Facebook has a Facebook Marketplace, a platform for individuals and businesses to sell products. However, by further developing this, Facebook Shops appeared, enabling companies to create full-fledged online shopping malls on Facebook.
Facebook and Instagram have supported e-commerce functions to some extent. The Facebook Shop is the result of further evolution. Facebook said it wanted to provide people with a place to experience the pleasure of shopping, and that SMEs wanted to make it easier for people to find what they want and shop using Facebook Shop.
In addition, according to the Corona 19 epidemic, many small and medium-sized enterprises are in trouble, such as shortening their sales or stopping store sales. The company announced that it will allow everyone from small and medium-sized businesses to global brands to connect with customers through the Facebook app by making shopping on their platform smoothly.
If you use the Facebook Shop, you can purchase products by visiting the online store opened on the platform from the Facebook page or Instagram profile screen. With the Facebook Shop, you can open a single online store that can be used on both Facebook and Instagram. It’s free to use, and businesses can customize the look of their shopping by choosing a recommended product and choosing a cover image and color that represents the brand. Therefore, Facebook explains that sellers can turn their business online, regardless of size and budget, and connect with customers anytime, anywhere at a convenient time.
Basically, the Facebook Shop can be migrated from the Facebook page and the Instagram profile screen. However, you can also make it possible to access the shopping page from advertisements, etc. Also, only sellers based in the United States can now use it.
In Facebook Shop, you can also use messaging applications like WhatsApp, Messenger and Instagram Direct to send messages to the store to ask questions about products, get support, or track delivery status. In the future, it will be possible to view or purchase shopping within WhatsApp, Messenger, and Instagram Direct Chat.
Facebook Shop plans to make it more widely available in the next few months if it starts offering its service on May 20th. Also, in the summer of 2020, the US will introduce the Instagram Shop on Instagram. At the same time, the Instagram shop can be accessed by adding a shopping tab to the Instagram navigation bar.
In addition, live broadcasts delivered through Facebook and Instagram live functions can be used to purchase products by visiting an online store opened in the Facebook Shop. You can tag products in the Facebook Shop before the live broadcast, and what you tagged will be displayed on the screen during the live broadcast.
Facebook is also testing features that allow program loyalty to access Facebook accounts, such as a local cafe point program. In addition, it is expected to provide necessary support for small and medium-sized businesses in cooperation with several companies (Shopify, BigCommerce, WooCommerce, ChannelAdvisor, CedCommerce, Cafe24, Tienda Nube, and Feedonomics). Facebook says that these organizations will provide powerful tools that will help entrepreneurs start, run, and go online. These tools will allow small and medium-sized businesses to build and develop their Facebook Shop while using other e-commerce tools. It is revealing. Related information can be found here .