Facebook has added Facebook Shops to two new regions: Canada and the UK. Facebook Shops was initially launched in May 2020 to help individuals and businesses set up online stores on Facebook and Instagram.
Businesses will also have access to customizable features that grant them more control over the appearance of their digital storefronts and give them a better overall user experience. These features include: “new design layouts for featuring single products or groups of products in Shops, real-time preview of collections as they are designed, the ability to automatically create Shops for new sellers, and new insights to measure results in Commerce Manager”.
Instagram Direct Checkout and Live Shopping are two additional features – initially introduced August 2020 – that Canada and UK users can now access.
Facebook has stated its reasoning behind the expansion:
“During the COVID-19 pandemic, the shift to online shopping has rapidly accelerated, with an estimated 85% of people worldwide now shopping online. We want to make shopping easier for people and empower anyone, from an entrepreneur to the largest brand, to use our apps to connect with customers and grow their business.”
Consumers in the UK and in Canada will now be able to find businesses, search products, and make purchases all in one user-friendly platform. Businesses – particularly brick-and-mortar stores – will also benefit from Facebook Shops due to its customizability, wide-audience access, and niche-specific insights. With the pandemic still heavily affecting the consumer landscape, it’s important for platforms like Facebook to provide a stellar E-commerce experience for buyers and sellers alike.