With the new feature, Facebook intends to break into the e-commerce market
Facebook adds shopping feature to its design and interactive possibilities. In an effort to break the e-commerce market, the social media giant now offers users the chance to shop online, directly from their mobile phones for anything from clothes to coffee makers without even having to leave the app.
According to the research firm eMarketer, very few users make purchases online via apps designed primarily for phones, tablets and other mobile devices. In fact, mobile purchases constitute less than 2% of all retail sales, according to the report released by the research firm.
However, Facebook plans to offer new innovative features and options in online purchases in order to improve user experience and encourage e-commerce.
Emma Rodgers, the social media company’s head of product marketing for commerce has said that the new options for online retail are meant to make shopping via their platform much easier than in the case of competitors. It is also meant to help growing business drive sales to their companies.
With the aid of the new features, users can now purchase directly through a “buy now” button that will be made more widely available directly within the app. It will also incorporate an option that takes users directly to a shopping page designed to suit their needs and interests.
According to the eMarketer study, many users have resorted to Facebook, over the years, for recommendations and advice regarding online purchases. Regular users have discovered new suggestions in their news feed, as well as through pages and groups they are members of.
Facebook is already making significant profit through direct advertising catered to users’ needs and interests. This was done mostly through data collection based on their search keywords and the type of pages they like, when applicable.
In 2014, the social media company introduced its so-called “carousel” format for their featured ads. This allowed advertisers to present several links and product images within one single ad.
According to Facebook, the new feature resulted in 30-50% decline in cost-per conversion for ads using the carousel format. This also made it much easier for users to shop online without having to close the Facebook app on their mobile devices and instead choose to browse major online retailers, such as Amazon or eBay.
Facebook is now testing an improved version of carousel, called “canvas.” The feature is meant to help retailers with slower-loading web sites on mobile devices maintain their clientele, by preventing potential customers from walking away. The social media giant claims to have been testing the feature since June with a number of small and big business alike and will be including it in an upgrade to the new format within the next few weeks.
Photo Credits: Pixabay
