Why Making it Hard to Buy is Killing Your Sales
I was chatting with a boutique owner in Paddington last week. She has beautiful handmade leather bags, and her Facebook page is full of comments like "I love this!" and "Where can I get one?"
She’d reply with a link to her website. But here’s the problem: when people click that link, they have to wait for a new page to load, find the bag again, add it to a cart, fill out their details, and find their credit card.
By the time they get halfway through, the kids start screaming, the kettle whistles, or they simply lose interest. They leave. The sale is gone.
In the marketing world, they call this "social commerce." To you and me, it’s just making it easier for people to give you money. If someone sees something they like while scrolling through their feed on their lunch break, you want them to be able to buy it right then and there, without jumping through hoops.
What is a Facebook Shop, Really?
Think of a Facebook Shop as a digital window display where the door is always open. It’s a section of your Facebook page where you can list your products with prices and descriptions.
Instead of sending someone away to another website, they can browse your catalogue inside the Facebook app. If you set it up right, they can even check out without leaving. It’s the difference between telling a customer "I have that in the back room, go find a staff member to help you" and handing the item directly to them while holding the EFTPOS machine.
Does This Actually Make Money?
I’ve seen this work for dozens of Brisbane businesses, from plant nurseries in Brookfield to clothing labels in Fortitude Valley. One local gift shop we worked with saw a 30% jump in enquiries simply because people didn't have to go searching for a price list.
Here is the reality: people are lazy. Not in a bad way—they're just busy. If you make them work to buy from you, they won't. Facebook Shops remove the friction. When you remove friction, you get more sales. It’s that simple.
The Three Levels of Selling on Facebook
Most business owners get overwhelmed because they think they need a complex setup. You don't. You can start small and grow.
1. The "Catalogue" Level
You simply list your products. People can see the price and a description. When they want to buy, they click a button that sends them to that specific product page on your website. This is better than a generic link because it takes them exactly where they need to go.2. The "Messenger" Level
This is great for service-based businesses or high-end products. Instead of a "Buy" button, there’s a "Message" button. This starts a chat. For a cabinet maker or a landscaper, this is gold. You aren't selling a $10,000 kitchen with a click, but you are getting that lead instantly while they are looking at your work.3. The "Full Checkout" Level
This is where the magic happens for retail. The customer enters their shipping and payment info once into Facebook, and they can buy from you with a couple of taps. No re-entering credit card numbers. No slow-loading websites.Stop Over-Complicating Your Content
One of the biggest mistakes I see Brisbane business owners make is thinking they need a professional film crew to sell products on social media. They spend thousands on a video that looks like a TV commercial, and nobody watches it.
Look, I get it—you want your business to look professional. But on Facebook, "professional" often looks like an ad, and people skip ads. What actually works is showing the product in your hands, in your shop, or being used by a real customer. We often find that short-form that converts is just a simple video shot on an iPhone in natural light. It feels real, and real sells.
How Much Does This Cost?
Setting up the shop itself is free. Facebook doesn't charge you a monthly fee to have a shopfront.
However, they do take a small cut of the sale if you use their checkout system (usually around 5%). While some owners balk at that, you have to ask yourself: "Would I rather have 95% of a sale I wouldn't have made otherwise, or 100% of nothing?"
If you're just starting, your biggest cost is time. It takes a few hours to get your products uploaded and your settings right. If you have a lot of products, you might want to pay a pro to sync it with your existing website so you don't have to update stock levels in two places.
What You Should Do First
Don't try to upload your entire inventory today. It’s a recipe for a headache.
1. Pick your 5 best-sellers. The stuff people always ask about. 2. Take clear photos. Use your phone, go outside in the shade for good light, and show the product from a few angles. 3. Write a description for a human. Don't just copy the manufacturer's specs. Tell them why they need it. 4. Avoid the hard sell in the DMs. Once people start messaging you from your shop, don't be a pest. Many businesses fail here because they get too pushy, and honestly, the pitch slap is dead. Just be helpful. Answer the question, offer a bit of advice, and let the product do the talking.
Common Pitfalls to Avoid
Most of what you read online about social media marketing is rubbish written for huge corporations with million-dollar budgets. For a small business in Queensland, you need to avoid these traps:
The Ghost Town Shop: Don't set it up and forget it. If a product goes out of stock, mark it as such. There’s nothing more frustrating for a customer than trying to buy something that isn't there. Ignoring Comments: If someone asks a question on a product post, answer it publicly. Chances are ten other people have the same question.
- The "Post and Pray" Method: Just having a shop isn't enough. You need to occasionally show your products in action. But don't just share the same link over and over. You need to understand that your calendar kills growth if you're just posting for the sake of ticking a box. Post when you have something worth showing.
How Long Until You See Results?
This isn't a get-rich-quick scheme. If you have an existing following on Facebook, you might see your first enquiry or sale within days of setting up your shop. If you're starting from scratch, it will take longer to build trust.
Expect a "settling in" period of about 30 to 60 days. This gives you time to see which products people are clicking on and which ones they are ignoring. Use that info to swap things around.
The Bottom Line
Your customers are already on Facebook. They are looking at your competitors, and they are looking at you. If your competitor makes it easy to buy with two clicks and you make them fill out a contact form and wait for a callback, you are going to lose that race every single time.
Setting up a Facebook Shop is one of the most practical things you can do this week to actually grow your sales. It’s not about "likes" or "engagement"—it’s about making it easy for a busy person to buy what you're selling.
Need help getting your digital shopfront off the ground? At Local Marketing Group, we help Brisbane businesses stop wasting time on "fluff" and start focusing on the stuff that actually rings the till. Contact us today and let’s get your products in front of more customers.