Facebook revealed new ways to shop throughout it apps, as the social media platform is expanding Shops to Marketplace and WhatsApp, according to a Tuesday (June 22) announcement.
To that end, Facebook will provide companies in some nations the choice to highlight their Shop in WhatsApp in the near future, the announcement stated. And, in the United States, it will let companies take Shops merchandise into Marketplace, which will assist them in reaching the over 1 billion people around the world who visit monthly.
The planned expansion comes as Facebook said in the announcement it sped up the rollout of Shops — as the pandemic shuttered local economies in 2020 — to assist companies with digital sales.
“We believe the shift to online, social-first shopping is not temporary,” Facebook said in the announcement. “One in three shoppers globally say they plan to spend less time in-store even after the pandemic is over, and almost three-quarters say they get shopping ideas from Facebook, Instagram, Messenger or WhatsApp.”
The social media company said in the announcement it will keep backing economic recovery through “further investments in Shops and waiving fees for business sellers through June 2022.”
As PYMNTS previously reported, Facebook is making the Messenger API for Instagram available to every developer.
“Our vision is for messaging to be the primary way people and businesses communicate,” Facebook Vice President for Platform Partnerships Konstantinos Papamiltiadis said in an announcement. “Making it as convenient, unobtrusive and personalized as possible, using the same familiar apps and features used to communicate with family and friends today.”
And, on Monday (June 21), Facebook rolled out Live Audio Rooms to let users tune into and join live talks with public figures, event hosts and experts. The news comes as Clubhouse gained popularity amid the pandemic. Its voice-only app became famous with drop-in discussions from well-known people, such as Elon Musk.
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