What are some popular ways of discovering new products or brands? Social media. Social media platforms like Facebook and Instagram are very good at showing you ads that are targeted to your interests, making you more likely to buy from them. Now, look at this scenario from the perspective of your brand. Your brand can leverage social media to showcase products to potential customers. Social media is also a great way to engage an existing fan base.
Facebook, and by extension Instagram, have the largest catchment of potential customers. If you’re already using Facebook to build a community, WooCommerce Facebook integration is a great business move for selling products. Plus you can use the same integration to set up Facebook ads as well.
So, How do you connect WooCommerce to Facebook shop? How do you sell on Facebook? What plugins should you use? This article will answer all these questions and more.
TL;DR: We’re using the Facebook for WooCommerce plugin built by great developers at WooCommerce and Facebook. Integration is a cinch, and will take minutes at most. There are a few places to be careful, and we’ve talked about that in the article. Like always, we strongly recommend backing up your WooCommerce store with BlogVault before you make any changes. A backup will serve as insurance, in the case of a crashed site or buggy plugin.
Connecting WooCommerce to Facebook shop is an easy process. You will need to install the appropriate plugin on wp-admin. Then, either connect to it from wp-admin or your Facebook page. That’s the technical part.
Additionally, you need to already have a Facebook account that meets Meta’s requirement for a business account. The page or account already talks about the products you sell, and has been connected to a domain that Meta can verify. Meta also has a list of supported countries. These are the basic requirements. For more details, here’s a list of Meta’s Commerce eligibility requirements.
How to Connect WooCommerce to Facebook Shop
In this section, we cover using the Facebook for WooCommerce plugin by WooCommerce and Facebook. It’s the official plugin to integrate Facebook to WooCommerce and enables you to create ads, sync your WooCommerce store to Facebook, and add Messenger to your site.
Step 1: Login to Facebook
Sign in to your Facebook account before you start the process. If you are creating a new one, you will have to wait to connect to your WooCommerce site. As we mentioned before, Meta needs to know that your account can be trusted. As per their guidelines, this means that you have to have an existing community and a Facebook page that showcases your products.
Step 2: Install Facebook for WooCommerce plugin
Once you’ve logged in, head back to your WordPress admin panel, hover over Plugins in the sidebar, and click Add New.
In the search bar, look for Facebook for WooCommerce plugin.
Click Install and Activate to start using the plugin.
Step 3: Connect Facebook account with WooCommerce
Once the plugin is activated, you’ll notice that there is a new item in the sidebar called Marketing.
Go to the Marketing tab and click Facebook.
Click Finish setup and Get Started to start the process of connecting your site to Facebook.
You will be redirected to a new page. Select the account you’re logged into and click Continue as.
You will see another page where you see three options: Facebook shop, Facebook Ads, and Instagram shopping. Click Facebook Shop and click Get started.
You will then be prompted to either create a Business Account or select an existing one. If you do need to create a Business account, you will be asked to add a business name. If not, choose a business account and click Continue.
Click Continue on the next page (your new business account will be automatically selected).
Next, select an existing Facebook page that is associated with your store and click Continue.
The next page will be about product catalogues. You can select or create a new product catalogue and ad account.
Then, confirm the right Facebook Commerce account and click Continue.
Add an Instagram account if you have one.
Finally, choose what WooCommerce integration is allowed to do. Make sure to enable the ones that are marked Required like the permission to manage ads that you have access to. Once you’re done, click Done when you’re ready.
You’ve now successfully Integrated your WooCommerce store with Facebook.
Note: You can connect WooCommerce to your Facebook account by clicking Meta Business Suite on your Facebook homepage. Then, click Business Apps and search WooCommerce integration. Click Connect and follow the same prompts as above. This is a lengthier process that involves going back and forth from wp-admin and Facebook.
Why should you connect WooCommerce to Facebook shop?
Here are a few reasons why we recommend connecting WooCommerce to Facebook shop:
Create targeted ads easily: As we mentioned earlier, social media is great because you can create targeted ads. Meta’s conversion APIs help creates a bridge between your ad data and their systems so you can improve targeted ads. Targeted ads are the key to being able to meet your customers where they’re browsing and capitalize on the time customers spend scrolling on Facebook.
Adds Messenger to your site: It allows customers to connect with you on a platform that they are already familiar with. This builds credibility and trust. This also nurtures a better relationship with your customers.
Reach a larger audience: Facebook has so many users worldwide. It has an algorithm for content to go viral and reach a global audience. So, if you know how to use social media, you can reach a larger audience than if you were only banking on your website.
Start selling easily: It’s so easy to sync your entire WooCommerce store with Facebook. You can actually start selling on Facebook in mere minutes. So, if you already have a community on Facebook, you can start seeing results quickly.
Alternatives to Facebook for WooCommerce Plugin
While Facebook for WooCommerce plugin is a great option, there are other alternatives.
Social Commerce for CEDCommerce: It integrates easily with your WooCommerce site and helps you sell your products on all of Facebook’s Commerce platforms. You can manage orders on one dedicated dashboard, even with a checkout on Facebook or Instagram.
ELEX WooCommerce Catalog Feed for Facebook and Instagram: You can upload product information on Facebook and automatically sync WooCommerce products to your Facebook shop. You can list products as an ad on the Facebook marketplace or Instagram shopping.
SocialShop by OneCommerce: Edit and optimize your products for Facebook, Google, and TikTok with SocialShop. It also offers more information and analyses your product feed so you can optimize your feed better.
