Big Changes to Meta Shops: What E-commerce Businesses Need to Know About the Shift to Website Checkout
The digital advertising landscape is always evolving, and staying ahead of the curve is crucial for any e-commerce business. Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, is rolling out a significant update to its Shops feature that will fundamentally change how purchases are completed on its platforms. Starting in June 2025, and rolling out gradually through August 2025, Meta Shops will transition from in-app checkout to website checkout, directing customers to your own e-commerce site to complete their purchase.
This pivotal shift puts more control over the checkout experience directly in your hands. However, it also means several aspects of your shop, Shops ads, and ad reporting will be affected. At Pennock, we believe understanding these changes and preparing proactively is key to ensuring a smooth transition and continued success for your online store.
What's Changing: A Deeper Dive into Meta's Shop Update
Previously, Meta offered "checkout on Facebook and Instagram," allowing customers to complete transactions directly within the apps. The upcoming change will discontinue this feature for most shops, routing all purchases to your external website.
Here's a breakdown of the key areas impacted by this transition:
Shops Functionality:
Checkout on Facebook and Instagram: This feature will be discontinued.
Management of Post-Purchase Experience in Commerce Manager: Features like order management, returns, and disputes that were previously handled within Commerce Manager will be discontinued for orders placed after the migration.
Payouts: Payment processing within Shops will cease. While historical data (balance, payout history, financial reports, tax forms, charge history) will remain accessible for a period, new transactions cannot be conducted in-app.
Order Management: For new orders, you'll lose the ability to see order status, download history, or manage orders in bulk or individually within the Commerce Manager. All new order management must be done from your website.
Returns: Returns will no longer be managed in Commerce Manager; you'll handle them directly on your website or connected e-commerce platform.
Disputes: Meta will no longer offer chargeback or dispute resolution services for new orders.
Inbox: You will no longer be able to use Inbox within Commerce Manager to respond to customer messages.
Shopify Sellers Note: If you're a Shopify seller, you should continue to process existing onsite orders as usual during the transition. You may temporarily lose order attribution in Shopify for orders tied to Facebook and Instagram shops. Pre-order sellers may face restrictions on selling orders to be fulfilled after a specific, yet-to-be-determined date.
Shops Ads & Conversion Locations:
The "Website and shop" conversion location will be discontinued as all purchases will occur on your website. You will now select "Website" as your conversion location.
To allow Meta to continue sending users to either your shop or website (based on where Meta predicts a conversion is more likely), you must activate the "Use shop to personalize buyer journey" switch when setting your ad's destination.
Available Conversion Events:
The following conversion events will no longer be available for use with Shops ads: "View content," "Add to cart," and "Initiate checkout" (when those events occur on Meta technologies). "Purchase" will be the only available conversion event.
Ads Reporting:
Checkout-related metrics that occurred on Meta technologies will no longer be applicable after your shop's checkout method updates. These include "Meta purchases," "Meta checkouts initiated," and "Meta purchase conversion value."
Historical data for these metrics may still appear depending on your selected date range in ad reporting, but they will represent events before the update.
You should continue tracking purchases using other recommended metrics and consider connecting a third-party reporting tool like Google Analytics for comprehensive insights into your Shop ads campaigns.
A positive side effect: You will likely see your "Shops-assisted purchases" metric increase, as all purchases will now be attributed to your website.
Who is Affected and When?
This change will not roll out to all shops simultaneously. The transition will be gradual, starting in June 2025, with most shops expected to be updated by the end of August 2025. Meta has stated they will notify you before your specific shop is updated.
Note: Shops connected to a third-party order management system (like Magento or Adobe Commerce Cloud) will be updated at a later, unspecified date.
What to Do Before the Changes Roll Out
Proactive preparation is key to a seamless transition. Here's what e-commerce businesses should focus on:
Audit Your Current Shop Setup & Data:
Identify Your Checkout Method: Confirm if your shop currently uses checkout on Facebook/Instagram or already directs to your website. This dictates your necessary actions.
