Introducing Facebook Shops
Facebook has recently stepped up their game by introducing Facebook Shops which is their new e-commerce feature on the platform. According to Zuckerberg, the main idea behind Facebook Shops (or Shops for short) is to empower small business owners to set up an online store to showcase and sell their products directly across Facebook’s family of apps – Facebook and Instagram.
With the colossal number of businesses closing due to COVID-19, Facebook Shops is arriving at a favourable time for sellers who have struggled to transition from offline to online commerce while also opening a door to smaller or first-time retailers. Businesses are more than likely already active on social media so they can even view this as the push they need to fully jump onboard the e-commerce movement.
How It Works
Shops allows retailers to upload their product catalogues to their Facebook or Instagram profile, which then lets users browse or buy within the app. Shops is free to use and designed to simplify the online shopping process, making it more seamless for both buyers and sellers. Customers can discover these Shops straight from the retailer’s page or through clicking on an ad that will divert them to the Shop within Facebook instead of the retailer’s own website.
Aside from the basic purchase function, visitors can also save and share the product. If a customer has any queries during the purchasing process, they can communicate easily through Messenger, WhatsApp or Instagram Direct. Customers also have the option to complete their transactions directly on the Facebook page or the businesses own website if preferred.
Benefits
- Free and easy to create: if you have a Facebook page, just select the Shop tab on your page and follow the step by step instructions
- Integrated across Facebook’s apps: once set up, Shops becomes available on your Facebook Page and Instagram profile as well as accessible from stories and ads
- Communicate with customers: customers can easily message the shop or your page with queries regarding the product
- Get insights: you gain access to clicks, views and purchases for each of your products
How It’s Changing the Future
Looks like Facebook’s new feature may push the relationship of online consumer behaviour and e-commerce to eventually be intertwined as one. Social commerce will greatly enhance the e-commerce scene as businesses now have more options to expose their products to their online audience. It also puts Facebook in a new competitive arena where e-commerce giants such as Amazon and eBay have dominated. Facebook isn’t going to let anyone take a bite from its advertising and media, so tough competition ahead! Who will end up victorious?
