How to Connect Shopify to Facebook and Instagram

Posted on October 10, 2023 in Blog

Shopify and Facebook have made it easy to open new, effective sales channels to level up your ecommerce marketing. With access to your Shopify Business Manager and a Meta Business Suite account, you’re just a few clicks away from positioning your brand in front of billions of social media users around the world.

Read on. We’ll show you how to connect Shopify to Meta’s two biggest platforms and how to get the most out of social ecommerce.

How to Link Shopify to Instagram and Facebook

Since 2020, Facebook and Shopify have continually improved their platform integrations to help brands get more out of the Facebook ecommerce experience. One of the priorities of this ongoing process has been to make it easier to link Shopify, Facebook and Instagram through the Meta Business Suite tool.

How to Connect Your Shopify Account to Meta, Step-by-Step

Before you get started, make sure you have administrator access to a public (not password-protected) Shopify store. You’ll also need:

A Basic Shopify plan (or Shopify Plus)
A business Facebook page
A business Instagram page
A Facebook Business Manager account
Administrator permissions for all of these properties

Got the keys to everything? Let’s get started!

1. Head to Shopify and get logged in.

2. Select Sales Channels.

3. Choose Facebook & Instagram, then select “Add App” from the menu.

4. Start the integration by choosing “Add Sales Channel”

5. You’ll be prompted to connect your Facebook account by logging in and following several prompts.

6. Allow Facebook to install Commerce, Ads and its Meta Pixel, which enhances conversion tracking accuracy.

7. Accept the Terms & Conditions.

8. Select Submit.

That’s it! Facebook will automatically sync any collections, products or services you have created in Shopify. You can also curate catalogs specifically for Facebook, Instagram or both. Consolidating or streamlining product offerings on social can improve conversion rates by limiting options to your core line-up.

Deploy a Data-driven Facebook Ecommerce Strategy with the Meta Pixel

While it isn’t technically required, you’ll get a lot more out of the Shopify Facebook integration by installing the Meta Pixel. Previously known as the Facebook Pixel, this tiny snippet of code tracks important customer events as visitors navigate through your site.

Adding the Meta Pixel will provide more accurate metrics, including:

Pageviews
Add-to-cart
Purchases
Scroll depth

Many of these metrics are already tracked by Shopify’s proprietary analytics tool or through Google Analytics 4. (Get in touch if you need help setting up your GA4 property!) So why add the pixel? Once installed, it will automatically collect data to shape audiences that you can use for retargeting users on Facebook, Instagram and all Meta platforms. If you’re already running paid social media campaigns, using the Meta Pixel ensures clean, actionable data – and better results.

How to Add the Meta Pixel to Shopify

Once again, you’ll need administrator access to create and install the Meta Pixel for both Facebook/Meta and your Shopify site.

1. Log into Facebook and select Events Manager.

2. Select Connect a New Data Source and choose Web from the list of options.

3. Choose Connect and name your Meta Pixel – we recommend using your business’s name to keep it simple.

4. When prompted, enter your website’s full URL under Check for Partner Integration.

5. If your site is eligible to connect, select the Conversions API and Meta Pixel. This will provide the most accurate user metrics and improve retargeting campaigns.

6. On the next screen, select Shopify from the list of partners.

7. Allow Shopify to connect and add your Meta Pixel.

8. Select Finish.

That’s it!

iOS Updates and the Facebook Pixel

Over the past five years, Apple has introduced two key iOS updates that limited the ability of third-party tracking tools to track user data. Facebook was hit especially hard by the iOS 14 and iOS 15 privacy updates. In 2022, Facebook announced that Apple’s Tracking Transparency feature, which allows users to block apps from using their data, took a $10 billion bite out of its ad revenue for the year.

For marketers, these privacy changes have reduced the accuracy and efficiency of paid social media campaigns, email marketing efforts and any digital advertising that relies on third-party cookies. Tools like the Meta Pixel are operating on substantially less user data than before, though it’s still preferable to throwing cash at a budget to see what works.

The Dollars Are in the Details

Integrating your Shopify store into Meta’s growing number of platforms is a great way to put your product in front of your people. Ecommerce on Facebook is a crucial sales channel – more than 37% of Facebook users make purchases within the app, totaling more than 1 million individual transactions per month.

Link Up with Oneupweb

Create a Facebook ecommerce strategy that generates revenue and supports your overarching goals. We’re an experienced team of marketing professionals with the social media and ecommerce chops to increase clicks and drive conversions. If you’ve ever dreamed of having a fully integrated team of designers, creators, writers and strategists, you’re this close to making it happen. Start the conversation or call (231) 922-9977 today.