Review Existing Campaigns: Take stock of all active Shops ads campaigns. Understand their current conversion locations and events.
Analyze Historical Data: Download or archive any essential historical data related to "Meta purchases," "Meta checkouts initiated," and "Meta purchase conversion value" from Commerce Manager for your records, as these metrics will no longer be applicable in the future.
Understand Shopify Specifics: If you're a Shopify seller, be aware of the potential temporary loss of order attribution during the transition period and any specific dates for pre-order fulfillment changes.
Strengthen Your On-Site Checkout Experience:
Since all purchases will now occur on your website, ensuring a smooth, fast, and user-friendly checkout process is more critical than ever.
Optimize Page Load Speed: A slow checkout can lead to high abandonment rates. Use tools like Google PageSpeed Insights to identify and fix speed issues.
Simplify Checkout Flow: Reduce the number of steps, minimize form fields, and offer guest checkout options.
Mobile Responsiveness: Ensure your checkout process is flawless on all mobile devices, as many users will click through from Meta's mobile apps.
Clear Shipping & Return Policies: Make these easily accessible and transparent to build trust.
Secure Payment Gateways: Verify your payment processors are robust and offer multiple options.
Enhance Your Catalog and Product Data Quality:
Validate Product Variants: Ensure all product variants (sizes, colors, materials) on your website are accurately represented and can be added to your Meta catalog.
Merge Catalogs (If Applicable): If you use separate catalogs for your shop and Advantage+ catalog ads, begin the process of merging them for consistency.
Rich Product Information: Update price, sale_price, and availability product fields regularly. Add multiple high-quality images, size charts, and rich text descriptions to your catalog entries. This provides more context and helps Meta personalize the buyer journey effectively.
Verify Pixel Implementation & Data Tracking:
Meta Pixel Health: Double-check that your Meta Pixel is correctly installed and firing all standard e-commerce events (ViewContent, AddToCart, InitiateCheckout, Purchase) on your website.
Content IDs: Ensure that your Meta Pixel content IDs match the content IDs in your catalog for accurate tracking and retargeting.
Connect a Dataset: If not already done, connect a dataset to track comprehensive customer activities on your website, feeding more robust data back to Meta for optimization.
Third-Party Reporting: Proactively set up or enhance connections with third-party reporting tools like Google Analytics to track purchases driven by your Shops ads campaigns from end-to-end. This will provide a more holistic view of performance post-transition.
What to Do When the Changes Roll Out (or You're Notified)
Once Meta notifies you that your shop's checkout method is approaching its update, or if you update it yourself, here are the crucial actions to take:
Monitor Notification from Meta:
Pay close attention to notifications from Meta regarding your specific shop's transition date. This will be your cue to take specific actions.
You'll be prompted and instructed to complete necessary actions directly within Commerce Manager.
Immediate Actions Based on Current Shop Status:
If your shop currently uses Website Checkout (and is Visible):
Build & Add Checkout URL: If not already required (e.g., if you don't use Shopify), ensure your checkout URL is correctly built and added.
Add Shipping Profiles: If not already managed by Shopify, ensure your shipping profiles are accurately added.
Prepare Your Catalog: Validate product variants, merge catalogs (if needed), and connect datasets as per the "Before" section.
Review Recommendations: Update price, sale_price, availability, check Meta Pixel content IDs, and ensure multiple images, size charts, and rich text descriptions are in place.
If your shop currently uses Website Checkout (and is Hidden):
Decide Visibility: Determine whether to make your shop visible.
If you opt to make it visible: Follow all the steps listed directly above for a visible shop using website checkout (Build & Add Checkout URL, Add Shipping Profiles, Prepare Catalog, Recommendations).
Shopify Specific: If you're a Shopify seller and Meta hid your shop, it will be made visible automatically with advance notice, unless you explicitly opt out to keep it hidden.
If your shop currently uses Checkout on Facebook and Instagram (and is Visible):
Fulfill Existing Orders: Prioritize fulfilling all existing orders placed before the migration, as post-purchase management features in Commerce Manager will be discontinued for new orders.
