Facebook has announced a feature called “Facebook Shops” in a new blog post. It will work across Facebook, Facebook Messenger, Instagram and WhatsApp and will offer added value for everyone.
With “Facebook Shops”, the social media giant wants to introduce a new function that is intended to offer added value to both companies and their customers. The reason for this is the current COVID-19 pandemic. Accordingly, companies, whether small or large, should be able to offer their products on Facebook. With “Facebook Shop”, anyone can create their own online shop quickly and easily. This is how the company explains in its own blog post:
We want to give people a place where they can experience the joy of shopping as opposed to the chore of buying. And we want to help small businesses adapt and make it easier for people to discover and shop for things they love.
Right now, many small businesses are struggling, and with store closures, more are looking to take their business online. Our goal is to make shopping seamless and give everyone, from small business owners to global brands, the ability to use our apps to connect with customers. That's why we're launching Facebook Shops and investing in features in our apps that inspire people to shop and make buying and selling online easier.
Facebook Shops – A customer loyalty program is to follow
Facebook further describes the feature as follows:
Facebook Shops makes it easy for businesses to set up a single online store that customers can access on both Facebook and Instagram. Setting up a Facebook Shop is free and easy. Businesses can select the products they want to offer from their catalog, then customize the look and feel of their store with a cover photo and accent colors that showcase their brand. This means that any seller, regardless of their size or budget, can list their business online and connect with customers wherever and whenever it's most convenient for them.
On Instagram, the "Activities" section will be replaced by "Instagram Shop" so that all users can quickly and easily access the numerous offers. It remains to be seen whether everyone will like the removal of "Activities". An important part of the function is the work on an addition that relates to a customer loyalty program. However, this will only be introduced later. "Facebook Shops" is currently only available to a limited number of companies. The feature is to be expanded in the coming months. Whether it will establish itself and prove to be an added value for everyone involved remains to be seen. (Image: Facebook)
