Credit: https://www.theverge.com/2020/5/19/21263567/facebook-shops-instagram-shopping-e-commerce-small-business-loyalty-program
Through Instagram and its parent company Facebook; Facebook has never hidden its desire to offer opportunities for businesses and individuals to thrive. The need for businesses to evolve online has never been more spoken of than now—the coronavirus pandemic continues to stretch the innovative abilities of businesses. On Tuesday, Facebook launched Shops; a new way for businesses to set up free storefronts on both Facebook and Instagram.
The social media giant per The Verge, is not in this alone as third-party services such as Shopify, BigCommerce, and Woo will be pulling resources together to make this work. Founder Mark Zuckerberg explained via a live stream on Tuesday that expanded ecommerce would play a vital role in the process of rebuilding the economy while the pandemic continues.
“If you can’t physically open your store or restaurant, you can still take orders online and ship them to people,” he said. “We’re seeing a lot of small businesses that never had online businesses get online for the first time.”
Ecommerce companies like Amazon and Shopify have experienced a jump in sales as customers are forced to making their purchases online in order to practice social distancing and staying safe.
You can locate Shops on businesses’ Facebook pages and Instagram profile. They can also appear in stories or be promoted in ads. In a blog post per The Verge, Facebook said efforts are currently being put in place to integrate loyalty programs with shops. “You’ll be able to easily see and keep track of your points and rewards. And we’re exploring ways to help small businesses create, manage and surface a loyalty program on Facebook Shops.”
Shops will be available for US users on Facebook from today, while Instagram users can expect it in the summer.
Facebook, according to Jane Manchun Wong, a reliable reverse engineer, is working on a Coronavirus Business Information Center. The social media behemoth will use the Coronavirus Business Information Center to provide “tips and tricks for businesses through this time during the pandemic.” Businesses will learn how to stay safe and be informed, stay in touch with customers, bringing their business online, prepare a customer service plan, and provide series of frequently asked questions [FAQ].
The Facebook Coronavirus Business Information Center will also serve as an avenue for businesses to inform their customers and clients of any change in operations that may have been influenced by COVID-19. According to the screenshot, you will also be able to sell gift cards as a business owner.
The truth about the coronavirus pandemic is that things may not get back to being the way they were in the next couple of months—it is going to take some time. Efforts such as the one being worked on by Facebook and governments around the world would help most businesses to get back on track.
