Facebook had, after all, already provided a kind of “shop” for retailers for quite some time. Until now, though, it had been kept quite simple and rudimentary. What is coming now could, however, powerfully shift the balance of power in online retail. Because this is about direct customer access.
Since last week, retailers can now easily create online shops that are reachable via Facebook and Instagram. Facebook promises simple handling and that it is largely free of charge. Unlike the Facebook Shops that already exist, these can now also appear outwardly. The shop can now be personalised like a microsite – with a header image, personalised colours, and so on. There is also the highly interesting option of “Live Shopping”: retailers can sell live here via video livestream. Facebook also wants to score points with the linking of its various services. So it will be possible to contact an online shop via WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger or Instagram’s chat function. If a credit card is stored in the Facebook system, you can pay with it directly. Trying things on and out – cosmetics, clothing or glasses, for example – is meant to be made easier with the help of so-called “augmented reality” (Augmented Reality), in which virtual content on the display is mixed with real images. You can, for example, overlay make-up colours on a face or pieces of furniture in a room. The online network is also working on an integration of bonus-point programmes. The biggest advantage of the solution directly on Facebook and Instagram: mobile first, virtually no loading time, and the option to buy it directly.
(Source: Facebook)
(Source: Facebook)
And it is precisely this direct product and customer access that will be the big advantage of Facebook Shops. Because unlike the online giant Amazon, users spend time here because they enjoy it. Because it is a pastime. To be exact, 79 minutes a day. According to Statista, the age group from 16 to 19 even spends 150 minutes in social networks. And of these 150 minutes, 72 go to Instagram. Amazon’s sales platform has more of a wholesale atmosphere. Customers have to head there directly. And with Instagram and Facebook, that will fall away in future.
With 2.6 billion users, Facebook could shift the balance in online retail – and at the same time gains access to new data on purchasing behaviour.