Facebook Offers Shops Holiday Tips, and 'Preferred Shop' Label Will Soon Be Available

With Christmas season now fast approaching, Facebook has released some new recommendations for people who use Facebook and Instagram Shops on how to add seasonal flare to their Shop displays, as well as some critical trend notes and usage points that may help you improve your product listings in its applications.

Furthermore, Facebook has highlighted a new badge for top-rated Shops, which might assist give additional assurance and generate more purchase traffic.

To begin with, Facebook has detailed a number of new Shops recommendations to help you improve your in-app product listings.

Facebook's Holiday Shop Tips include:

• Ensure your catalog data is up to date and complete — According to Facebook, “a top quality catalog not only increases placement in search results, assisting buyers in discovering your items, but it also promotes conversion by giving customers with the information they need to complete a purchase.” Facebook also states that the conversion rates may be improved with additional product pictures.

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• Add shopping tags to your posts — As per Facebook, product tags allow your audience to buy from "any post, story, or live video on Facebook and Instagram." Businesses may tag up to five items each post, and product stickers in Stories can assist promote direct purchase action.

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• Create unique, holiday-themed Collections — Facebook notes that businesses should offer at least eight items in each collection and utilize “colorful, uplifting imagery,” along with collection titles that connect with popular inspiration and community fun. Facebook also mentions that curated gift collections at impulse-buy price points (e.g., under $20, $50, and $100) can be effective in increasing take-up.

Those ideas might help you enhance your Shop displays in accordance with user trends, which might raise your sales traffic throughout the holiday season.

Furthermore, Facebook adds that it will be releasing new tools in the coming weeks to give more holiday marketing choices for merchants on its platforms.

“To help buyers make more confident purchases and easily identify shops on Facebook and Instagram, we are testing a new label that identifies shops offering consistent shopping experiences.”

The new ‘Preferred Shop' label, which is comparable to seller ratings on eBay, will make customers feel more secure by showcasing Shops that provide outstanding customer experiences.

Facebook implemented similar tags for Pages that were better at replying to message inquiries efficiently back in 2015.

The new Preferred Shop tags serve a similar function, showcasing businesses who regularly deliver good buying experiences and match consumer demand, perhaps driving additional traffic to your Shop.

Facebook is currently testing the new labels and will give additional information on how you may acquire your own 'Preferred Shop' label shortly.

Facebook also mentions that it is expanding the options for businesses to indicate that they are Black-owned in their Facebook and Instagram shops. In June, Instagram introduced a similar Black-owned label for business accounts, offering yet another option to highlight businesses who have been severely affected by the pandemic while also increasing their visibility on the platform's discovery surfaces.

These are some helpful hints, and the new 'Preferred Shop' label may give a significant boost, depending on how Facebook handles it and the criteria for qualifying.

And perhaps now is the moment for Facebook and Instagram Shops to truly take off, as more people turn to eCommerce to purchase their Christmas gifts, and Facebook tries to push its shopping tools to match with these trends.

Maybe it's time to start thinking about your Facebook Shops alternatives. More information regarding Facebook and Instagram Shops may be found here.