Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg has kept e-commerce as one of the prime focus of the company. While at the F8 conference earlier this month, Facebook announced updates to WhatsApp for Business- making it easier for businesses to sign up in minutes. On Tuesday, it has announced three new e-commerce updates for social media platforms coming to several countries. Namely- Shops on WhatsApp and Marketplace, Instagram Visual Search and Shop Ads.
“More than 1 billion people use Marketplace each month, so we’re making it easy for businesses to bring their Shops into Marketplace to reach even more people,” Zuckerberg wrote in a Facebook post. When customers view shops on WhatsApp, they’ll have an option to chat with the business before buying decisions. This is precisely what Shops on WhatsApp are.
Shop on Marketplace will allow a seller to set up an online store on Facebook with on-site checkout ability. In addition, Zuckerberg informed the public that setting up a shop will enable the seller to operate across social media platforms- Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp.
Facebook has been pushing e-commerce to Instagram, so it makes sense to move it to WhatsApp too. Also, though WhatsApp has more than 2 million users globally, only 175 million users messages via WhatsApp Business account for a facilities like customer support. This will make e-commerce simpler and more visible. Shops on WhatsApp will roll out, too, while that on Marketplace is available in the U.S. with on-site checkout.
Other e-commerce features like Instagram Visual Search will help a customer find products based on images they like. At the same time, Shop Ads will direct a customer to a shop’s curated collection for a personalized customer experience. Shop Ads will be coming to the U.S., the Middle East, Europe and Africa.
Bringing such technology across platforms might change the way we shop, which looks like Facebook’s goal for the hour! Subscribe to us to get the latest updates on the Digital Media Marketing world.
