Facebook Marketplace | Detailed guide on Facebook Marketplace

Facebook Marketplace | Detailed guide on Facebook Marketplace: In 2016, the Facebook Marketplace was introduced as a place for individuals within their communities to buy and sell. Think of Craigslist, with Messenger, though. But plans to integrate more brands into the platform mean that there are big changes going on. In June 2018, Facebook announced the Marketplace option for companies to place advertisements. And Facebook is going to add more B2C options to the C2C platform soon.

In other words, with a hyper-targeting algorithm, think Amazon. So, how exactly does the Facebook Marketplace function? And what can companies do to prepare for that? Read on to find out what features are available at the moment and how to plan for what is in store.

Bonus: Download a free guide that teaches you how to use Hootsuite to turn Facebook traffic into sales in four simple steps.

What is Facebook Marketplace?

Facebook Marketplace is a shopping channel online. It’s a location for Facebook users to purchase and sell locally from each other. As of May 2018, more than 800 million individuals use the Marketplace every month in more than 70 different nations.

In the Facebook app and on the desktop, you can access the Facebook Marketplace:

• On mobile, click the white storefront symbol at the bottom of the app on iOS and at the top of the app on Android.
• On a desktop web browser, click the red and white storefront symbol in the left margin.

Facebook Marketplace listings are grouped by categories, such as entertainment, cars, lodging, and hobbies. For future reference, shoppers can filter searches by price and place and save listings.

Each listing can include up to 10 images along with a product description. In order to ask questions, interested clients can directly message sellers on Messenger.

Facebook Marketplace ads

Facebook Marketplace ads appear in-feed while someone is browsing. These placements have the benefit of meeting individuals when they are shopping. Compared with News Feed placements, advertisers have seen a marked rise in conversion rates.

Facebook Marketplace Shop listings

For now, in the Facebook Marketplace, only companies in the US can apply to list and sell goods. Car dealerships are also permitted to list vehicles through inventory partners in some locations.

Currently, brand listings appear in two sections of the Marketplace: in the category of shops and in the category of regular offers. (This content is only visible to US users as of January 2019.) Only hand-selected companies selling brand-name goods at reduced rates are eligible for the deal program.

Facebook doesn’t charge or take a share of commissions for list fees. So, Marketplace is basically an open, organic distribution platform for brands allowed to list goods. But marketplace listings include the integration of a Facebook Checkout, which charges a fee of $.30 and 2.9 percent for each transaction.

The deals program

The deal software has three levels: the Daily Deal, the Featured Deal, and the contract, and the program at the Lighthouse.

Better offers are placed at higher prices, giving greater visibility. Brands that offer exclusive offers in the Lighthouse Program, for instance, can benefit from top placement, customer subsidies, ads on and off-site, and outreach to influencers.

The benefit of Facebook’s targeting algorithm is advertising and shop listings, which will surface your content to the most likely clients.

Who is eligible to sell on Facebook Marketplace?

There are two major outlets right now for companies interested in selling on the market. You may either apply to the Facebook Marketplace Shop list or apply to be a partner in the offers. Note, only US merchants and automotive companies are currently open to applications.

How to apply to list in the Facebook Marketplace Shop

Page administrators need to complete the Marketplace eCommerce Retailer Interest Form to register for sale on the Facebook Marketplace. Because access to the Marketplace is limited, it is a definite benefit to work with one of Facebook’s listing partners, such as BigCommerce, Shopify, or Zentail.

Retailers must be able to fulfill these conditions in order to apply:

Sell new products to consumers.

• Business based in the US
• Orders must be fulfilled within three days and received within seven days.
• Accept returns up to 30 days.
• A name, definition, additional product images, and a thumbnail image on a solid background must be included in the product listings. The photos do not have any graphic overlays, text, icons, or badges.

Companies were prioritized to sell on the Marketplace from the following industries: beauty, clothes, and accessories, bags and luggage, baby and kids, home decor.

How to apply to become a Facebook Marketplace deals partner

Companies that meet the requirements for listing on Facebook may also be eligible for the deal scheme. Pricing for offers must be at least 15 percent below the recommended list price of the retailer to be eligible (MSRP).

Consumer electronics, home, gift cards, gaming, toys and games, intimate and hosiery, clothing, sports and outdoors, beauty, jewelry and watches, and apparel and accessories are categories prioritized for Regular Offers.

For businesses in the automotive and housing rental sectors, Facebook has introduced a beta collaboration program. You can apply here if your company is qualified. If not, watch for future updates in this room.

Read Also

• Facebook Marketplace | Marketplace Buy And Sell Near Me
• Facebook Marketplace | All you need to know About FB Marketplace
• How To Sell Furniture On Facebook Marketplace

How to prepare your business page for Facebook Marketplace

Open a Facebook Page Shop

It’s possible to arrange the items you sell from your shop into collections. The more your collections are arranged, the easier it is for consumers to find items and purchase them.

You can create special Facebook-only collections or mirror your collections to fit the organizational scheme of your website. Items can be added at any time and removed from collections, and up to 50 collections can be made available.

