With the emergence of multi-purpose social media marketing platforms, conducting e-commerce activities have become a piece of cake. Instagram Store was already available for business owners as an online profile to display and promote products.
Till now, Facebook was one of the major platforms for online promotions and digital marketing. Now, both Instagram and Facebook are offering the option to set up business profiles as virtual storefronts. This means anyone can buy directly from the Facebook and Instagram company/business profile.
What led to the launch of Facebook and Instagram shops now?
Facebook and Instagram already supported e-commerce activities to a certain extent. For instance, Facebook has the Marketplace and it is going to make things bigger with the Libra Cryptocurrency Initiative. On the other hand, Instagram already allows users to buy products that are featured in ads and posts. Now, the company is offering to create a full-fledged Facebook and Instagram shop.
The COVID19 pandemic has brought a change in the online searches. Along with the search engine results, people are also checking the Facebook and Instagram profiles of their favorite company for any updates.
Facebook and Instagram have become the go-to sources of information for a lot of companies. Whether there is a change in operating hours, or they have shifted to curbside pickup/online delivery, there is definitely an update on Facebook or Instagram.
The drastic increase in the usage of social media marketing platforms led to the initiative of Facebook and Instagram shops. Instead of leaving Facebook or Instagram and visiting the e-commerce store separately, you can buy directly from there.
Who will benefit from Facebook and Instagram shops?
The global pandemic has affected a lot of businesses. This is a great opportunity for small businesses to amplify the sales and cover-up for the losses. They can connect with their target audience through Facebook and Instagram.
For the organizations that depended on social media marketing and digital marketing through Facebook and Instagram, this is a welcome gift. The global media mogul is looking to support small businesses to survive in any way possible.
CEO Mark Zuckerberg mentioned it as a means to help the businesses that suffered due to the COVID19 pandemic. He also acknowledged that this will not “undo all the economic damage”, still, it’s a start.
According to Zuckerberg, this digital marketing feature will also remain beneficial once the pandemic is over. We are going to continue living more online lives and do business online even after the COVID19 pandemic is over.
Instagram’s Vice President of Products Vishal Shah stated that this is going to be a major global test. More than 1 million businesses have signed up already.
What do you need to know about Facebook and Instagram shops?
Businesses can sign up for a Facebook Shop for free. Upload the catalog, select the products to feature, and then customize it with the cover image and accent colors. The visitors can browse, save, and order the products.
Facebook will charge a nominal amount on every purchase, but the real monetization will come by driving more advertisements. Shops can be featured within the stories and ads. This is a one-time investment for a lifetime solution.
The shop itself will stay consistent whether it is on Facebook or on Instagram. The difference will be on how customers discover the shops. It can be through Facebook Marketplace or it can be through a product tagged on a photo on Instagram.
Also, the company is planning to launch another feature this summer which is known as the Instagram Shop. This will allow the users to browse different products straight from Instagram Explore and shop from the app itself.
For Instagram marketing, the merchants can feature and link the live videos, product launches from Facebook Stores. Customers can connect through their Facebook accounts. As a part of this announcement, Facebook is also partnering with BigCommerce, ChannelAdvisor, Shopify, Woo, Cafe24, CedCommerce, Feedonomics, and Tienda Nube.
Merchants can use third-party platforms for managing Facebook marketing, Facebook shops and the ads related to the shops. For instance, Facebook Shops will allow the Shopify merchants to get control over customization and merchandising for the storefronts within Facebook and Instagram. Also, they can manage products, inventory, orders, and fulfill them directly within Shopify.
Why should you opt for Facebook and Instagram Shops?
Facebook was always about connecting with what you love. With Facebook marketing available, it has become seamless for small and medium business organizations. For a long period, people have used Facebook and Instagram to buy and sell things.
Starting by posting a photo of a product with a caption “for sale” to selling the coffee table on Marketplace. The shopping styles from your favorite brands are now inspired by social media influencers on Instagram and Facebook.
With more and more people using Facebook marketing and Instagram marketing, the social media platforms became a popular option as e-commerce platforms too. Facebook is offering its users with an ease of shopping experience while helping the small and medium businesses to reach their target audience.
With Facebook Shops and Instagram shops, it will be easy for the small and medium businesses. Their audience can discover and shop things that they love. Offline stores, the brick and mortar stores are closing. This is the right time to bring businesses online instead of sticking to retail stores.
The end-goal of the social media giant is to make shopping seamless and empower small business owners with a global reach. This is exactly why the Facebook Shops and Instagram Shops are launched. Are you looking forward to using Facebook marketing and shops? Share your thoughts with us here.
For more informative blogs, click here to reach our blogs section.
