Facebook has made a big announcement about the launch of Shops for Instagram and Facebook and here’s what you need to know.
Facebook & Instagram Shops
• There will be a new “Shop builder” platform which will allow you to build a shop for free for Facebook AND Instagram.
• You can upload your products individually or connect using Shopify/ Woocommerce and other tools to stream through the products.
• You will be able to customise your shop with a cover image and colors
• Users can then discover the shop through your Facebook or Instagram page or you can link to your shop through a post, Story, or an ad. Eg tagging your product.
• Users can browse the Shop’s full collection of products, save products and even place an order on Facebook / Instagram. In the US, customers can check out directly inside the app – but elsewhere customers will be redirected to the seller’s own website. (It is not clear if this ability to purchase on Facebook / Instagram will roll out to Ireland)
• Facebook will take a small fee for orders placed (presumably this only applies for orders placed on their platform)
Also coming soon
• This Summer they will enable Instagram users to browse products from shops directly from Instagram Explore
• Later this year, an Instagram Shop tab will appear in the navigation bar, so you can go shopping with a single tap
• Facebook is testing ways to let users earn rewards with businesses through loyalty programs
• In the future, you’ll be able to view a shop – and even make purchases – within a WhatsApp, Messenger or Instagram Direct chat
Much of it is launching in the US from today but will be rolling out worldwide this year. It’s not clear when each region or business will be able to access Shops, but Facebook will let Page managers know, over time.
When it arrives it looks like it will be very useful for small businesses in Ireland who want to start selling more online as we will get a centralised shop that we can then promote across Facebook & Instagram through posts, stories and Ads.
If you would like to read more about this you can check out the article on Techcrunch
If you would like to understand how to set this up when it does become available here is a step by step guide from Social Media Today
Evan
The Marketing Crowd is on Instagram! Tap the button below on your phone to follow us and keep updated about the latest digital marketing apps and tools