Build & Add Checkout URL: This is a crucial step to ensure your shop can direct customers to your site for new purchases (not required if you use Shopify).
If your shop currently uses Checkout on Facebook and Instagram (and is Hidden):
Make Your Shop Visible: If you intend to use it, you'll need to make your shop visible.
Build & Add Checkout URL: Ensure your checkout URL is in place for new orders (not required if you use Shopify).
Adjust Ad Campaigns:
Active Campaigns: Meta states that active ad campaigns for your shop will continue unchanged during the transition.
Draft Campaigns: Draft campaigns created before the update will automatically be updated. Their conversion location will default to "Website," and the "Use shop to personalize buyer journey" setting will be switched on by default.
New Campaigns: For any new Shops ads campaigns, ensure you select "Website" as the conversion location and turn on "Use shop to personalize buyer journey" to allow Meta's optimization.
Monitor Performance & Adapt:
New Metrics Focus: Shift your focus in ad reporting to "Purchase" as the primary conversion event. Disregard "Meta purchases," "Meta checkouts initiated," and "Meta purchase conversion value" for new data.
Website Analytics: Rely heavily on your website's analytics (e.g., Google Analytics) to track detailed post-click behavior, conversion rates, and ROI from your Meta Shops ads.
Watch for "Shops-Assisted Purchases": Expect this metric to increase, as all purchases will now occur on your website.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) about Meta Shops Changes
Q: What exactly is changing with Meta Shops checkout?
Starting June 2025, Meta Shops will gradually move from in-app checkout to directing customers to your own website to complete their purchases. This gives you more control over the entire transaction process.
Q: When will these changes affect my shop?
Changes will roll out gradually from June to August 2025. Meta will notify you directly before your specific shop is updated.
Q: Will I still be able to manage orders and returns in Commerce Manager?
No, after your shop updates, features for order management, returns, and disputes for new orders will be discontinued in Commerce Manager. You'll manage these directly from your website or e-commerce platform.
Q: How does this impact my Shops ads?
The "Website and shop" conversion location will be replaced by "Website." You'll need to enable "Use shop to personalize buyer journey" for ads to optimize delivery. Only the "Purchase" conversion event will be available for Shops ads.
Q: What happens to my old Meta checkout data and metrics?
Historical data for past orders and certain metrics (like "Meta purchases") will be viewable for a period, but these metrics will no longer be applicable for new orders. It's recommended to rely on website analytics for new purchase tracking.
Q: Do I need to do anything if my shop already uses website checkout?
You'll still need to validate your catalog, ensure checkout URLs and shipping profiles are correctly set up (if not using Shopify), and connect datasets. Meta will prompt you for any necessary actions.
Q: Will my shop be hidden during this transition?
Not necessarily. If your shop is active and uses website checkout, it remains visible. If it's currently hidden but uses website checkout, you'll decide whether to make it visible. Shopify sellers with hidden shops that used in-app checkout will be made visible automatically unless they opt out.
Q: What if my shop is connected to a third-party order management system like Magento?
Shops connected to third-party order management systems will be updated at a later, unspecified date.
Navigating the Future of E-commerce with Pennock
These upcoming changes from Meta represent a significant evolution in how e-commerce brands engage with customers on Facebook and Instagram. While they offer greater control over the post-purchase experience, they also demand proactive adaptation of your digital marketing strategies, from catalog management to ad campaign optimization and data tracking.
At Pennock, we specialize in helping e-commerce businesses like yours navigate complex platform updates and optimize for sustainable growth. Our team of experts can help you audit your current setup, prepare your catalogs, fine-tune your ad strategies for website checkout, and ensure you're tracking the right metrics to maximize your ROI.
Don't let these changes disrupt your sales momentum. Partner with Pennock to ensure a smooth transition and unlock new opportunities for growth on Meta.
Contact us today to schedule a consultation and make sure your e-commerce business is ready for the future of social commerce!