Facebook Shop is a new in-app shopping experience where users can browse products from their favorite brands and creators.
The company has also announced several other new e-commerce features across Facebook and Instagram.
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The ongoing pandemic has forced many businesses to move online, as more and more people do their shopping online. We know, for example, that Amazon, the leader in online commerce, has seen a 36.4% increase in sales YoY during the first quarter of 2020. Facebook is seeing the trend, as well, and is now announcing a new feature that could put it among the top players in e-commerce.
After having recently launched a redesigned Shop section on Instagram, where users can browse products from their favorite brands and creators, Facebook is now bringing a similar feature to its flagship app. Facebook Shop is a new section, within the app, that enables users to find products from the brands they like as well as discover new brands based on their interests.
Note that Facebook Shop is different from Facebook Marketplace which is designed for peer-to-peer sales.
In addition, Facebook also announced a series of new tools for businesses running Facebook Shops, including new design layouts, real-time preview of collections, the ability to automatically create Shops for new sellers, and new data in Commerce Manager. Facebook Shops can now also integrate with Messenger, WhatsApp, and Instagram Direct to allow customers to contact them.
Instagram is upping its e-com game too
On Instagram, all sellers in the US will soon be able to use the new Instagram checkout feature, either through Facebook Commerce Manager or partner platforms BigCommerce and Shopify. To allow businesses to test the new feature, Instagram will waive its selling fee for checkout until December, 31.
Instagram is also testing a new live shopping experience. With the test, businesses can showcase products during a live video that consumers can browse and purchase directly from within the app. Instagram Live Shopping is rolling out to all sellers in the US.
