[warning]Although you can still upload your products to your Meta Business Suite account, you can no longer assign them to display on Facebook Pages and Instagram profiles until further notice. For more information, click here. [/warning]

[intro]After completing this Guide, you can link to products on your EKM online shop using your posts on your Facebook Page and Instagram. Your customers will be redirected from the post to the relevant product page on your EKM online shop and will be able to purchase that item.[/intro]

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Before you begin, you must create a Facebook Account, open an Instagram Business Profile, and create a Facebook Page. The Instagram Profile and the Facebook Page need to be connected to a Meta Business Suite account. You must also have configured the Facebook Pixel on your EKM online shop and installed the Classifications and Product Attributes features. 

Product Checklist

Before you submit your product data to your Facebook Business account, you need to ensure that every item on your EKM online shop is populated with the following:

  • At least one Product Image, which must be at least 500 pixels square;
  • A Google classification (via the Classifications tab in the Add/Edit Product window);
  • ‘The Brand’ Attribute or;
  • If ‘Brand’ does not apply to a product, instead ensure you’ve used Custom Attributes and populated with either GTIN, MPN, UPC, EAN or ISBN accordingly; 
  • A Price;
  • A Product Name (which is not entirely capital letters);
  • A Product Description of at least 200 words (without excessive capitalisation);
  • At least one Delivery Method.

Ensuring this minimal information is populated reduces the chance of the Product Feed displaying errors and items being disallowed from your Catalogue. You can read more about data fields and specifications for Catalogues here. 

[remember]You must also submit identification to Facebook to verify your Meta Shop. This can be photographic identification or PDFs of business bank statements where the company's contact details are included and match those displayed on your EKM online shop and Meta Business Suite account. [/remember]

Prohibited Content

Some items cannot be uploaded to a Catalogue and sold on Facebook, Instagram or WhatsApp. You can read more about this in the Terms and Policies. Items prohibited from sale include:

  • Adult products;
  • Alcohol;
  • Digital media and electronic devices;
  • Hazardous goods and materials;
  • Ingestible supplements;
  • Medical and healthcare products (including medical devices);
  • Prescription products and drug paraphernalia;
  • Third-party infringement (including counterfeit and unlicensed products);
  • Tobacco products and related paraphernalia;
  • Weapons, ammunition and explosives.

Restricted Content

Some items are restricted from being sold on Facebook, Instagram, or WhatsApp. You can read more about this in the Terms and Policies. Restricted items include:

  • Events or admission tickets;
  • Gift cards and vouchers.

Adding your Catalogue

1. Your next step is to open a new tab on your browser, log into your Facebook Account and ensure that you’re using Facebook as your Facebook Page. Click Meta Business Suite:

2. Click All Tools on the left-hand menu:

3. In the menu that appears, click Commerce:

4. On this page, you need to ensure that the name of your Facebook Page is displayed in the drop-down menu in the top left-hand corner and then click the blue Add Catalogue button on the bottom right-hand side:

5. Click E-commerce and then select Online Products before clicking the blue Next button:

6. Now you need to click the blue Create button:

7. You’ll then see this page. Click the View Catalogue button:

8. Click Data Sources in the top right-hand corner:

9. Click Data Feed and then the blue Next button:

10. You’ll then see this page:

11. Open a separate browser tab, log into your EKM online shop and open the Facebook Pixel feature. In the Product Catalog Feed element, click Copy:

12. Return to Meta Commerce Manager and paste the address into the field provided before clicking the blue Next button in the bottom right-hand corner:

13. In the window that appears, select your Default Currency using the drop-down provided:

Now you need to set your Data Feed Schedule - this is when you want Meta Commerce Manager to check the data feed from your EKM online shop, and when you set it depends on the popularity of your shop and its products, as well as how often you update with new products and replenished stock.

