How to create and set up a Meta Catalogue in Commerce Manager

Meta Catalogues (also known as product catalogues or sometimes spelt as ‘catalog’) are online inventories for you to organize, manage, and promote your products across Meta. They’re necessary for Advantage+ catalogue ads but can be used across other ad types to show products and services. Catalogues are part of Commerce Manager, where you also handle the Facebook and Instagram Shop feature. 

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This guide will show you how to create your first Catalogue and how to make edits to it after (including checking the connections and adding new products) 

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TL;DR: Steps to create a Meta Catalogue

1. Add products

2. Connect event tracking 

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🔗 Related article: How to Give & Request Access to Meta Catalogues

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What is a Meta Catalogue (Catalog)?

A Meta Catalogue is a “digital warehouse” of your product data (images, prices, descriptions) so you can use it for e-commerce ads across Facebook, Instagram, Messenger, and WhatsApp.

What you can add to a catalogue:

• Online products
• Local products or services (using location info)
• Travel (accommodation, flights, or destinations)
• Property (rental or sale)
• Automobiles (vehicles for sale)

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Example of a Catalogue: 

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What are Catalogues for? They’re used to deliver a personalized shopping experience by showing different products to different users based on their behaviors and interests.

If you’ve used Google Ads or Shopping, you’ll find that a Meta Catalogue is similar in function to Google Merchant Center (MCC).

🔗 Related article: How to give or request access to Google Merchant Center

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⭐ How to create a Meta Catalogue

⚠️ Before you begin, you need to have full control over a Meta Business Portfolio to add the new catalogue to. Learn how to create a new business portfolio here. 

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Step 1: Go to Meta Commerce Manager via this direct link: https://business.facebook.com/commerce/ and check that you’re in the right business portfolio (in the left hand menu).

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Step 2: Click ‘Add products’ to create your first catalogue.

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Step 3: Fill in basic information, then click ‘Next’.

1. Catalogue type: Select the type of product/service.
2. Connect to a partner platform if you already have your inventory on another e-commerce or feed-type platform, such as Shopify, WooCommerce, Magento, or BigCommerce.
3. Select the Meta Business Portfolio to add this catalogue to.
4. Give people access is toggled on by default, which mean everyone with access to the Business Portfolio will have full access to the catalogue too.
5. Name your catalogue, using underscore ( _ ) for spaces between words as a best practice.

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Step 4: Catalogues must be connected to a Meta Pixel or an app SDK to work. Choose from the list of existing event trackers or add one (click ‘Add new in Events Manager’). Click ‘Next’

🔗 Related article: How to Create and Set Up Your Meta (Facebook) Pixel

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Step 5: Upload your product/services list from a spreadsheet or file (Connect to a data feed) or add them individually (Manually add your products). 

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‍💡 Pro Tip: Not sure how to format your spreadsheet? Click ‘Connect to a data feed’ > ‘Download template’ > Select either .xlsx, .csv, or custom template.

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‍Step 6: Once you are done uploading your products or services, your Meta Catalogue set up is done 🙌, and you’ll be taken back to the Overview page. Errors will be shown as a red icon and you can click on them to re-do that particular step.

Your catalogue is now ready to be used in an Advantage+ catalogue ad and other ad types across the Meta ecosystem! 🎉

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How to check your Catalogue’s connections

In Commerce Manager, click ‘Events’ > ‘Manage connections’ to see which pixels and app SDKs your catalogue is connected to.

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How to add more products to a Meta Catalogue

In Commerce Manager, click ‘Products’ > ‘+ Add’ > Select a method to add new products. 

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Tips and best practices for catalogues

1. Each pixel or app SDK should ideally be connected to one catalogue only for clear attribution without duplicate data.
2. For global brands with one main product list: You might decide to connect multiple country domains’ pixels (such as .com.uk, .com.us) to the same catalogue.
3. Use Sets for grouping products together, such as bestsellers, seasonal collections, or by themes. 

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Types of Meta Ads you can run with Catalogues

Catalogues can have their own custom audiences, which allows you to include and exclude audiences at the ad set level. 

1. Ads with product tags: These are Instagram ads that let users tap directly on items in your creative to view product details and make a purchase.
2. Brand story ads with featured products: Instagram advertisements that use a single image or video to feature multiple tagged products, allowing users to tap on tags to view details and purchase directly.
3. Advantage+ catalogue ads were previously known as dynamic ads. They automatically show people relevant products based on their interests, goals, and behavior.

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