Adding new feature its services, Facebook Inc is launching Shops, a service that will allow businesses to display and sell products on its platforms. The announced was made by Chief Executive Mark Zuckerberg.
The new feature will build up e-commerce offerings follows FB’s launch last year of limited shopping options on Instagram and WhatsApp apps.
The new feature will tie at least some of those efforts together, enabling businesses to set up a single online store accessible via both Facebook and Instagram. A checkout feature will enable in-app purchases, while a more deeply integrated messaging feature will allow customers to chat with businesses.
Zuckerberg said the world`s largest social network would be working more closely on product integrations with Shopify and seven other online commerce platforms going forward.
Facebook Shops will be free for businesses to access with the expectation it will boost consumer engagement and ad sales.
Facebook is also rolling out a tool to connect loyalty programs and a shopping feature showing product tags underneath live videos, allowing viewers to make purchases while watching.
Over 800 million people engage with live videos daily across Facebook and Instagram.