With a lot of retail shops and businesses now scrambling to set up their e-commerce solutions (if they have not yet done it before), they need all the help they can get to start selling to their customers online. While some may already have online stores set in place, Facebook is now trying to make it easier for both customers and businesses to do their selling from within their social media platform. Facebook Shops is the new e-commerce solution for those that need an online store and whose main market is Facebook anyway.
Once they have rolled out this new product, small businesses (and even big ones too) will be able to set up shop from within the Facebook app itself. They can do things like customize the digital storefront, highlight which products to push, choose which products to add from their catalog, etc. If you already have an online store that’s using platforms like Shopify, BigCommerce, and Channel Advisor, they will be making it easy for you to integrate it to your Facebook Shop.
Consumers will be able to browse and buy from the businesses’ shop without having to be transferred to a third party or redirected to another website. You will be able to see the Facebook Shops when you go to a Business’ Facebook page and click on the “Shop Now” button if it’s already activated. You will also discover them through ads and promotions that Facebook is hoping merchants will use to push their new online store.
Facebook is also working on making messaging through WhatsApp, Messenger, or Instagram Direct as part of the shop’s customer service. In the future, you will also be able to make purchases within a chat directly. For those in the U.S., they will also be introducing Instagram Shop where you’ll be able to shop for various brands in the Explore section and eventually there will be a shop tab in the navigation bar.
Facebook Shops has started rolling out already but expect it to be a gradual thing. There are a lot of upcoming features there like Live Shopping, connecting Loyalty Programs to your Facebook account, etc.
