You cannot set up Facebook Shop in South Africa anymore...

Facebook is the most popular social media platform in South Africa. Until November 2023, you could set up a shop on Facebook and Instagram in South Africa. However, now you cannot set up an e-commerce shop on Facebook in South Africa anymore. How does this affect your retail business? Is the platform still doable? Let's find the answers to these questions in this article.

Facebook and its Significance in South Africa

Throughout the years, Facebook has retained its top position amongst other social media platforms in South Africa. South Africans primarily use Facebook and WhatsApp (collectively under Meta) for their daily life entertainment, social activities, and of course, business activities.

You could set up a retail shop on Facebook in South Africa before. This was especially beneficial for small and medium retail businesses led by individual owners. But since December 21, 2023, Facebook has made the shop features unavailable for South Africa. These are the changes as mentioned in the Meta notice.

• Shops on Facebook and Instagram and associated features are no longer available, including product tagging (in posts, Reels and stories) and creating custom and lookalike audiences derived from people who visited a shop.

• People can no longer see your shops and associated features if your shop is located in these countries.

• On Instagram, ads with product tags are still available. Businesses running ads with product tags do not need to take any action and campaigns are not impacted.

While this may seem discouraging for SMEs looking for influential platforms to list their products and earn profits, Facebook and other Meta platforms (Instagram, WhatsApp) are still more than doable for conducting business and advertising or selling your products online.

So, how do we sell via Facebook/Meta in South Africa?

Through your Instagram handle or Facebook page, of course. We have been doing this for ages. The Facebook Shop was not deemed necessary for and by all retail businesses out there.

On Instagram, you can advertise your products with professionally captured pictures or videos. Instagram is a visual platform where each picture is supposed to tell you a story. This opens a lot of opportunities to entice customers with creativity in your advertisements.

On Facebook, there are two ways to go about selling your products in South Africa.

First, via a Facebook Page. Facebook Page gives your brand an identity the other option would not. Apart from displaying your products, you can tell stories about your business, post business updates, or host quizzes to engage with your audience. A personalised business sits better with your target audience. Even though you cannot set up shops anymore, Facebook still allows you to post product images and information on your page. Then, you can advertise these products to garner or appeal to a larger audience, who can redirect to your website to make a decision.

Second, Facebook Marketplace. This is a peer-to-peer selling and buying platform without any seller protection or payment gateway options. While retailers rarely choose to utilise the platform, it can open some unique opportunities for your business. For example, finding buyers for a product that rarely gets sold, such as collectables or antiques.

Bonus - WhatsApp Advertising

South Africa loves using WhatsApp for their primary over-the-internet communication needs. As a South African, you likely have noticed their brand new 'Community' and 'Channel' features. You can use WhatsApp to push updates and products via a personal channel or create a community of loyal customers. Having loyal customer programs often works positively for your business.

Facebook Advertising can make customers contact your business via WhatsApp. You can use this opportunity to build rapport with your customers and provide them with prompt and best possible services.

Conclusion

Setting up an actual retail shop with payment gateways is no longer possible in South Africa. But that has not made Facebook obsolete. The point of this article was to inform you about the changes and the alternatives to selling your products on Facebook/Meta platforms.

Skill Space is developing a course on Meta Advertising for Facebook and Instagram. As a South African entrepreneur, harnessing the power of Meta advertising can empower your business to perform better and generate better revenue.

Meanwhile, if you are looking for a platform to start selling your products, we also have created a Takealot Seller Course. It is available for free for a limited time. Take advantage of the offer today! If you have any questions, you can always reach out to us via the contact page.