Whether it is connecting friends and family or businesses and brands or products – Facebook has always been the easiest means to do so. Now Facebook has introduced Facebook Shop with an aim to give people a new shopping experience. The underlying goal is to empathize with the struggling small business owners – especially in these difficult times when their stores have been physically closed down. Most businesses will be looking for a means to sell online.

What is ‘Facebook Shops’?

FB Shops makes it easy for businesses to set up online stores for customers to access on both Facebook and Instagram. The good news is that creating the shop is FREE and SIMPLE! Businesses who seek to instantly get their products online can choose the products they want to feature from the catalog and then customize the look and feel of their shop with a cover image. No matter who the seller is or what they are selling, businesses can get to their customers as soon as they are ready to sell.

Where can you find Facebook Shops?

You can find Facebook Shops on a business Facebook Page or Instagram profile. You can also discover them via stories or ads. People can browse the entire product list and save the products that they are interested in. Further orders can be instantly placed. The checkout happens either on the business’ website or on the app itself.

When did the rollout begin?

Facebook began rolling out Facebook Shops on 19th May and it will become more widely available in a short while. The features will also be available across other apps such as Instagram Shop, Live shopping and more.

Live Shopping

Live videos have always been a popular Facebook feature. People can showcase products and announce the launch of new products directly via live videos. With Live shopping, Facebook is making it easier to shop for products in real time.

Loyalty programs for the Facebook account

Facebook is also testing ways to make it easier for customers to earn rewards with businesses they love – businesses can enable loyalty programs and points program as they usually do in their local café or store. Facebook is looking for ways to help small businesses create and manage such loyalty programs.

 To make this all possible, Facebook is working closely with partners like Shopify, BigCommerce and WooCommerce etc. Small businesses can move online quickly and scale and grow with all the available features at hand and be well prepared for a completely online future!