As a general rule, the higher the picture quality and the more detail you include in each summary of the product, the better. Follow the product image and description guidelines of Facebook for maximum effectiveness, particularly because this will later align you with requirements for potential marketplace integration.

If your company is accepted for the Facebook Marketplace, in the marketplace feed, items featured in your store can be distributed. Make sure the photographs and text comply with the requirements of the Marketplace in advance. (Remember: no overlays, solid background.)

Launch a product collection

It is possible to arrange the items you sell from your shop into collections. The more your collections are arranged, the easier it is for clients to find and purchase items.

You can create Facebook-only special collections or mirror your collections to fit the organizational scheme of your website. It is possible to add and delete items from collections at any time, and you can have up to 50 collections open.

As a general rule, the greater the quality of the images and the more data you include in each summary of the product, the better. Follow the product image and description guidelines of Facebook for maximum effectiveness, especially because this will later align you with requirements for potential marketplace integration.

If your company is accepted for the Facebook Marketplace, in the marketplace feed, items featured in your shop can be distributed. Make sure that the photographs and text comply with the requirements of the Marketplace in advance. (Please remember: solid history, no overlays).

Integrate with Facebook Checkout

Without Facebook Checkout, you can run a store, but online retailers that want to use Marketplace can connect it to the shop on their website. This functionality is only open to retailers in the US for the time being.

The payment mechanism of Facebook allows users to purchase goods directly on Facebook without having to leave the website’s app. Payment solutions with less pressure boost conversions automatically.

Another benefit of Facebook Checkout is that it pre-populates client forms, making the checkout process even smoother.

Six (6) ways to use Facebook Marketplace for your business

There are a number of ways for companies to profit from the Marketplace platform, whether it is listing goods or running advertisements.

1. Test with Facebook Marketplace ads

whether or not you should list goods on the Marketplace. Marketplace placement ads are a good way to test the waters for your company.

BarkBox agreed to run a split-test campaign to promote its monthly dog treat and toy subscription service in an attempt to expand its business. They split the audience equally between News Feed alone and Marketplace and News Feed placement for their advertising.

When advertisements were served in both feeds, the campaign performed markedly better, with a 49 percent greater scope and a 16 percent higher conversion rate.

Go to Ads Manager to create an ad in the Marketplace and choose your target as reach, traffic, conversions, catalog sales, or video views. The Marketplace itself is actually not available as a placement. That means that in order to include the News Feed and Marketplace in your campaign, you can select Automatic placements or edit placements.

The suggested specs for both spots are the same.

2. Maximize your budget

Marketplace listings are a budget-friendly way of supporting product sales, as there is no cost to list and no cut on commissions. But even if you do not yet have access to the Marketplace list, advertising on the shopping channel has resulted in reduced brand conversion costs.

Apartment Guide, a rental listing site, set up a two-week trial, for example, to test Marketplace’s effect on cost-per-conversions. The study found that marketplace advertising led to a 200% rise in conversions and a 45% decrease in cost per incremental conversion.

3. Offer daily deals and promotions

For more than a year, Facebook has been experimenting with a Daily Deals feature, and an important piece of the Marketplace channel is likely to remain.

As an early Facebook Marketplace offer partner, e-commerce company Daily Steals ran a sale for Playstation 4 controllers in August.

Compared with similar offers offered elsewhere, placement in the deals category translated into five times faster sales for Daily Steals. As compared to completing the purchase on its website, the company also saw a two-fold higher conversion rate when shoppers used Facebook Checkout.

4. Launch a new product

There is a reason why Buzz and awareness promotions are multi-platform. And if one of your priorities is to receive pre-orders or early enrollment, the Marketplace is a good place for early consideration to be calculated.

Ubisoft unveiled a Marketplace advertisement campaign to promote the forthcoming release of Tom Clancy’s The Division 2 Phoenix Shield Collector’s Edition and to facilitate pre-orders. Based on individuals who had recently made a purchase at the Ubisoft store and individuals who had visited its website, the advertising targeted lookalike audiences.

The business was able to unleash a thrill-worthy amount of buzz in two weeks, reaching up to 3.4 million people.

5. Boost your sales

If you run a small or medium-sized company with online retail setups that are less than perfect, Marketplace can be a good alternative. But by adding another distribution channel to their online retail portfolios, even the largest companies with the slickest sales features can boost sales.

In order to offset costly customer acquisition methods and streamline operations, beach-themed retailer Tropical Breeze Décor turned to Facebook Marketplace. The organization now produces 72 percent of its revenue from the platform.

6. Think beyond sales

Thanks to its audience of inspired buyers, the Marketplace excels at conversions. But sales are not the only thing on the channel that you can do.

For example, Marketplace ads were used by the apartment-rental company Apartment List to increase registrations on its platform. The ad copy targeted the mindsets of shoppers with taglines like: “Moving Soon??” We’re able to help you find your next home.

The advertisements for the Marketplace contributed to a 17.5 percent greater scope than advertisements for News Feed alone. They also created a decrease in cost per website registration of 16 percent.

More significantly, Apartment List was able to forge a long-lasting relationship with potential clients.

Make sure your marketplace activities match with your overall priorities as you formulate your next online retail and social media marketing campaign.