The words “Facebook” and “e-commerce” don’t have much in common at the first sight. But if we dig deeper, we can develop a connection between these two elements. Almost every modern e-commerce business has its profile on social media platforms. So why don’t they use Facebook to not only receive social signals from there but also use it as an additional sales channel?
Facebook offers its users a feature called Facebook Shops that allows businesses to easily list their products on Facebook and Instagram pages, in stories and ads. According to a June 2020 eMarketer survey conducted by Bizrate Insights, over 18% of adults in the United States made a purchase through Facebook during the last year, and this number will grow year over year. In this article, we will review apps that simplify the integration of an e-commerce store with Facebook and enable deep customization of how your Facebook business page looks like.
Here’s a list of 7 useful apps for your Facebook E-commerce store:
Facebook Shop Integration by MexBs for Magento
This is a Magento extension available for Open Source, Commerce, and Commerce Cloud Magento websites. It allows its users to upload a feed of Magento products to Facebook shops. Facebook Shop Integration extension is easy to install and integrate with Facebook simply following the comprehensive extension user guide.
When set up, Facebook users can browse, like, and share your products on Facebook. The users can select the product options directly in the Facebook shop. Then, they are sent to the Magento checkout, with the products in their carts. That creates a smooth buying experience and prevents cart abandonment.
Additionally, the extension helps to create a Facebook Catalog that simplifies the creation and running of Facebook Dynamic Ads. The Facebook Catalog also allows you to tag your products on Instagram.
Pricing: starts at $199
Facebook Channel app by Shopify
Shopify platform provides in-built functionality of using Facebook and Instagram as additional sales channels for their merchants. Integration with Facebook is performed by installing an app and turning it on in the Shopify admin panel. Then the store owner or an e-commerce manager needs to connect the required Facebook account to the Facebook sales channel, review and accept the terms and conditions, and then click Request approval. Usually, it takes 24-48 hours for Facebook to review products.
Integrating Shopify store with Facebook, merchants can offer a smooth shopping experience for their customers by:
- Aligning designs of a Shopify store and Facebook Shops.
- Grouping inventory to simplify product catalog browsing.
- Applying product tags to posts and stories to create modern shopping experiences.
- Enabling customers to discover and purchase products within Facebook and Instagram.
When integrated together, Facebook shop and Shopify store use one product inventory that stays synced across all the places you sell in through Shopify.
Pricing: The app is free to install.
Facebook Shop for BigCommerce
BigCommerce was one of the first e-commerce platforms enabling direct connection with Facebook Shop. BigCommerce merchants have been able to exponentially increase their reach and drive more traffic by syncing products directly to Facebook earlier than others. This app for integration with Facebook allows Facebook followers of your business page to browse and shop products on Facebook, and then be seamlessly transferred to checkout on the website.
It takes just a click to send an entire BigCommerce product catalog to Facebook. Any changes that are made in the BigCommerce store are automatically synced. This integration allows you to choose which products to feature in your Facebook Shop, then organize them into collections to improve visibility and highlight bestsellers. The app works well both in the browser as well as in the Facebook app. Shoppers click through to your product pages and check out on your site, increasing traffic and giving you total control of the experience.
Pricing: BigCommerce’s Facebook capability is included in all of its plans, which start at $29.95 per month.
Facebook for WooCommerce
The Facebook app by WooCommerce provides the guided setup wizard to connect your store to Facebook to simplify the integration process. With its help, you can quickly link your WooCommerce products to Facebook, set up customized Facebook and Instagram shops, create, measure, and optimize ad campaigns.
This app syncs the WooCommerce product catalog with Facebook allowing the addition of product tags and creating ads. Checkout directly on Instagram and Facebook is available for US merchants only.
This app also provides an option to add Messenger to your WooCommerce website for customer support, order tracking, and more. The appearance, language, and greeting are fully customizable. It lets you create a shopping experience that’s consistent with your brand style and voice.
Pricing: Free
Shift4Shop Facebook Store
Shift4Shop (formerly 3dCart) provides a rich knowledge base for its users with all the required information for Facebook and Shift4Shop integration. Simply log into your Shift4Shop Online Store Manager, go to the Modules section, and search for the “Facebook Shop Integration” module. Click a button labeled “Initiate Onboard Process” and log into your Facebook profile. This will start the integration of your Shift4Shop store with the Facebook business page’s admin profile.
3dcart’s all-inclusive Facebook integration makes it the best solution for online business owners to sell their products on multiple platforms, engage more customers and increase conversions..
Installing Shift4Shop Connect app additionally you can widen the set of offers for your customers, like an option to log in to your store with a Facebook account.
Pricing: Free with any Shift4Shop account.
StoreYa
StoreYa is the most powerful platform for the integration of e-commerce stores with Facebook. It is known for its ready solution for Magento, but also offers integration with over 20 other platforms like WordPress/WooCommerce, Etsy, eBay, Amazon, and more. Integration is made in a few clicks with no design or coding skills required. This integration is available for all languages and currencies and provides a full statistics dashboard to understand your customers’ behavior better.
The simplicity of installation and ease of use is one of the factors making StoreYa so popular among e-commerce merchants that allows you to uncover a new potential of your store on Facebook.
The app has a free plan with an option to import only 20 SKUs. This can be enough for you to test the solution and decide whether it is a good fit for your business.
Pricing: Paid plans start with $19.99 per month, or $9.99 if billed annually.
ShopTab
ShopTab is a famous app for the integration of e-commerce stores with Facebook. Please, don’t be confused by its some kind of outdated design – there is much power under the cover. ShopTab supports integration with Magento, WooCommerce, Open Cart, Zen Cart, Etsy, Amazon, and other platforms. The installation takes up to 15 minutes and doesn’t require any set-up fees, transaction charges, or contracts. You can customize the look of your Facebook Shop, filter and group products, choose the products displayed on the homepage, make customers press “Like” for your page before they can browse the product catalog and more.
ShopTab is optimized for fast-growing mobile buyers, supports all languages and over 60 currencies. Its flexible buyer checkout options include existing e-commerce websites, ShopTab integrated checkout system or Cash on Delivery.
Pricing: Three pricing tiers are offered ($10/month, $15/month, $20/month. They let you integrate up to 500, 1,000, and 5,000 products respectively.
Final Thoughts
Facebook can become a very useful sales channel for your e-commerce business. Take your time for choosing the right app for integration of your store with Facebook as you need to have a reliable administrative interface, analytics features, customization options, ease of product import, and inventory synchronization. Don’t hesitate to use all the support options to set up the app in the most efficient way where all the functionality will work for your success.
About the Author
Anastasia Zhuk is an E-commerce Consultant and the Business Development Director at e-commerce development company Whidegroup. Competent both in the business and technical side of e-commerce businesses, her projects have been widely distributed internationally.
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