Facebook eases rules, opens up e-commerce platform
Facebook has announced the rollout of Facebook Shop, a digital marketplace platform for small businesses and entrepreneurs to sell their products on both Instagram and Facebook.
The transition to e-commerce has been expedited by the coronavirus pandemic which is seeing the closure of brick and mortar stores and the emergence of online shopping.
Businesses can customize their digital shops, using cover images to showcase their brands and catalogs to highlight their products. For business owners, Facebook Shop is free and makes it easier for their customers to access their e-store on both Facebook and Instagram.
Users who visit a Facebook Shop can either purchase from a business on their website or directly on Facebook or Instagram if the business has enabled Facebook Pay or its Checkout tool.
Customers can message a business through Facebook’s messaging entity, WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger and Instagram’s direct messaging feature for customer support and deliveries.
“Our goal is to make shopping seamless and empower anyone from a small business owner to a global brand to use our apps to connect with customers,” wrote Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg in a post announcing the new product.
Outside of releasing new tools for businesses, Facebook is also offering $100 million in cash grants and ad credits for up to 30,000 eligible small businesses in more than 30 countries.