How to setup a Facebook Shop on your Page

Are you an e commerce business that sells products online? Did you know that you can now list your products on Facebook in the Shop section allowing your dedicated fans and new subscribers to buy products directly from Facebook? This article looks further into the details on how to set up a Facebook shop to help your business drive more sales and revenue.

Facebook Shop Section

The first thing you need to check is whether or not you have access to the Shop Section on Facebook - you will find this below your Facebook cover photo - it should say 'Add Shop Section'. This service offering isn't just for major retailers, however, as of right now it is very random. If you do see the the Add Shop Section button on your Facebook, follow the instructions below.

Merchant Terms and Policies

It is important to read over the Merchant Terms and Policies as it covers what you can sell on Facebook. It also clarifies how issues will be handled during the beta period of the Shop Section in terms of returns, refunds and other factors.

Business and Payment Information

Next you will add information about your business and arrange your payment with Stripe. If you don't already have an account with Stripe, you need to set one up to proceed. After you have confirmed your payment information, your 'Add Shop Section' magically changes to 'Shop Now' and is published to your business page.

Products and Descriptions

You will be prompted to add an overall description of your products in 200 characters or less - it is recommended to use keywords in this description. You can now add products to your Facebook and configure the details of each product. It is important to check the guidelines provided by Facebook regarding images - they have specific rules such as one image per product and sizing. In addition, there are rules for the individual product descriptions, in that they cannot contain HTML, phone numbers, long titles and so on. Your products will be 'In Review' until they are approved by Facebook, and only once approved will they show to your audience.

Shipping and Returns

All of the businesses using the Shop section on Facebook must ship their products to their recipients within 5 days and items can be returned in 45 days. This cannot be changed.

Collections

Once you have all your products uploaded you can organise your products into collections to show latest arrivals, showcase a certain product line, or highlight a theme.

Order Management

• When you get your first order you will get a notification. You can manage all your pending and completed orders in your Publishing Tools area in the Shop Section.
• Within your order notification, you will find all the additional details from the buyer including address and additional requests. You also have the option to contact the buyer.
• Stripe will only process your payment once the product has been shipped. Once you have verified the shipment, your inventory will be updated accordingly.

One thing is for sure, this feature is an exciting new service line that can really help businesses to boost their ROI. What are your thoughts on Facebook's Shop Section? Will you choose to join if the button appears? Tell us more over on Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter.