Facebook has announced the launch of Facebook and Instagram Shops

At a time where Coronavirus has affected every business, industry and geography, Facebook innovates by launching a new and highly-anticipated eCommerce solution: Facebook and Instagram Shops. Imagine these shops as being a simple version of an online store that lives inside the apps of the biggest social media networks.

Up until today, both Facebook and Instagram were being used by merchants to drive traffic to their website, increase brand awareness, engage with their followers, however with the launch of the new eCommerce functionality, businesses can now sell their products directly through their social media shops.

What does this mean for consumers?

Consumers will no longer have to browse through multiple apps to find and buy a product. Everything will be done on Facebook and Instagram without having to leave the Shop. Social media users can save their favorite items if they are not ready to make a purchase or complete the transaction within the app.

What does this mean for sellers?

Given the current climate, many businesses struggle to survive. Facebook gives the opportunity to merchants to connect with customers on social media, without having to spend money on building a website or optimizing their current one. With the goal to ‘inspire people to shop and make buying and selling online easier’, Facebook and Instagram Shops will offer more stability in case of future crises and opportunities for growth.

What are the benefits?

Merchants will have the chance to personalize their shop by creating categories, inserting header images, adding text, adjusting colors, and much more. With the click of a few buttons, they have their own shop. Simple as that. Also, the shop will be mobile friendly (since it will be accessed through the Facebook app), there will be no loading times and it will be accessible to a wide range of audiences (everyone who has an account on Facebook and Instagram).

Source: Social Media Today

If you are a small to medium-sized business, we would highly recommend setting up your own Facebook and Instagram Shops. Shops will be easy to use, free to set up and optimized for Facebook and Instagram user experience. Subscribe to our newsletter and be amongst the first to learn when they are being rolled out to Cyprus and what other features Facebook is releasing and when.