Mark Zuckerberg, founder and executive director of Facebook, has announced a series of tools to encourage e-commerce, the most important of which are the Shops. They will be available on Instagram and Facebook and will allow stores to open, for free, shop windows with a catalog of their products; users will be able to buy them directly on Facebook and Instagram or be redirected to the seller's website. Facebook said that the Shops will soon be available on all social networks and platforms of the group, including Messenger and WhatsApp: in this way, sellers will have access to almost three billion people with a single online catalog.
Today we're introducing Facebook Shops, which will make it easy for businesses to set up a single online store on both @facebookapp and @instagram, and soon @messenger and @WhatsApp too pic.twitter.com/bBloRGBFzP
– Facebook (@Facebook) May 19, 2020
In the coming months, the Shops on Instagram will be indicated with a specific button always present on the home page of the app. Among other tools to strengthen e-commerce there is also the possibility for companies to tag products in videos, something like a shopping channel on TV; influencers will also be able to tag their sponsors in the videos.
– Read also: Where to shop online, besides Amazon
The new features show Facebook's intention to change its business model, mostly based on advertising, and to become a place to shop, competing with big retailers like Amazon and eBay. Zuckerberg said the group had been working on it for some time, but that it accelerated times following the crisis caused by the coronavirus, which forced many stores to close and only rely on online sales.
We hope these tools can relieve some of the pressure small businesses are facing right now and help businesses of all sizes prepare for the future. You can find more details here: https://t.co/xgtZT342c4
– Facebook (@Facebook) May 19, 2020
