your products.
Just head to the Shops customization page, go to “layout,” and click “add collection” to get started. Collections work best when you have a lineup of related products released together, such as a summer collection or a “back to school” sale.
Collections themselves just look pretty and can catch the eyes of passing visitors with their beautiful imagery and design.
3. Convenient Communication
Facebook Shops are connected to major social networks, with access to communication tools like WhatsApp and Messenger for direct responses to customer questions and comments.
This real-time nature of your conversations will boost customer retention, and enhance your ability to provide personalized experiences.
4. Custom Audiences
Just like any online storefront, advertising and how you reach the right shoppers to maximize engagement are extremely important. In a nutshell, everyone who’s ever viewed or bought products from you or otherwise showed some sort of interest gets grouped into your own Custom Audience.
You have a chance to re-target these people for advertising with an option to filter based on certain demographic traits like location, age, and gender.
5. Compatibility with eCommerce Tools
To help you navigate the lucrative but also complicated world of online commerce, several third-party market integration tools are available to businesses today. Facebook is working with multiple partners to integrate your products with Facebook Shops, such as:
- Highstreet.io
- WooCommerce
- Shopify
- Channel Advisor
- Feedonomics
- And various others.
Marketing and selling products on Facebook Shops is all about using the right tools and taking advantage of the massive audience you have with Facebook and Instagram.
6. Collecting Insights and Analytics
Detailed analytics are extremely valuable to eCommerce companies, as they provide actionable insights into your sales and products. Facebook and Instagram have a built-in Insights feature within the Commerce Manager. From there, you can find data regarding:
- Visitor traffic, both how much and where they are coming from
- Demographic of your target market
- Tagged content
- Catalog insights
You can also view statistics based on your needs, according to a date range, or by the site (either only Facebook or only Instagram).
Facebook Shops Benefits vs. Instagram Shops Benefits
What are the different benefits of selling on Facebook Shops as opposed to Instagram Shops?
Here are three main differences:
-
- Market availability
Facebook Shops is available to all markets. Instagram Shops is available in select markets. Both Facebook and Instagram checkout is only available in the United States. - Product Display
Instagram has a unique way to organize the product. The Shops section pulls together multiple product recommendations based on browsing history, and places them into a central location known as “Products For You”.This allows users to easily navigate, as they’re on a small touchscreen device like a mobile. Facebook doesn’t have this feature. - Setup
The setup process is slightly different between the two platforms. Check out Facebook’s official documentation to read the full details.
- Market availability
Closing Thoughts
The last few years have been challenging for global retailers and brands in many ways. It’s becoming increasingly clear that making your products available through online platforms like Facebook and Instagram is essential to stay competitive.
To boost your chances of successfully integrating and increasing your product visibility on Facebook Shops, take advantage of its partnerships with eCommerce tools like Highstreet.io’s marketplace integration service. Contact our team to schedule a free consultation