Facebook Shops is expanding to WhatsApp and Marketplace and developing new ways for businesses to personalise ads and use new technologies to enhance the shopping experience.
The strategy is for new ways to kick off shopping experiences, such as visual searches on Instagram and augmented reality (AR) dynamic ads, and to drive online shopping in future.
With its timely launch in mid-2020 during Covid, Facebook Shops already boasts 300 million visitors and more than 1.2 million active shops each month. Facebook strategists believe shopping on its platforms, especially Instagram, starts with a visual discovery which leads to many people trying new brands. So Facebook’s new application programming integrations with Modiface and Perfect Corp make it easier for brands to create AR try-on experiences in shoppers’ homes which make them more confident to purchase.
Facebook Australia director of retail, Kate Box, described Instagram and Facebook as a virtual Westfield.
“Capabilities like shoppable media, branded content, social shopping and messenger for customer service are available in Australia. As today’s announcements scale globally, AI and AR will further evolve how customers discover products they love,” she said.
Facebook is also testing the ability for businesses to send shoppers to where they’re most likely to purchase, based on shopping behaviour.
Also in the pipeline are additional features for its collaborative ads which allow retailers and marketplaces to easily partner with other brands and expand their targeting options.
Don’t miss out on the wealth of insight and content provided by CMO A/NZ and sign up to our weekly CMO Digest newsletters and information services here.
You can also follow CMO on Twitter: @CMOAustralia, take part in the CMO conversation on LinkedIn: CMO ANZ, follow our regular updates via CMO Australia's Linkedin company page