Nifty Data Feeds for Facebook Shops

[HightonRidley]

If you already know about Facebook Shops then you're ahead of me as I'm just learning about them. Basically you set up shop on Facebook and fill it with "collections" (similar in principle to Zazzle collections). People can then click a product, get taken to the Zazzle product page, do any personalization and then buy.

One of the things that makes it easy to get products into a shop's inventory (aka "catalogue") is via data feeds. Once you've got one or more of them pulling products from Zazzle into the catalogue then you can create subsets of the catalogue (aka "collections") that then appear in your shop.

When you're creating these collections (Fb calls them "sets" when you're setting them up - why do they confuse things by using different terms, gah!) you can choose the products to go in them manually or by using a filter.

Facebook allows for named filter fields such as:

• custom_label_1
• color
• gender

and with them you can select products that have those field contents set to specific values (eg create a set containing products where the gender field contents are set to female).

The standard Nifty feed doesn't allow for those fields so I'm creating one specifically for Facebook data feeds that does include them.

The way you'll use the feeds is to set up a pull in the Nifty Promo Control Panel, say for ladies' t-shirts, and in the new tool section for it, you'll set the new gender field contents to female. You'll then be given the data feed url to use in the appropriate place on FB.

You'll do similar for lots of different pulls and your "catalogue" on FB will be made up of the results of all those different feed urls, each with the filter field settings you decided on. Remember, this is so you can create the collections of just those product designs you want.

Then, when you're creating sets (ie collections) for your shop on FB, you'll be able to filter products from your catalogue and so get just those products you want into each FB shop collection you create.

It'll need some thinking ahead but the mechanism is there to allow you to do shop collections made up of halloween, thanksgiving, christmas etc product designs.

Sorry if it all sounds a bit garbled right now but as I make progress, I'll be able to write more clearly about it and give screenshots and examples.

Meantime, here's a fairly ok article about setting up shop on FB. It's not perfect but goes a long way: https://www.websitebuilderexpert.com/building-online-stores/how-to-set-up-a-facebook-store/

Happy to answer questions 🙂

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(Note that the usual Nifty terms apply - if you have a Nifty subscription, the referral id used in all links will be yours (but you'll get clean links if you're in the Promoter Program). If not, half of them will use yours and the other half, mine (based on a computer coin toss).

[CreativeLeahG]

I have a Facebook shop and indeed have been in dialogue with Zazzle re them providing such feeds. I don't know where they are with it, but be great for something to be available and I am very interested to see what you come up, sounds promising.

[HightonRidley]

I'll make sure you're in the loop as I make progress, @CreativeLeahG  🙂

[HightonRidley]

The tool is now live

You'll need a Facebook Shop to be able to use it. Try it for yourself here: https://niftytoolz.com/npcp/nifty-promo-control-panel.html - don't forget to put in your own referral id!

See the screenshots below for an example Facebook data feed that pulls floral women's t-shirts from the Zazzle marketplace. You use the data feed url you're given by Nifty to add to your existing Facebook catalogue.

The special data feed filter fields Custom_Label_1 and Gender in this example are set to floral and female respectively. They'll allow you to create a set (aka collection) for your Facebook Shop consisting of womens' t-shirts with a floral design. When you're creating the set, you tell Facebook to filter from the catalogue using:

• Custom_Label_1 is floral
• Gender is female

Here's the screenshots showing how to set up the pull in Step1 of Nifty and how to create your Facebook data feed in Step2.

@CreativeLeahG 

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Remember, if you have a Nifty membership, all product links will use your referral id (promotor program memberships will get clean links). Without a Nifty membership, half the time your referral id will be used and mine the other half, based on a computer "toss of a coin".

[CreativeLeahG]

That was quick! I shall take a look shortly! Thank you

[HightonRidley]

If you have questions, just shout 🙂

[CreativeLeahG]

Have you tried this feed on a shop of your own yet? I got error messages

"

Item must have a tax category or Google product category:

google_product_category

google_product_category

, 

commerce_tax_category

commerce_tax_category

Each item requires either a tax category or Google product category to be eligible for Marketplace. This is used to calculate tax."

[HightonRidley]

There's nothing to worry about with those warnings. The google_product_category is optional unless selling directly on Facebook. As we're doing the sales / checkout on Zazzle, it is an optional data field. Here's what their help says about it:

Providing a Google or Facebook product category for each item in your catalogue is required to sell directly on Facebook or Instagram with checkout. We match the product category that you provide to the corresponding tax code to help determine sales tax. It also affects whether the item is eligible for a custom return policy.

If you don't sell with checkout, we still recommend that you provide product categories to help customers discover your items in your Facebook or Instagram shop using search and filters. Providing product categories may also contribute to improving your dynamic ads performance.

Note: If you sell with checkout on Facebook and Instagram, we can automatically assign a product category to items in your catalogue if you haven't provided one. Learn more about automatic categories for tax.

Learn more here: https://www.facebook.com/business/help/526764014610932?id=725943027795860 

To answer your other question, I've created my catalogue using 3 Nifty data feeds. I haven't yet managed to complete the process of setting up shop, though. Instagram won't let me change the email address associated with my account for a few days and without changing it (it's got a typo) I can't verify it. Ack!

Have you tried creating a set yet using items put into your catalogue from your new Nifty data feed?

[CreativeLeahG]

Yes, I tried and it won't go through, hence I was wondering if you had trialed it yourself yet. I'll try again when your shop is set up and operational. Unless anyone else has tried and had success and I can view their shop? Thanks

[HightonRidley]

Ok, I'll keep you posted. As soon as I've been able to change and verify that email, I should be able to actually put the created set into my shop.

We'll see.

[HightonRidley]

@CreativeLeahG- I overlooked getting back to you. My email change went through and I was able to complete the Shop setup - but not on Instagram as I don't have enough "reputation" there yet.

[HightonRidley]

My shop is now active and has two collections in it, Women's Floral T-shirts and Outer Space Wrapped Canvas. Both were created with the Nifty FB Data Feed tool.

My shop is here: https://www.facebook.com/HightonRidley/shop 

Questions?

[CreativeLeahG]

Looks good, I shall try it again thanks

[HightonRidley]

One small change I made was to increase the size of the images in the feed. It may be that was what prevented you making progress? Anyway, let me know how it goes.

[HightonRidley]

I've now written a complete step-by-step tutorial on creating your own Facebook Shop and filling it with inventory taken via auto-refresh data feeds from Zazzle. Every step has an explanation and a screenshot so you always know where you are and are following along nicely.

Here's a screenshot of the shop I made while writing the tutorial:

The tutorial is here: https://niftytoolz.com/how-to-set-up-a-facebook-shop-for-zazzlers-and-affiliates-in-late-2022 

[LMGildersleeve]

Hi Mark! Just saw this thread after I went pocking around the new FB shop page. Dang if it hasn't become more confusing. 😒 You always come up with something to work with.

One thing that is plastered on the top of the FB Commerce page is this notice... "We're waiving all seller fees through June 30, 2023". Have you considered what will happen to Zazzle product Shops when this will happen?

[HightonRidley]

Thanks for the posiive feedback there, @LMGildersleeve 😄

There are no seller fees when the checkout takes place off Facebook/Instagram - as it does when you link out to a Zazzle product page from the product in the Fb/Insta Shop. Does that clarify things for you?