An attempt to help struggling small businesses amid coronavirus pandemic, Facebook has introduced Shops to help set up a single online store for customers to access on both Facebook and Instagram.
While Facebook Shops is being rolled out from Wednesday, the company will introduce Instagram Shop, a new way to discover and buy products in Instagram Explore, this summer, starting in the US.
The social networking giant also announced to invest in features across its family of apps to inspire people to shop and make buying and selling online easier.
“Creating a Facebook Shop is free and simple. Businesses can choose the products they want to feature from their catalog and then customise the look and feel of their shop with a cover image and accent colours that showcase their brand,” Facebook said in a statement late Tuesday.
Any seller, no matter their size or budget, can bring their business online and connect with customers wherever and whenever it’s convenient for them.
People can find Facebook Shops on a business’ Facebook Page or Instagram profile, or discover them through stories or ads.
“From there, you can browse the full collection, save products you’re interested in and place an order — either on the business’ website or without leaving the app if the business has enabled checkout in the US,” informed the company.
Last month, Facebook announced $40 million in grants for 10,000 small businesses in the US to help them get through this challenging time.
