Facebook Goes All-in on E-commerce

Shopping will be so much easier thanks to Facebook! Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg, announced that they will be launching 3 e-commerce features since Facebook and Instagram shops now have over 300 million visitors per month. He also noted that 85% of the people who joined their survey claimed to purchase items on a brand they first discovered on Facebook. 

Whatsapp Shopping

Whatsapp, with over 2 billion active users, is now the most used messaging app in the world. Soon on Whatsapp, users will be able to view a Shop and chat with a retailer before buying anything. This is a great opportunity for brands, no matter how big or small, to increase their brand recognition and brand loyalty by providing excellent customer service. Facebook has also claimed that they are planning to enhance the customer shopping experience by introducing payments in the app and improving product discovery. 

Visual Search and AR on Instagram 

Just when you think it can’t get any better.. Facebook steps up their e-commerce game by testing a new feature called Visual Search on Instagram. With the help of artificial intelligence, shoppers will be able to upload images of items they want to purchase and the search results will suggest products that are similar to the uploaded image.

Not only that, but shoppers will also have a chance to try on clothes, makeup, and more products on Instagram through AR. “Augmented Reality (AR) is the real-time use of information in the form of text, graphics, audio, and other virtual enhancements integrated with real-world objects.” These AR Dynamic Ads are now available in the US, companies like Huda Beauty and Laura Mercier have used this feature by allowing customers to try on different shades of Lipsticks before buying them. In addition, customer ratings and reviews (including photos and videos from buyers) will be added on Instagram shops.

Personalised Shop Ads 

Facebook aims to offer shopping experiences that are seamless and relevant. Therefore, personalised shop ads will also be introduced to give shoppers product suggestions that are based on their preferences and shopping behaviour. 

These personalised shop ads will also be expanded on Marketplace which has more than 1 billion users every month. This will hugely benefit brands who want to connect with highly engaged and interested customers. 

The Future of E-commerce 

A survey by Facebook found that one in three shoppers globally plan to spend more time shopping on the mentioned platforms. With these upcoming features, we believe that the number of brands and online shoppers would increase rapidly over the years. Although it has not been publicized when and where these features will roll out, we can’t deny that we are excited about it.

If you’d like us to plan your Facebook campaigns for you or build an eCommerce website, get in touch with us today at [email protected]