Facebook have announced that they are introducing Facebook Shops to the Facebook App and are preparing to roll out Checkout on Instagram to all eligible sellers in the US.
Facebook Shops on the Facebook app
Facebook Shops arrival on the Facebook app will make it easier for consumers to discover and purchase products from businesses they love in one place. This update is currently being tested in the US and provides a simple way for businesses to set up a single online store that customers can access on both Facebook and Instagram. In the coming weeks Facebook are going to open it up to any eligible business, adding customization features, messaging and new insights to help businesses measure results.
Instagram Checkout expansion
Over the coming weeks, all eligible US sellers will be able to start using the feature. According to Facebook Instagram Checkout enables easy quick, purchasing through the app. Businesses who want to use the feature must have Shops and use Facebook Commerce Manager or our partners Shopify and BigCommerce. Facebook are also removing all fees for businesses until the end of the year to help them during Coronavirus.
Other features
Facebook have added some new features that give businesses more control over how their digital storefront looks and make creating new collections easier. These include:
- New design layouts for featuring single products or groups of products in Shops
- Real-time preview of collections as they are designed
- The ability to automatically create Shops for new sellers
- New insights to measure results in Commerce Manager
Facebook have also added a new messaging button on Shops which allows sellers to communicate effectively and provide personalized assistance to customers. Customers can view products within the chat, making it easy to share products with friends and family to get feedback before making a purchase. This feature is expected to be compatible with WhatsApp soon.
One Response
We got a new facebook shop the other week and I do not see much of a difference between that and what has come before TBH….all be it with a bunch of features which will never be used.
Although I did see in the States you can check out direct on FB while in the UK it is still directing you to a website. It is a checkout what they need. You can add sell with social links with paypal which kinda keeps the user on FB instead of taking you to the website.
Insta shopping is pointless unless you have massive following I thought our FB of 8K would be good enough but not.
I still think the search on FB is useless for ecommerce.
The actual facebook marketplace (gumtree style one) is doing well however. I started putting stuff on it a month ago. It is a pain arranging collection etc but still did about £300 on that last week. You got try everything these days.