[remember]The Data Feed on your EKM online shop updates overnight, so minimally, you can set this Data Feed Schedule once daily, sometime in the morning. However, for busier EKM online shops, let's set this to update hourly.[/remember]

14. When you have set the frequency of the Data Feed Schedule, click the blue Upload button:

15. You’ll then see this page until the Data Feed has been updated:

[caution] If you have added any necessary attributes to your products today - such as Brand, GTIN, MPN or EAN, for example - your first update may have errors, as the overnight update of the Data Feed on your EKM online shop will not have updated yet. Wait 24 hours and then return to this page the following morning for a more accurate reading. [/caution]

16. When your updated Data Feed has been processed, you should see something like this:

Setting up your Meta Shop

17. On the left-hand menu, click Shops:

18. Click Go To Shops:

19. Click Next:

20. On this page, you need to set up all of the different elements of your Meta Shop, allowing you to tag products within posts on Facebook and Instagram too (providing these have both been linked to your Meta Business Account). Check the email address in the top element is what your customers would use to contact your EKM online shop. Check this is correct - if not, click the Change button on the top left-hand side and amend it:

21. Scrolling further down this page, check that both your Facebook Page and your Instagram profile are listed in the Sales Channels element:

22. The Products element will reference the products listed in the Data Feed from your EKM online shop, and below this is the Checkout Method element. Click to change this on the right-hand side:

23. You’ll then be redirected to this page. Ensure Checkout On Another Website is ticked, and then scroll down:

24. Click the blue Next button in the bottom right-hand corner:

25. This will return you to the Create Your Shop Page:

26. Scroll to the very bottom of the page and ensure that the domain name of your EKM online shop is populated in the Website element, then click the blue Next button:

27. On the next page, use the drop-down to select the countries you have Delivery Methods set up for, and tick the box before clicking the blue Finish Setup button:

28. You'll see this overview when the page has been updated with your details. Click the blue Start Verification button:

29. You must select how you would like to verify in the window that appears. Tick the Business Details box and click the blue Next button:

30. You’ll then see this window. Click Get Started:

31. Ensure the Country drop-down is correct, then click Next:

32. You’ll then see this longer window appear. Scroll down and check all of the details are correct, before clicking the blue Next button:

33. In the next window, tick Domain Verification and click Next:

34. In this window, you need to upload your business documents and click the blue Next button:

35. Click Next:

36. You’ll then see this window. Click Done:

37. You’ll then be redirected to this page. Click Customise Shop on the right-hand side:

Meta Shop Builder

38. On this page, you can use Meta Shop Builder to customise the look of your shop on Meta. This link takes you to the tutorial video. You can access tutorials in the bottom left-hand corner of the page:

39. When you have finished editing the appearance of your shop, click Publish Updates in the bottom right-hand corner:

40. You may see this window. If you are sure that your products follow Meta’s Commerce Policies, tick the bottom box and click the blue Submit button:

41. You then may see this window. Click the blue Got It button:

42. You will receive emails from Facebook notifying you of any changes within the next few hours; one to say that your account details have been verified, and a second one to let you know that your Meta Shop is now live.

Tagging your Products in Posts

43. When your account has been verified and your Meta Shop has been published, within your Meta Business Suite account, click Content:

44. Then you need to click Create Post in the top right-hand corner:

45. Now, when you create posts to publish on your Facebook Page and Instagram profile, you need to click the bag symbol on the right-hand side:

46. In the window that appears, click on the image where you would like the product to be tagged:

47. In the field that appears, begin to search for the product name:

48. When you have selected the product from the drop-down menu and it is tagged on your image, you need to click Save in the bottom right-hand corner:

49. You’ll then be redirected to the Create Post page, where you can see that the post contains a tagged product indicated by the shopping bag symbol on the top left. All you need to do is write your caption and schedule or publish as normal:

50. When the post has been published on your Facebook Page to your followers, it will look like this. If they click/tap Shop Photo, they will be redirected to the relevant product page on your EKM online shop:

51. When the post has been published to your Instagram, it will look like this. Again, the product symbol in the bottom left-hand corner of the image can be tapped to redirect to the relevant product page on your EKM online shop:

[remember]If you require further support with your Meta Business Suite account, you must refer to the Facebook Help Centre - our Customer Support Team cannot provide guidance or advice concerning Facebook products.[/remember]

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[contact] If you need our help with your EKM online shop, contact your Ecommerce Expert or the Customer Support Team, who will be able to point you in the right direction. We're open from 8am-6pm weekdays and 9am-5.30pm weekends. If you'd like to suggest a feature or an upgrade on any of the EKM platforms, please let us know on the EKM Suggestions Board. If you have a non-account-specific question to ask the EKM Team, join us in the EKM Community. [/contact]