Key takeaways
- While Facebook Shop has launched, it has yet to introduce its in-platform transactions for businesses in Southeast Asia. Businesses in the region would have to either redirect customers to another site to complete transactions or perform manual transactions via ‘message to buy’
- Xendit can help your business accept payments from virtual accounts, credit and debit cards, eWallets, direct debit, retail outlets, and online installments via with either checkout methods
- Consider using third-party apps such as socialhead.io to set up Facebook shop and sync your stock and inventory with your Shopify website seamlessly
Jakarta Post reported that the average Indonesian spends 3 hours and 26 minutes browsing social media platforms. According to a We Are Social and HootSuite survey, among all social media platforms, Facebook owned platforms are the most popular in the country with 87,7% 86,6% and 85,5% of the respondents being active users of WhatsApp, Instagram and Facebook respectively.
With such an amount of attention, it is unsurprising that social media platforms have become the go-to promotional tools for businesses, either by leveraging on influencer marketing or utilizing Facebook’s ads platform to reach potential customers.
However, the distinction between sales and promotional channels gets blurred when Facebook launches its latest shop feature across Facebook and Instagram. While Facebook had launched Facebook Marketplace in 2016, the feature had yet to accommodate full business needs. It is more of a product listing site which allows users to find listings and advertise their products. It lacks the feature to create your own page and catalogues which are important for businesses to showcase their brands.
The new Facebook Shop feature brings a lot of improvements. Businesses can now create a storefront where they can create a collection and showcase the catalogue to potential buyers. Additionally, it comes with an improved message feature which helps businesses engage with their customers seamlessly.
Creating a Facebook shop is really easy. Businesses would only need to set up an account with Facebook Commerce Manager and will be able to create a collection and customize storefront immediately.
Alternatively, businesses can use third-party applications such as Socialhead to set Facebook Shop easily. The apps also integrate with Shopify and Google Shopping, allowing three way synchronization between the three platforms.
While businesses in the United States can transact directly within the Facebook platform, it is not yet available for Southeast Asian countries, including Indonesia and the Philippines. Users in the region would have to either redirect customers to another site to complete transactions or perform manual transactions via ‘message to buy’.
How can Xendit help your businesses get started with Facebook Shop?
In online transactions, cart abandonment rates or payment drop-off can be up to 70%. It is crucial for online businesses to reduce friction, improve customer experience and boost sales.
Amidst the fragmented payment landscape in Southeast Asia, Xendit enables businesses to accept payments from direct debit, virtual accounts, credit and debit cards, eWallets, retail outlets, and online installments. Xendit can support you with both Facebook Shop checkout options, whichever suits you best.
Message to buy
If you’d like your customers to complete transactions via chat, Xendit can help your business create payment links. You can generate a payment link with just a few simple clicks on your Xendit dashboard and send the link via messages to allow customers to complete the transactions easily.
Additionally, our payment links are customizable. Maintain your branding by adding your logo, personalized message, customized font, brand colours and more on your invoices.
Checkout on another website
If you pick this option, your customers would be directed to your website. If you’d like to pick this option, you can set up your own online store with our eCommerce builder partners such as Shopify, which are optimized for Facebook Shop integration.
Socialhead is a social commerce platform that provides solutions for e-commerce businesses all around the world. With more than four years of experience and currently 10,000 loyal worldwide merchants, Socialhead helps businesses to grow in engagement and sales on social media with less time and effort.
Enjoy a one-month fee waiver with Xendit exclusively for Socialhead users.
About Xendit
Xendit is a financial technology company that provides payment solutions and simplifies the payment process for businesses in Indonesia, the Philippines and Southeast Asia, from SMEs and e-commerce startups to large enterprises. Amidst the fragmented payment landscape in Southeast Asia, Xendit enables businesses to accept payments from virtual accounts, credit and debit cards, eWallets, direct debit, retail outlets, and online installments.
For many businesses, accepting payments online is new territory, but we’re here to help. We have helped 1000s of businesses come online and we’d love to help you too.
Find out more about Xendit, or sign up to try our dashboard!