Troubleshooting WooCommerce Facebook integration
While we’ve given you a detailed guide on how to link WooCommerce to Facebook shop correctly, there may be some issues you run into. Here are some possible problems and their appropriate solutions.
1. WooCommerce not connecting to Facebook. What to do?
The first step is to check the logs. Here’s how you do that:
Hover over the WooCommerce tab and click Status
Click Logs and you’ll find information on what caused the error.
Depending on the error, try the following solutions:
Missing tokens
The Facebook for WooCommerce extension requires certain permissions to work correctly. You may not have granted the necessary permissions. Try reconnecting your Facebook account to WooCommerce and, when prompted to choose what WooCommerce is allowed to do, make sure all things marked Required are allowed.
Error caused by non-Latin based characters
Your Facebook external business ID needs to have only alpha-numerical characters. You will see this error if your business ID has special characters like! or $. To resolve the error:
Access the hidden options page: On a new tab, open the following URL:
[site_url]/wp-admin/options.php
Please insert your actual site URL in place of [site_urL]
It is a hidden options page. So we recommend you backup your site with BlogVault before making any changes and proceed with caution. Be careful of what changes you’re making to this page as the smallest misstep can crash your site.
Check for special characters: Next, search for wc_facebook_external_business_id. Make sure it only has alpha-numerical characters. Remove any special characters.
Save changes: Scroll to the bottom and click Save Changes. Once you’re done, try reconnecting to Facebook again.
Error caused by lack of two-factor authentication
For security reasons, Facebook needs two-factor authentication to be enabled on your Facebook account. Here’s how you can do that:
Open Security and Login page: Head to your Facebook homepage and click your profile photo on the top right. Then click Settings and Privacy and then Settings. Next, click Security and Login in the sidebar.
Enable two-factor authentication: Scroll down till you see the section for two- factor authentication and click Edit. Next, choose between an authentication app, text messages, or a security key as the verification method.
2. Facebook shop not syncing to WooCommerce
If you’ve managed to connect WooCommerce to Facebook but are still having issues like not being able to sync your WooCommerce store with the Facebook shop, here are some potential solutions:
Refresh auto-sync:
This is a little like wiggling the plug in a socket to make sure that the plug is inserted fully and correctly. Sometimes, you just need to refresh the auto-sync to make sure that it’s working properly. Here’s how you do that:
Open integrations settings: On your WordPress admin dashboard, click WooCommerce in the sidebar and click Settings. Next, click Integrations.
Reconnect API: If you see an error from the Facebook plugin on this tab, you will have to reconnect the API. Just click on the prompt as it appears.
Reset configurations
If you consider the plug-in-socket example, this is the equivalent of removing the plug and retrying the connection anew. Delete all traces of the previous configurations and retry it from scratch.
Delete existing configurations: In the WooCommerce settings, click the Integrations tab. Look for Advanced Options and click Delete settings.
Retry the connection: You will have to reconnect to Facebook. It’s a good thing that the connection process is very short.
Our recommendations for your WooCommerce site
Once you’ve connected WooCommerce to Facebook shop, your business is going to see increased growth. There are a bunch of essential plugins that we recommend you install to manage your site really well. These plugins will scale with your business, and you will see that many maintenance tasks are taken off your plate, so you can focus on building your business instead.
BlogVault: WooCommerce stores always have movement. Customers are browsing or ordering from them at different times of the day. This makes it important to always have a backup of your site. A backup plugin is only suitable for s WooCommerce store if it offers real-time backups. Real-time backups ensure that your customer’s data is not lost forever, in the event of a crash.
MalCare: A security plugin is equally important to a backup plugin. MalCare automatically scans your site daily for malware and also cleans any malware with one-click. It also includes an advanced firewall that protects your site from hackers and malware attacks.
Google Analytics: The Google Analytics plugin helps you track your traffic and understand what products are working or not. Here’s an article on how to add Google Analytics to your site.
RankMath: Another plugin to help with traffic is an SEO plugin like RankMath. It arms you with tools and information on how to make your store rank better on Google search results. If you’re looking for alternatives to RankMath, check out our article comparing the top SEO plugins. We even have a guide to using SEO to make a WooCommerce rank better.
Payment gateways: If you’ve ever bought a product online, you may have seen the shop’s checkout page being redirected to Stripe or PayPal. These are popular payment gateways that handle transactions between online shops, banks, payees, and regulators. We have tutorials on how to integrate your site with Stripe, PayPal, and Apple Pay. We also have another article helping you understand how to choose a payment gateway.
Final thoughts
Social media is a powerful tool to meet customers and convince them to buy your products. It’s integral to your business growth to have an online presence because it will establish credibility and build a community. Once that is taken care of, plugins like Facebook for WooCommerce help you sell to that same community, making this a great way to increase sales.
FAQs
Does WooCommerce integrate with Facebook?
Yes. It does. You need a Facebook account and a WordPress plugin like Facebook for WooCommerce. Once the plugin is installed, connect WooCommerce to Facebook shop and create Facebook ads. Manage all your orders and marketing on the wp-admin dashboard.
Where is Facebook for WooCommerce plugin?
Once the plugin is installed, go to the Marketing tab in your wp-admin dashboard sidebar. Then, connect to your Facebook account from that page. You will have to select the right account, page, and ad account. You can then start selling on Facebook with ads.
The post How to Integrate WooCommerce with Facebook? appeared first on Malcare.
