Facebook is testing a retail section in its app that allows consumers to browse through a shopping feed to view items and sales and make purchases in its latest push toward e-commerce.
There is no denying that people spend most of their time online on their mobile devices. And while shopping on mobile may be frustrating since customers may experience slow webpage loading times and have to get past many pages to finally get to checkout, Facebook is attempting to make the mobile shopping experience easier by introducing a few ways to do so in its app.
Sure, people connect with family and friends on the social network, but they also connect and discover products and brands. So in its new Shop section, consumers will be able to browse the products retailers offer directly on their Pages without having to leave the app. Facebook says the new Shop section will help retailers bring their products to the forefront of their Pages. Showing the products directly on Facebook eliminates the inconvenience of leaving the app and waiting for the images to load on the retailer's website.
Along with being able to browse items from a retailers Page, Facebook is also testing out a shopping section which will be a "single place for people to more easily discover, share and purchase products." This shopping feed is only being tested with a limited number of U.S. businesses who are also testing out the Shop section on their Product Pages. That means the products these retailers feature on their Shop section will also appear in the shopping feed so that Facebook users who haven't already "liked" that specific page can discover the brand as well.
Facebook is also updating its carousel ads that rolled out last year. Currently, the mobile ads allow advertisers to show multiple images and links in one single ad. The update would will feature a full-screen image of the advertiser's website and will support the ability to buy products from the ad as well.
These are not the first steps Facebook has taken toward its expansion to e-commerce. The company is already testing in-app buy buttons that allows consumers to make purchases directly through the retailers Pages on Facebook. Combined with the new Product Pages, it may now be easier to discover a new product, browse other options and make a purchase—and of course, then sharing a status about your new item that is on its way.
Via: Facebook
