Small businesses will be able to open a single online store selling products through Facebook and Instagram thanks to a new feature launched by the tech giant today.<\/p>\n
Facebook Shops, which will be rolled out over the coming months, allows customers to buy products through a firm\u2019s business Facebook page or Instagram profile, or through stories and ads.<\/p>\n
Read more: <\/strong>Facebook and Instagram launch digital gift cards for small businesses<\/a><\/p>\n The social media firm said the free tool, one of a string of new features to be introduced this year, is aimed at supporting small retailers that have been impacted by store closures during the Covid-19 crisis.<\/p>\n Facebook said it will expand its ads engineering team to support the new shopping tool, which was built at the tech giant\u2019s London engineering hub.<\/p>\n Facebook Shops will allow businesses to choose the products they want to sell and then customise the look and feel of the virtual shop front.<\/p>\n Customers will also be able to message a business through Whatsapp, Messenger or Instagram Direct to get support and track deliveries.<\/p>\n It comes after Facebook launched digital gift cards allowing users of its platforms to support small businesses during the Covid-19 crisis.<\/p>\n Other new features in the pipeline include Instagram Shop, a new tool allowing users to discover and buy products through the social media platform\u2019s explore tab.<\/p>\n Instagram Shop will initially be launched in the US this summer, while later in the year it will be added to the navigation bar.<\/p>\n Facebook is also set to roll out new live shopping features that will enable brands and influencers to tag products displayed in live videos.<\/p>\n
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