(This post was originally published on October 10, 2017. We’ve updated it for accuracy and completeness.)
Over half (57%) of consumers say social media like Facebook influences their shopping decisions. Shopify is taking note and they’re make it easier to set up shop on Facebook and integrate it with their software.
A few years ago, Shopify released an app called Shopify Facebook Store that allows merchants to set up a fully integrated store on Facebook. Expanding your selling to social media sites can be an excellent tactic to increase traffic to your online store, improve engagement with your Facebook fans, and increase sales.
But, selling on Facebook may not be a tactic that everyone should use.
Let’s dive into how the Shopify Facebook app could help your business, and why you should (and shouldn’t) consider using it.
Benefits of a Shopify Facebook Store
There are three main ways a Shopify Facebook Store can help grow your business.
1) Increase brand awareness using typical social indicators (likes, shares, promotions, etc.).
2) Increase sales by putting your products where your customers already are. 78% of American consumers say they’ve discovered products on Facebook.
3) Create an online store with fewer resources and less time than building out a custom online store.
It isn’t a good idea to seek all these benefits equally. You should prioritize them and focus on what you consider as most important. And, remember what is best for your competitor may not be best for you.
Questions You Should Ask Before Selling on Facebook
If you’re considering adding a Facebook store to your online selling sttategy, ask yourself the following questions:
Do you already have an online store? If so, think about the impact a Facebook Store will have. Will you be distracting your customers from your main storefront or will you be opening yourself to new markets?
If you don’t have an online store yet, what is your long-term strategy? Creating a Facebook Store can be a low friction way to get started, but what about the future? Where do you want to be one year from now?
It’s important to consider the difference between an “owned” and “rented” web properties. If you build your own website, that’s an “owned” property. You call the shots. You decide the strategic direction.
A Facebook page is “rented” (even if it’s free). If Facebook decides they want to shut you down for any reason, that’s their prerogative. Maybe they decide to disable Facebook pages for strategic reasons. Maybe they want to start charging $1000/month for one. Neither are likely, but the point is the same. You don’t own your Facebook store. You are at their mercy.
When considering your long-term strategy, I do not recommend you build a company on borrowed land. Eventually you’ll need to focus on your own web property. That said, a Facebook store could have some significant tactical and/or short-term benefits.
What is your goal for Facebook? Are you trying to increase sales or increase awareness of your brand? A Facebook store can remove barriers to sales (your customer doesn’t even need to leave Facebook). It can also distract them, if you’re trying to ultimately bring them to your online store. Be clear about your intentions.
Is the Shopify Facebook Store the best approach for you? Shopify is fully integrated with Facebook so product details, images, and inventory sync automatically with Shopify, much like how nChannel helps you integrate Shopify with your business systems.
What other channels are you selling in? What about marketplaces like Amazon or eBay? Do you have brick-and-mortar stores? Like any facet of your online selling strategy, your Facebook store will not live in a vacuum.
Getting Started with a Shopify Facebook Store
Creating your new Shopify Facebook Store is relatively easy, especially if you’re already familiar with Shopify. Look at this quick reference for the necessary steps to set up a Shop on your Facebook Page. Briefly, it looks about like this.
1) First, check out their Facebook app page on Shopify’s marketplace.
2) Once logged in to Shopify, connect your Facebook account to create the tab on your Facebook page.
3) Load your product data and use Shopify how you otherwise would (including setting up payment and fulfillment options).
4) Run Facebook Ads by following this step by step guide.
Whether you’re trying to get off the ground quickly as a new business or expanding what you’ve already built, there is very little friction.
Consider the Future
The long-term benefit of using Shopify, with or without Facebook, is that it gives you a platform for growing your business over time. There’s an eclectic marketplace of apps for improving how you use Shopify. It’s also a highly familiar, highly supported platform.
Be sure to consider what happens when you become successful. You’re going to expand. You’ll likely add new channels. You’ll need to start using platforms like an ERP or start implementing advanced fulfillment options, like drop shipping.
You won’t be able to ride Shopify alone the entire way there.
Continue to Improve Your Shopify Store
Check out these articles on how to further improve your Shopify webstore.
- 3 Ways to Integrate NetSuite with Shopify
- How to Choose a Shopify-ERP Solution
- Shopify Capital and Shopify Capital Alternatives
- Shopify vs Etsy: Should You Sell on a Marketplace or Webstore?
- Shopify Adds New Multi-Location Inventory Capabilities: What it Means for Your Business
- Shopify Multiple Stores: How to Overcome Common Challenges
- Shopify’s Import Product Features: Why It Falls Short for Multichannel Merchants
- How to Find and Sell Wholesale Products on Shopify
- 5 Shopify SEO Problems & Tips To Solve Them
- Top 5 Shopify Shipping Apps
For even more articles about Shopify, click the “Shopify” tag link below to see a full list
Good article! I’d agree that Facebook can be a great place to sell if you already have an engaged following. If you don’t have any followers it’s not quite as helpful… and Shopify can get expensive if you don’t already have a lot of fans. I’d recommend ShopTab over Shopify if you just want the Facebook store (plus they have a mobile Facebook store) – it’s only $10/month which is super inexpensive compared to Shopify.
Facebook offers no support whatosever for those fools who open a Facebook store. I was one. When a Facebook merchant clicks the SHOP NOW button, a useless, non-functional SHOPIFY store is installed on your page. You cannot delete it, no matter how much embarassment it causes your company. You can look in the HELP section for thousands of years, they do not refer to it. You cannot email Facebook, they will not answer. You cannot phone Facebook, they have no phone. So, after, you, the prospective Facebook/Spotify merchant, think you have opened your store, you have not really opened your store. They do not tell you that. You cannot get in touch with them (Facebook) of course they cannot tell you. So now you are faced with the prospect of DELETING this abomination of a store (no images, no functionality). Read the HELP pages on Facebook: there are thousands of small merchants trying desperately to get out of this with no help from Facebook. Here’s a page where you can witness the plight of these poor people, I was one: https://www.facebook.com/help/community/profile/?uid=100010585567157 On this page you’ll see a sample of the small merchants who foolishly thought of doing business with Facebook/Spotify. IS THERE ANYWHERE ON FACEBOOK WHERE IT IS STATED THAT IN ORDER TO HAVE A VIABLE FACEBOOK STORE, YOU MUST GO THRU SPOTIFY? No, nowhere. The Facebook Gang have, once again, unloaded an untested and confusing product on their public, hoping to make yet another billion in their greed. Go ahead, do business with Facebook.
Does Facebook have email support? NO. They do not answer emails, we are the “little people.”
Does Facebook have a support phone number? NO. There is no way to get in touch with Facebook. We are the “little people.”
My last question. Would you do business with a company that has no phone number?
My answer is no.
Spotify is OWNED by Facebook. RUN.
shopify is $9/month
how many likes on your page would you consider having shopify on
facebook? And these days is it best to have website shop or facebook
shop? Just want your guys opinion as only just started business and only
70 likes on page, Its organic skincare and I am still building up the
range
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Excellent read! The way you presented the information was both informative and inspiring. Your unique perspective really adds value to the topic. Keep up the great work!