Facebook has launched its e- commerce feature to take care of the users need at the time of social distancing. The users will be able to shop without leaving the social network by visiting a business' Facebook page or Instagram profile, a move that comes as more people turn to online shopping because of the Coronavirus pandemic. The company also said that in the future, users will also be able to shop through the company's messaging services, including Messenger, WhatsApp and Instagram Direct.

 Facebook is making a stronger e-commerce push with the release of a tool called Shops, these online shops could also get users to spend more time on the world's largest social network.

The new service, which Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg rolled out in a Facebook Live appearance is designed to improve the online shopping experience and help businesses that have suffered amid the coronavirus pandemic.

The service will also benefit Facebook by moving more online shopping inside the company's family of apps, translating to users spending more time with Facebook and sharing more data about their consumption habits.

"When you walk down the road, or I guess when you used to walk down the street, not every shop was the same," Zuckerberg said on a livestream. "We built Facebook Shops with this in mind."

On Facebook Shops, users' payment methods and shipping addresses will already be stored. Facebook will partner with e-commerce companies Shopify and Big Commerce to handle logistics.

Zuckerberg said he believes Facebook Shops could become the primary online presence for many small businesses, including some of the 160 million small businesses that already use Facebook to market their products.

Zuckerberg also said that the company is looking to tap artificial intelligence to help companies set up their shops. "Shops are going to be able to use our AI to create better more personalized experiences than you’re going to have almost anywhere else," Zuckerberg said.

Facebook is also rolling out a tool to connect loyalty programs and a shopping feature showing product tags underneath live videos, allowing viewers to make purchases directly while watching.

Source- Reuters