Many online shop owners choose to design independent websites for their products. Having an independent online store gives you a sense of freedom and accomplishment. An independent website also gives you a chance to style and brand your space to fit your business needs.
Designing and running a site is the easy part, thanks to apps such as Shopify. The next big hurdle is getting internet users to recognize your business and your product. The online shopping space is a vast market, and getting seen by consumers is not that easy. It is even harder once you break away from platforms that are specially made for online shopping.
This problem has now been solved thanks to an app made for Shopify users. This app is the Facebook shop channel. There are two ways you can sell products on Facebook:
- By opening a Facebook shop where you list your products. This is the same way that online marketplaces such as Amazon operate.
- By connecting your already existing website to Facebook
Facebook shop channel helps you accomplish the second option, which is also the best option. Facebook has limited options in terms of payments and branding of your store.
For example, your clients can only use limited payment methods, and some products are only for US citizens. Facebook shop channel enables you to break all these barriers and gain customers.
What Is Facebook Shop Channel
This is a Facebook store on your Facebook business page that is directly tied to your Shopify store. All the products on your Shopify store are automatically added to your Facebook store. This then allows for purchases to be made directly from Facebook without leaving the app.
Substantially, the Facebook shop prevents the loss of customers when moving from one app to another. It also minimizes the cost of advertising as ads on your store are also displayed on Facebook.
To have a Facebook shop channel, you first need to meet the following requirements:
- Have a Shopify store and a Facebook business account
- Be the sole administrator of your Facebook business page from which your shop will be set up.
- Deal in a currency that is approved by Facebook
- Set up a customer email in the details section of your Shopify store settings
Once a sale is made from your Facebook page, the app can update your Shopify inventory for you. This ensures that records are up to date and accurate.
Facebook Shop Channel Main features
New Facebook Store
You don't need to create a whole new Facebook store; the app automatically does it for you. Once you set up the app on your Shopify store, Facebook shop channel creates a store section.
The store section is displayed on your already existing Facebook business page for people to view your store. Whenever you make changes to your Shopify store, i.e., adding new products, they're updated on your Facebook page.
The app also allows you to add banners to your store and alter aspects of the store. With this app, you can even modify the type of products you sell on Facebook, depending on the audience.
Track Sales on Facebook
Facebook shop channel comes with a unique feature that allows you to analyze your Facebook sales. This feature is available through the sales channel overview and Analytics page.
The analysis gives information such as:
- How many times people saw your product on their timelines
- How many people bought your products
- How many people visited your store
- The number of people who've interacted with your business in a certain period.
All this information goes a long way in helping you plan on ads and products to invest in. By working with other apps, this information enables you to increase your store's visibility and increases cash flow.
Better Sharing Options
The app allows for users to like and share your products with other users. Each product is viewed as a Facebook post that people can react to. Clients get to share the products they like from your store, thus attracting more customers.
As the number of shares and likes increase, your brand voice on social media increases. This, in turn, causes more users to trust the legitimacy of your product because of numbers. The more the people that engage with your store, the more likely new and skeptical, buyers will come.
This is because they're choosing a product that millions of people have endorsed. In no time, you get to be the top dealer in a particular Facebook product. All the while, it is your Shopify business that is booming.
Real-time Updates
Any purchases made on your Shopify store are automatically updated by the Facebook shop channel. The app has access to your Shopify inventory and is in constant communication with Facebook and Shopify.
For example, If you're selling a T-shirt and there's only one remaining, the app displays on one site. The t-shirt will be displayed on the platform that has the most traffic at a certain time.
This prevents double sales, which can drive away customers once they get the short end of the stick. The updates also help you know when you need to update your stock.
Customer Safety
The main problem when dealing with plugins is the fear of information being leaked. Applications are terrorized continuously by hackers who try to get customer information to commit fraud. About 1 in 10 people are victims of internet fraud at least once in their lifetime.
