At Branch we are aware of the growth that e-commerce has had during 2020, and especially within Facebook: the most used social network in the world with approximately 2.701 billion monthly active users .
For this reason, we think it is important to teach you how to sell on Facebook in 2021 and take advantage of this platform as another revenue channel in your business model .
The first thing you need to know is that there are two ways to sell on Facebook : through the “Marketplace” and the “Shop” function. Below, we will explain how to use both tools and what their differences are.
What is Facebook Marketplace?
Facebook Marketplace is a platform where you can find a list of products and services filtered by geographic areas, categories and prices. It brings together buyers and sellers so they can complete commercial transactions through Messenger and comments.
It was first announced in 2016, but buying and selling groups have existed on Facebook since 2005 thanks to the “selling” functions within posts.
Thus, when Marketplace emerged, people who lived in these groups had access to new options, including:
Filter products by categories
Save products as favorites
Send messages to sellers via Messenger.
Optimize sales posts to make them more attractive.
Many people use Facebook Marketplace as a garage sale to list things they no longer use in their home. However, thanks to its new features, it is now an important opportunity to connect with potential customers.
How does Facebook Marketplace work?
Facebook users who want to buy a particular product simply need to look for the “Marketplace” option in the application menu on the left.
There they can see the list of products and contact the owner to buy, negotiate or obtain more information about the content of the publications.
Facebook Marketplace functions as a site for sellers to connect and communicate with buyers and vice versa. Only in the United States are there transaction gateways for making in-app payments, i.e. for purchasing actual products on the social network.
What product categories can you sell on Facebook Marketplace?
On Facebook Marketplace you can sell products that fall into the following categories:
product-categories-that-can-be-sold-on-marketplace
What is Facebook Shop?
Facebook Shop (also known as Facebook Store) is an app, first launched in late 2015, where you can create catalogs of your products and sell them through your Facebook page, or fanpage, and Instagram. You can customize your store by adding featured collections.
Before selling items on Facebook, it is mandatory that:
Meet business requirements
Whether you have a Facebook store or an Instagram store
Comply with Facebook's Seller Policies and Commerce Policies
How does the Facebook store work?
There are two ways to use the Facebook Store:
Directing your Instagram Shopping and Fan Page followers to your website (virtual store) to complete their purchase.
Setting up your Facebook Shop with the checkout feature , which is only available to users in the United States , allows people to checkout without leaving the social network.
Important! Businesses using the checkout feature will be charged a sales fee, which is 5% per shipment or a minimum fee of $0.40 for shipments of $8.00 or less. The rest of the earnings remain with you.
For example, if your first shipment is $10.00, Facebook will deduct a sales commission of $0.50.
You may be interested in reading: Guide to activate Instagram Shopping [Updated 2020]
Steps to create a store on Facebook
To create a Facebook store you must have your fan page linked to the business manager. After that, follow the steps recommended by Facebook:
Open Facebook Sales Manager.
In the “Choose a way to sell” section, select the “Create a store” option and click “Get started.”
In the “Assets” section, click Create a store.
Click Get Started to set up a store with Seller Manager or an eCommerce platform.
To use an e-commerce platform, select one of the options from the list.
To use Sales Manager, choose Facebook or Instagram.
Complete the fields and enter the necessary information to create a taiwan contact number sales manager account and click “Next.”
Review your business information and make any necessary changes.
Once you've completed these steps, it's likely that it will take a couple of weeks for Facebook to review your account. Once your Store has been approved, you can now create catalogs and collections with your products, assign permissions to your team to manage tasks within the platform, customize and publish your store.
People will be able to visit your store after Facebook reviews and approves your collections and product catalogs. Yes, another review! But don't worry, this process usually takes no more than 24 hours.
According to Facebook , if you enable checkout you have access to additional tools in Seller Manager, including:
Orders: View customer orders that are pending, pending shipment, or completed.
Returns: Accept customer return requests, cancel requests, and issue refunds.
Disputes: View disputes initiated by customers.
Payments: Review payment information and download financial reports and tax forms.
Inbox: Read and respond to customer messages.
Account Status: View general information about delivery results and customer service.
Settings: Edit additional settings for your banking and tax information, order delivery locations, shipping profiles, and return policy.
Tips for buying and selling on Facebook
In its help and support center, Facebook provides the following tips for buying and selling within the platform:
In case of sale:
Make sure your product complies with Facebook commerce policies before listing it for sale.
Do not make any shipment until you receive the full payment agreed with the buyer.
It indicates in detail the payment methods, delivery times and schedules, as well as any relevant information about the status of the product delivery.
Use a payment method that protects you and the buyer, and where transactions are secure.
In case of purchase:
Visit the seller's Marketplace profile or fan page to learn more about them.
Clarify any questions you may have about the product or service via Messenger.
Request detailed images about the product
Verify that the payment method is secure.
In short, both Marketplace and Facebook Shop are ideal platforms for offering products and services in 2021.
As a business, you can effectively use Facebook Marketplace to give visibility to your projects to potential buyers, who will not be able to rate or share reviews.
However, you should keep in mind that this platform does not provide personalization or brand identity because it is designed for communication between users.
Given these limitations, we recommend that you get more out of Facebook Shop, as it allows you to open a fan page or use existing ones to offer your products directly on the site.