Facebook pushes shopping features

Facebook pushes shopping features on smartphones

If you’ve logged in to Facebook on your mobile phone recently then you may have noticed something quite different with the latest update.

There’s now no hiding the fact that Facebook wants its users to shop for clothes and other products from their mobile phones without ever leaving its app. Centered between four of the main options in the bottom bar is Facebook’s marketplace section. Here you can search for a number of new and used products in your local area and the top categories include clothing, electronics, computers, furniture and mobile phones.

Since Facebook began nudging towards ecommerce several years ago, few users made purchases on mobile phones, possibly due to the fact that it was slow and cumbersome to find the product they wanted. The latest changes aim to smooth out this process and we’ve detailed some of the new features below.

THE LOWDOWN

We already mentioned the new search section taking priority in the bottom bar of the Facebook app, but what changes have been made to benefit businesses? Well, adverts can now be created that take a user through to a specific brand’s products without redirecting them to another site. As an example, a user who clicks on an advert from a swimwear company could see an expanded page that displays numerous bikinis, towels, swim shorts and other forms of beachwear. Businesses can also display their products for purchase directly on their own Facebook page via a “buy now” button (which will be more widely available in the coming months).

SO WHAT’S THE WORD FROM FACEBOOK?

Emma Rodgers, Facebook’s Head of Product Marketing for Commerce has said it’s all about giving users and businesses more of what they want but in a simpler way.

“We’re looking to give people an easier way to find products that will be interesting to them on mobile, make shopping easier and help businesses drive sales.”

If you’d like to learn more about Facebook’s new shopping benefits or want to speak to us about how your business page can boost sales, send us a message here for more details.