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About Facebook Shops Information
The COVID-19 pandemic has made it especially difficult to own and operate small businesses, especially in a physical setting. As a result, it has also become more difficult to be a consumer recently, being that many non-essential businesses have had to close the doors of their in-person stores.
Because both businesses and customers have had to rely more on online shopping than in the recent past, Facebook has designed a free tool for merchants to use to make the transition to online storefronts a little easier for everyone involved.
Facebook Shops was recently announced as a new online shopping tool that aims to integrate the shopping experience between several platforms to make shopping quick and easy and shopkeeping more streamlined across different platforms.
What is Facebook Shops?
Facebook Shops is a free tool that Facebook, and long-time partner Shopify, created and launched to improve the online shopping and shopkeeping experience by enhancing convenient features. For consumers, the tool aims to make shopping quicker and easier and for merchants, Facebook Shops is intended to help keep track of store operations and sales more easily. The tool allows merchants that own Shopify stores to customize their storefronts on Facebook and Instagram while still managing products, merchandising, orders, and customer service from within Shopify.
With this new Facebook Shops tool, shoppers can browse, find, and buy products via Facebook and Instagram, despite checkouts still being powered by Shopify. This aims to broaden the reach of online stores and make checkouts easier than they were before.
Because so many small businesses are struggling since the start of 2020, Facebook has aspired to make it easier for business owners to move their products and services online. In addition to taking a lot of the inconveniences out of running online storefronts, Facebook Shops is designed to draw in more shoppers and make it simple to purchase items in one convenient location.
Integration Between Facebook Shops and Shopify
By integrating Facebook features with Shopify, merchants stand to have an easier time maintaining their shops, as well as the management and analysis of their ads.
Instead of having to navigate to each platform to handle merchandising, each step of the process can be completed in one convenient location, saving business owners significant time and helping keep storefronts and orders more organized.
Facebook and Instagram Sales Channels
Thanks to the Facebook Shops tool, consumers will no longer have to navigate away from Facebook business pages or Instagram product listings to purchase products. Instead of going to the company’s website, purchases will now be permitted from Facebook and Instagram.
Facebook Shops aims to make purchasing quicker and more convenient for shoppers, as well as help small business owners increase their sales and keep their businesses operating even in light of recent events.
By introducing this tool, Facebook business pages and Instagram shops can almost operate as a standalone store, thanks to Shopify’s checkout option.
In addition to the already convenient features of Facebook Shops, customer service interaction is also available through both platforms. Customers can now contact through support via Facebook’s Messenger App, WhatsApp, or Instagram Direct when the need arises.
Developing customer loyalty and rewards programs through Facebook Shops is another aspect that’s being explored through the new tool. Once perfected, it will be easier for merchants to honor customer loyalty as customers can keep track of all of their reward points in one place.
ETA on Availability
The availability of the Facebook Shops tool varies depending on location, with some locations already able to use the product as of May’s end. Additionally, the tool is expected to be released globally over the next few months.
There are several ways to adapt to recent events as both a small business owner and a consumer. The way that we tend to shop is changing, though this change might be a good move once conveniences have been introduced. With Facebook Shops, individuals who operate small businesses can cut back on some of the difficulties and new responsibilities they now face as an online operation, saving time and effort that would be better used to improve business practices.
If you have a Shopify store and you’d like to integrate a Facebook Shops storefront, we are only a click away from providing the assistance you need.
