Helping small businesses set up free storefronts and sell online, Facebook announced the launch of Facebook Shops today. This idea to quickly set up a shop and sell things directly across the apps is indeed a great move by team Facebook.
Being a listing partner of the Facebook Marketplacewe at CedCommerce are excited to help SMBs make the most out of this opportunity.
Live sharing some new product updates for small businesses and discussing our work helping with the economic recovery efforts.
Posted by Mark Zuckerberg on Tuesday, May 19, 2020
In his live session, Mark Zuckerberg addressed how the pandemic has continued to be devastating for SMBs. Supporting his statement, a Facebook report says, “31% of SMBs have stopped operating, and 11% expect to fail if the situation persists.” Mark further added, “these small businesses are the pillars of our communities, and seeing small businesses turn online for the first time, it is indeed mandatory to expand eCommerce at these hours.”
While creating a full-fledged Facebook Shop is free, businesses can set up a single online storefront for both Facebook and Instagram. Businesses are free to customize the look and feel of their shop and choose the products they want to feature from their catalog.
It turns out, businesses irrespective of their sizes can switch to online selling. And connect with customers whenever and wherever it’s comfortable for them.
These Facebook Shops can be found on any Facebook business page or Instagram profile. They can also be discovered through stories or ads. You can save products you are keen on buying and place orders — without having to leave the app if the business has enabled checkout in the US or on the business’ website.
Besides, to help you with the real-time queries, Facebook Shops lets you message a business through Whatsapp, Instagram Direct, or Messenger.
Making a product purchase right within a chat in WhatsApp, Messenger, or Instagram Direct will be available soon. Also, tagging products in Facebook Live streaming and Instagram Live sessions are being tested.
That said, the products will be available at the bottom of the live video. Brands will be able to tag products from their Facebook Shop before going live. Thus, people can easily tap to learn more about the product and purchase.
The social platform is also testing to integrate loyalty programs with shops. Businesses can easily see and keep track of their points and rewards. Facebook is also exploring ways to support SMBs create, manage, and surface a loyalty program on Facebook Shops.
The Facebook Shops have rolled out starting today in the United States and are expected to come to Instagram sometime very soon this summer. You can continue navigating through collections from @shop. One can directly make a purchase later in the year, as it adds a dedicated shopping tab to its navigation bar.
One cannot undo all the impact that the current pandemic has caused globally. However, considering the sudden shift towards online shopping, shifting your businesses online can certainly help you during a crisis.
We at CedCommerce, are all set to help businesses cater to quality integration services and ease the process right from onboarding to online selling.
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