Welcome to Facebook Shop! FB adds dedicated shopping section, will allow users to indulge in retail therapy
Facebook unveiled a similar shopping feature earlier this year.
By Bloomberg |
Agencies
The new section, Facebook Shop, begins rolling out across the U.S. on Tuesday.
By Kurt Wagner
Facebook Inc. is adding a new shopping section to its main app, part of a broader push to capitalize on the increase in online shopping in the midst of the Covid-19 coronavirus outbreak.
The new section, Facebook Shop, begins rolling out across the U.S. on Tuesday. It lets people browse product catalogs from businesses and purchase items on the social network. The company was previously testing the section with a small group of U.S. users, and launched a similar feature on its Instagram photo-sharing app last month. Businesses could already add shopping catalogs to their Facebook pages, but there was no dedicated section inside the Facebook app for browsing e-commerce selections from multiple retailers or merchants.
Facebook also said Instagram’s Checkout feature, which lets users pay for items directly inside the app, will soon be available to all U.S. businesses, a broad expansion after keeping the feature exclusive to certain partners for almost 18 months.
The Menlo Park, California-based company is moving more aggressively into commerce as a way to enhance its targeted advertising business and build revenue from businesses beyond ads. Facebook typically takes a fee from transactions completed on its service, but has temporarily suspended those commissions because of the coronavirus, said Vishal Shah, head of product at Instagram. Commerce could also improve Facebook’s advertising, making it easier for marketers to generate sales from an ad, thus increasing the ad’s effectiveness.
Facebook unveiled a similar shopping feature earlier this year that will let businesses create one product catalog that works across all of the social network’s different apps, including Instagram, Messenger and WhatsApp. Chief Executive Officer Mark Zuckerberg has also been more heavily involved in shopping initiatives than in years past, a signal that Facebook is taking commerce more seriously given the expansion of online shopping.
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“I think there’s definitely an increased amount of energy around shopping, and that’s both the result of more leadership attention but really just what we’re seeing from the data and research around the pandemic and around people bringing their businesses online,” Shah said.
New Look, Facebook Dating: Big Announcements From F8
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After a tumultuous 2018, Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg stressed on a privacy-focused social network at the Facebook F8 developer conference this year. In the keynote, Zuckerberg said that they are pushing hard on helping people to connect with close family and friends. He unveiled a revamped and redesigned version of Facebook, called the FB5 which aims at making navigation easier, improve the loading time and giving the user a cleaner appearance. The updated mobile app is rolling out now. The desktop version will be released in the next few months.
Along with changes to the core app, Facebook also announced updates to Instagram, Facebook Messenger, Oculus Quest and Rift S virtual reality headsets — and introduced a new feature, Facebook Dating.
Here's a look at all things new.
After a tumultuous 2018, Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg stressed on a privacy-focused social network at the Facebook F8 developer conference this year. In the keynote, Zuckerberg said that they a..
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The app's redesign has been the most prominent ever-since the social network's launch. The new look rolls-out in the US today, and for the rest of the world in the coming weeks. The redesign on mobile has been happening in stages, it has already begun on both iOS and Android. The desktop redesign will begin testing in the next few months, which will update the web design to look and feel more modern and fresh, similar to the mobile app.
The app's redesign has been the most prominent ever-since the social network's launch. The new look rolls-out in the US today, and for the rest of the world in the coming weeks. The redesign on mobil..
Read More
With private messaging as one of the fastest growing areas of online communication, the company debuted a desktop version of the app. Previously, you could use Messenger from a web browser, but couldn’t use certain features on the platform like group calling. Facebook is also testing a 'group watch' feature, where people can invite others to watch a video together in real time while messaging or on a video chat.
For businesses, it has created an automated system that allows customers to book an appointment through Messenger.
The company is also working on features that will allow Messenger users to message and call people on Instagram and WhatsApp.
With private messaging as one of the fastest growing areas of online communication, the company debuted a desktop version of the app. Previously, you could use Messenger from a web browser, but could..
Read More
Keeping in mind the theme for this year, 'the future is private', members within groups will be able to anonymously post questions and share information. For those seeking jobs, you will be able to message the employer and apply through the app. Gaming groups will get a chat feature so members can create threads about specific topics within a group. Facebook is working to downplay recommendations from groups known for spreading misinformation, and deleting groups that break the company’s community standards.
Keeping in mind the theme for this year, 'the future is private', members within groups will be able to anonymously post questions and share information. For those seeking jobs, you will be able to m..
Read More
Facebook Dating which was introduced at last year's F8, is now expanding to 14 more countries. It introduced a feature called 'Secret Crush', which does exactly what you’d expect. You can create a secret list of Facebook friends you’re attracted to, whether or not they have a dating profile. You will be lucky, if they are also using Secret Crush, and add you to their list, Facebook will notify the two of you that there’s a match.
Facebook Dating which was introduced at last year's F8, is now expanding to 14 more countries. It introduced a feature called 'Secret Crush', which does exactly what you’d expect. You can create a se..
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Photo sharing app Instagram is getting an update on its camera interface, adding a new 'Create Mode', which makes it easier to share content beyond traditional photos and videos, like quizzes. It is also expanding a feature that lets people buy products from inside the app, opening it to artists, athletes, and other creators in addition to companies. Shifting the focus on the photos and videos you share, not how many likes they get, the feature will get a trial run in Canada, and if it proves popular, it might be rolled out in other countries.
Photo sharing app Instagram is getting an update on its camera interface, adding a new 'Create Mode', which makes it easier to share content beyond traditional photos and videos, like quizzes. It is ..
Read More
Two new headsets that replace external tracking cameras with a much more user-friendly inside-out system, the Quest and Rift S both cost $399, and they’re shipping on May 21st in 22 countries. The Quest, a self-contained console is aimed at a mass market, and the Rift S is an incremental upgrade to the 2016 Oculus Rift.
Two new headsets that replace external tracking cameras with a much more user-friendly inside-out system, the Quest and Rift S both cost $399, and they’re shipping on May 21st in 22 countries. The Qu..
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