Facebook has introduced Shops, a tool to help small businesses set up free online store-fronts. The social media company said it would help the small businesses survive the COVID-19 pandemic and thrive in a retail space, which is going through a digital makeover.
Any seller can list their business on the online platform and connect with customers. They can customise the look and feel of their Shop with a cover image and showcase their brand on this new tool, Facebook said.
“I am hopeful that it is going to play some role in helping small businesses get through this period and thrive longer term,” Mark Zuckerberg, chief executive officer of Facebook, said. “They are not going to undo all of the economic damage that has been caused by COVID but I hope that we can at least help build some of the infrastructure that businesses need not only in this moment but going forward as well,” he added.
Zuckerberg said in a video that Facebook Shops are free and easy to create and that even a small business start-up in a living room can access the same tools to build and operate an online store-front which the global brands have used to connect to their customers. The platform can set up a store automatically even if the user had put up only the product catalogue, he added.
Shops will be able to use Artificial Intelligence to provide better personalised shopping experiences once the tool is completely rolled out. The AI systems can automatically tag and identify products in photos, without the businesses tagging on their own.
