Facebook Rides The E-commerce Wave and Comes Out On Top
After a tumultuous year, our shopping and surfing habits have changed forever. Facebook’s latest report highlights just how impactful our time inside was on the world of e-commerce. And Facebook isn’t just putting together reports; they’re looking to ride the wave with new e-commerce rollouts and integrations across Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp.
This Just In: Staying In Changed How We Shop
2020 was a year for the introverts. When staying in became the right thing to do, we had to find new ways to shop. Facebook’s new report, The Evolving Customer Experience, takes a look at how our small individual habits add up. One of the main themes we’re seeing now is a new control in how customers shop, paired with a strong desire to feel connected to the brands they support.
According to Facebook’s report, 55% of customers are using their phones as their main shopping tool. Pair that with over half of respondents saying they purchase items they stumble upon online. This is a great landscape for digital marketing for small businesses, but make sure your brand is speaking to consumers! Online shoppers are looking for a personal connection, so create online content that shows what makes your brand unique.
What does this mean for Gainesville Businesses?
These aren’t necessarily new ideas. With online shopping on the rise, your digital marketing should be too! Make sure that your content is representing your brand and telling your story – that means organic posts, website, ads, and all! You might be on someone’s screen for less than a second, so make it count!
Photo by Timothy Hales Bennett on Unsplash
Even More Ways to Shop From Home
In addition to their e-commerce report, Facebook is rolling out some updates across their apps to keep online shopping fresh. As reported by Mark Zuckerberg, the first big change is Shops in WhatsApp and Marketplace. Once set up, a business’s Shop will work across the three platforms and can be used to chat with customers before they make a purchase. On Marketplace, Shops will let businesses offer their products up to viewers with an interface they’re already familiar with.
The second update is Instagram’s Visual Search function. This will let you find products listed for sale based on images. So if you love something you see online, you’ll be able to shop for similar products through Instagram! Finally, Shop ads are a new type of ad for Facebook. These will integrate with Shop’s curated collections and could even be specialized by a viewer’s interests.
What does this mean for Gainesville Businesses?
Facebook has really positioned itself as a champion for small businesses throughout the last year. Keeping up with all the new features can be difficult, but definitely give these a try as they roll out! The Shop integrations throughout the three platforms really help you have one unified presence online. We’re excited to see how these ads and features will perform in an atmosphere where everyone is shopping online!
Photo by Facebook
Feeling Inspired Yet? Get Ready To Have A Good Idea
To finish off a week of Facebook news, the platform is hosting the Good Ideas Festival from July 12th to 16th. With all the changes Facebook has implemented for businesses, this is something you might want to tune in to. You’ll also be able to watch video on-demand for a month after the festival concludes.
So what will the festival include? The main events include conversations like generating leads, messaging, and even hiring through Facebook. We expect these talks to be specific to Facebook’s platform, but the marketing knowledge they share could be useful for your overall online presence as well.
What does this mean for Gainesville Businesses?
Facebook has been one of the standard platforms for businesses small and large. With their continued focus on integrations with Instagram and Whatsapp, they’re becoming even more of a giant in the digital marketing space. Knowing how to make the most out of their tools can really help your online presence, so definitely tune in if you have a chance!
Ok, now what?
Now that you’re up to date with the latest industry news, it’s time to invest in a team that specializes in all things social media and digital marketing. We can help! Liquid Creative is a full-service marketing agency ready to help your business operate to its fullest potential without missing a beat.
