Hello, dear readers of the Firelinks.ru blog. The social network VKontakte has long transformed from a messenger into a separate area of information business. Public page owners sell advertising and earn good money from it.
But times go by and now you can organize a small store in the messenger and use it to promote the company. In this article we will look step by step at how to add products to a VKontakte group, divided into categories and create a showcase.
VK applications and widgets for the store: what they are and how they work
VK tries to expand its functionality every year. Now add widgets and applications from developers to groups. Thanks to this, you can significantly expand the list of opportunities and increase sales. Let's look at some widgets.
Go to the “Manage> Applications” section. Here you can find and add widgets for various purposes: automatic mailing, processing reviews, pricing, making appointments, maps and many others.
It works quite simply. Click “Add” and the widget will be installed automatically. Editing is done from the application settings section. Typically, most add-ons simply insert an additional button into the right-hand section of the menu.
On a note! Users can create their own applications and publish them to the community. If you do not have programming skills, you can propose an idea for a widget to the VK administration. If the idea turns out to be useful, it will be implemented.
How to add products to a VKontakte group and create a showcase: step-by-step instructions
Today you can create a VKontakte store for free; it does not require any special knowledge, investment or skills. No payment required, you just need to complete 4 steps and the product is ready for sale. For example, we will create an empty community and describe each stage of filling it with goods.
Step #1. Settings
Go to the “Management” section, then to “Sections”. Here you need to check the box. We recommend that you immediately identify the main block. It will be displayed at the TOP of the page when opened.
You can also set up comments, delivery regions, contacts for communication, descriptions of services and connect the “Store” application. After making the changes, do not forget to click “Save”.
Step #2. Filling with content (Product or service)
After changing the settings, a new tab with products for sale will appear on the main page. Now we need to start filling out the cards; they will be displayed in the block.
Filling out the card takes less than 1 minute:
- Select a category.
- Enter the name.
- Add a description.
- We include photographs for clarity.
- We indicate the cost.
To add a new card, go to the main page and click on the text “Products”. After this, a window will appear in which you can create collections and add new objects.
Step #3. Creating collections
For example, let’s create a selection called “Radio Electronics”. To do this, click “Create a collection”.
In the parameters, select the cover and title. You can also make this selection the main one for the community, in which case it will be a priority for the user and will be displayed in the first position when viewing the entire assortment.
After making changes, new objects for sale can be assigned to the appropriate collections. Thanks to this, the entire range is distributed into categories, making it easier for the user to navigate and find the option he needs.
Step #4. Editing cards
If something needs to be changed, this can be done in the “all products” section. Place the cursor over the image and click on the pencil icon to edit. After this, the window from stage 3 will open. As you can see, there is nothing complicated, the interface is simple and clear.
Step #5. What does the product look like from the outside?
After clicking on the object, a demo window opens. In the center there is an image, on the right is the price and a button to contact the seller.
Attention ! You cannot sell anything directly through VK; the social network is used to connect the buyer and seller. If the visitor likes the item, he writes to the seller and they agree on payment and transfer.
In the settings section you can change the description. This information is displayed in the “Terms of payment and delivery” tab, so we recommend that you fill out this section thoroughly. In essence, this is the same selling text that invites the user to purchase products.
Why do you need a VKontakte showcase?
Social networks are used by people of different ages: children, teenagers, students and adults. It takes a long time to create and promote your personal online store, it’s costly, and it’s not practical in most cases. Instead, it is more practical to create your own VK community for free and organize a small online store on its basis.
A virtual storefront can be useful for the following purposes:
- Sale of paid services;
- Small online store;
- Advertising of own products;
- Creation and demonstration of a price list.
In other words, now VK can be used to develop your own business and engage in trading directly from your profile on a social network. This solution is perfect for small businesses and small projects with low financial turnover. There are no costs, and the efficiency is quite high.
Can I sell from my personal page?
Yes, you can.
If you plan to sell a product or item, there is no need to create a separate group or turn to intermediaries. You can make a sale through your account.
To do this, find the “Products” section on the left side of the toolbar.
If you don’t have this block on the quick access panel, point to any of the other functions and click on the gear that appears.
We get to the settings menu for options that are displayed on the page on the left. Make sure there is a checkmark next to the “Products” block. When changes are made, click “Save”.
So, by turning on the function and clicking on the tab from your personal page, we find ourselves in the product catalog. To add your position, click the “Add” button in the upper right corner.
Filling out the card will be exactly the same as in the store.
You can also check the “Tell friends” checkbox so that the publication appears on your wall.
Action button
To increase sales and simplify the interface, VK programmers created an action button. The user just needs to press a button from the smartphone and a call is made to the specified number. Extremely convenient, effective and simple.
To make this function work, go to “Controls – Settings – Action Button”. Enable the feature, select the action type, and enter the transition address or phone number.
The following actions can be assigned to the button:
- Go to the website;
- Call to a mobile number;
- Call online;
- Open the mobile application;
- Write by email;
- Open the community app.
