Not so long ago there was no reason for many fashion entrepreneurs to run an online shop alongside their stationary stores. The corona-related closings caused a rude awakening in many places. In one fell swoop, there was only one way to keep business going and stay in touch with customers: online. But how can a quick solution be implemented in this area without major investments and know-how?
The answer to this is provided by the social network Facebook, which, together with Instagram, WhatsApp and Messenger, forms a platform with an unbeatable reach. Around 1.73 billion users worldwide use at least one of these Facebook products every day. What many entrepreneurs do not know, however, is that the “Shops” function has given them the option of opening their own online shop on this platform for around a year now – free of charge.
Facebook Shop: a free alternative to your own web shop
In particular, SMEs that do not yet have their own web shop can enter e-commerce with little time and money. But companies that are already active in online trading also have an additional opportunity in this way. Because combined with the well-functioning platform for online advertising, it is easier than ever to reach your – potential – customers and serve them with individually tailored offers.
Image: The fashion house Daniels presents the range of its product catalog via Instagram shop. A button takes you to the webshop, where you can order the displayed item online. / Source: Interlutions
Another advantage: When it comes to the shop, you don’t have to choose between Facebook and Instagram. Rather, it is possible to use the “Facebook Business Manager” headquarters to display the product range on both platforms in parallel and even address different target groups. Furthermore, WhatsApp and Messenger can be automatically integrated as widely used channels for communication with customers and interested parties.
Marketplace:
The free Facebook Marketplace offers companies an interesting opportunity to sell their products. There are a large number of categories and filter options so that users can easily find the offers they are looking for. Especially if you have already created a shop in the Facebook ecosystem, the products stored for it can easily be played out here as well. Particularly popular offers can also be highlighted in an ad.
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And these offer German companies in particular a good interim solution. Because in contrast to the USA, the checkout and payment process is not yet integrated in this country. For sales in the shop, you either have to link to an external webshop or find another way to process payment and shipping. In this context, the arrangement via WhatsApp / Messenger chat has already become firmly established with customers and companies.
Free promotion: ideally in a direct exchange
Once the shop has been set up, the next step is to make it known as widely as possible. There are a number of options for this, which – depending on the budget – can be exploited to varying degrees. An important free function are the so-called product tags. A small icon can be used to mark products that are shown in the feed post or in the story. If the user clicks on it, he will be forwarded directly to the shop.
Image: Preach serves its young target group with trendy Instagram reels. Via the link “View products” you can find out more about the products tagged in the video and see other articles. A link takes you to the web shop. / Source: Interlutions
The product tags can also be integrated into live streams. This format offers companies a unique opportunity to enter into direct exchange with their customers. In this way, you can, for example, present newly arrived goods once a week, answer questions about them and respond to special requests. It is also possible to bring in guests who share their experiences on special topics.
In general, proximity and interaction are the be-all and end-all of successful communication in social media. Fashion entrepreneurs should make sure that their product presentation on Facebook & Co is as personal as possible. For example, you can announce the arrival of the new collection in a post and give an accompanying story an impression of the available colors and show various looks that can be put together.
Video wins: Users prefer to interact with moving images
There are also clear preferences in terms of the form in which content should be conveyed visually. The simple principle here is: moving images beat static images. This means that users interact with videos on average almost 60 percent more than with photos, graphics or the like. Even if they usually mean a lot more production effort, formats such as stories, reels, IGTV and live are clearly ahead when it comes to likes, comments or “sharing”.
The Facebook advertising statistics show an even clearer trend in this context. Here videos make up almost 82 percent of the top 500 content, the remaining 18 percent is accounted for by images. However, the prerequisite for high user acceptance remains that the content is tailored precisely to the platform and the intended target group. That means, for example, images in portrait format for Instagram and with young models for a young audience.
The various Facebook advertising formats with which companies can draw attention to the content of their shop also support this. So-called dynamic ads are particularly efficient in this context. Depending on the target group, they are automatically compiled from shop products and displayed to the desired users. These can be people who have previously visited their own website (retargeting) or potential customers.
Image: Tigha relies on Instagram Stories. Here the label announces the drop of the new collection with a countdown element, which is then available for browsing via the Instagram shop. / Source: Interlutions
Paid advertising: tailored to corporate strategy and customer requirements
The basis for this is the detailed information that Facebook has about the usage behavior of users. If a user has recently been looking for red clothes, she will be shown matching pieces from the range via Dynamic Ad. Alternatively, a complete outfit can be presented as part of a collection ad. The individual products are listed below and linked to the shop. There is also the option of including an image film.
Facebook also offers tailor-made support when choosing the right campaign. If you state that you want to achieve reach above all, the advertisement will be shown to as many users as possible. If, on the other hand, the target is traffic, the campaign will be seen primarily by the users who like to generate link clicks. If the focus is on conversion, Facebook is again aimed at users who are known to like to shop via social media channels.
Important to know: There is no one way to success in social media. Instead, it is important to test individually which content is used to reach which target groups at which times. This can look very different on Facebook than on Instagram. You should also try in which form paid advertising supports organic promotion in your own channels. There is currently no more efficient environment than the Facebook ecosystem with its concentrated sales power.
Christian Schmidt is Chief Creative Officer of the digital agencies Interlutions GmbH, which he founded together with Eric Meurers in 1999. In this position he developed countless brand appearances and campaigns for national and international customers such as Nintendo, Nissan, Lego, Renault and Disney.
Image: Instagram Reels / Instagram
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