With the Facebook Shop channel, clients are highly protected from such people. Facebook already has measures put in place to ensure user details are confidential, and so does Shopify. With the added layer of protection from the Facebook Shop channel, hacking is almost impossible.
Client payment information is absolutely safe in the Facebook shop channel. The application doesn't hold customer purchasing information for long periods. All sensitive information such as social security numbers and bank details are secured via an HTTPS channel. This simply means that consumer data is encrypted and isn't at risk of hacking at any point.
Through Facebook, the app is PCI DSS certified. That is the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard. Simply put, it's approved at the highest level for secure data exchange between online services and payment systems.
How Much Does it Cost
Facebook channel app is free with no hidden costs. All users can access it for free as long as they have a Shopify store. The app is simply a tool that connects two applications. Any charges, such as advertisements, are usually billed to your Facebook business account.
Compatibility With Other Apps
Shopify always comes up with new applications to manage every aspect of your store. Whether it's an app for email marketing or ads, there's an app for any function. The best thing is that all these apps can work in sync to increase your shop's functionality.
They can all communicate with each other while still maintaining user data security.
Plug in SEO
You have to ensure Facebook users see your store when they search for products. This means that you should pay attention to your store's SEO. IPlug in SEO is an app that increases your visibility on Facebook pages when it's integrated with your store.
The app works by scanning through your store to make suggestions on where it's SEO limited. It checks your product titles, headings, descriptions, and content structure. It then displays the results and makes suggestions on changes that are SEO friendly to your store.
Facebook Messenger marketing
The most crucial part of any business is customer service. No matter what you're selling, customer service can either attract or drive users away. Facebook Messenger Marketing and lets you speak directly to your Facebook clients through Shopify.
Your clients don't have to go to Shopify to contact you. Customers just need to initiate a live chat using a simple widget. You then get custom notifications that allow you to answer their questions on the go.
The app also lets you add client accounts to your subscriber list. You can then send your subscribers updates regarding your store and programs you have via Facebook.
Smile: Rewards and Loyalty
It's hard enough getting users to buy items from your store. Getting them to buy from you over and over again is even harder. Smile is an app that configures a loyalty program for users who buy from you consistently.
The app's loyalty programs include VIP perks, points per purchase, and referral points. Smile and Facebook shop channel extends these benefits to all Facebook users who buy your products multiple times.
Whenever you have a Shopify offer running, your Facebook clients are also informed. This also helps you avoid running two separate loyalty programs, which increase the chances of losses.
What Do the Reviews Say
35% of users say that their sales have increased by over 50% thanks to the Facebook shop channel. At least 1000 people have made profits of over $5000 thanks to this application.
Those who have benefited from the app have not shied away from giving good reviews. One user even said that she was able to open a new business, thanks to the Facebook shop channel.
Out of all the reviews on the app, only about 200 are complaints. Most of them are people asking how to do certain things and how to use certain features. The developers of the app have always been available to solve such problems.
Users with issues regarding the app can always contact the developer. A response is ever given within a few hours and not more than 24 hrs. Facebook shop channel has empowered Shopify users and helped them tap into the broad Facebook market.
All the while, they get to retain all the benefits of a Shopify store such as custom designs. Excellent customer service from the developer is also an added advantage in most applications.
For these and many more benefits, we'll give the app a 4.3 rating.
Conclusion
About 86% of customers lose interest in a product the moment they need to move to another page. A Facebook shop channel keeps your clients intact and engages them. This then leads to sales that eventually grow your business.
Coming up with a new online store requires money and time. Facebook shop channel does all the coding, heavy lifting and gives you an opportunity to scale up sales. All this is at no cost and no hidden charges.
Technical difficulties are common even with high pest rating applications. Facebook shop channel has a dedicated team of staff to help troubleshoot any errors involving the app. All the fantastic features cost $0.00 to buy and with no extra costs. The Facebook shop channel is what you need to expand your horizons.