Selling on Facebook and Instagram just got easier thanks to the introduction of Shops.
With record sales for e-commerce websites during the pandemic so far, it seems a very wise time to introduce the long awaited Shops feature on both Facebook and Instagram – a timely step up from shoppable posts.
Shops will let businesses turn their profiles into immersive, full-screen shopfronts, where they can sell their products and provide customer service directly in the platform.
The Verge notes: “Shops can be found on businesses’ Facebook pages and Instagram profiles, and they can also appear in stories or be promoted in ads. Items that businesses have made available for purchase will appear within the shop, and users can either save items or place an order. (Some businesses enable users to make purchases directly on Facebook, while others will take you to the business’s website to complete the transaction.)”
Who can create a Shop?
Right now, shops are rolling out to businesses who sell with Instagram Shopping, a Facebook Page Shop or both. The platform has stated that they will email those who are eligible, so keep an eye on your inbox!
How to create a Facebook/Instagram Shop
To get started with your Shop, you’ll need to pass their eligibility checks, convert your Instagram profile to a business account if you haven’t already, connect your Facebook page and upload your products. You’ll then need to turn on Instagram Shopping once you have the feature available.
Once you’re ready to go, you can share your Shopping Tags in posts and share a Shopping Sticker in your Stories.
In their announcement of the new feature, Instagram comments: “Creating a shop is free and simple. We will start with eligible businesses who use Instagram Profile Shops and will expand access over the next few months. Eligible businesses will receive an email when their shop is ready to start customizing.”
To me, it seems like this feature is another step in the move away from websites being a business’s traditional home on the internet.
Along with featured snippets on Google, Instant Experiences on Facebook and Instagram, and lead ads on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and more recently, Google too, Shops’ in-app experience essentially means that the user doesn’t need to EVER visit your website to get the information they need or to make that conversion.
Would you SHOP on one of these profiles?
Would you SELL from one of these profiles?