Facebook Shops and Digital Signage
Facebook and shopping was previously known from the countless Facebook groups, which serve as a marketplace for private individuals – all according to the motto: “I sell, trade, offer…”. At the end of May, the social media giant launched the so-called Facebook Shops in order to become a part of online commerce with its reach and technical possibilities.
Retailers are now creating online shops that can be accessed via Facebook and Instagram. If the shopping platform becomes established, it could also become interesting for digital signage.
Facebook and shopping was previously known from the countless Facebook groups, which serve as a marketplace for private individuals – all according to the motto: “I sell, trade, offer…”. At the end of May, the social media giant launched the so-called Facebook Shops in order to become a part of online commerce with its reach and technical possibilities.
Retailers are now creating online shops that can be accessed via Facebook and Instagram. If the shopping platform becomes established, it could also become interesting for digital signage.
Reaction to Corona Pandemic
Mark Zuckerberg, Facebook founder and head, describes the project as helping smaller companies to survive the Corona crisis. The development of the shops had been on the agenda for a while, but the outbreak of the pandemic and the resulting disappearance of many small companies and retailers accelerated the introduction massively. Setting up the shops is free – merchants would only have to pay for the payment function to cover the costs of the social network.
Does Facebook actually benefit from providing the platform? Maybe an act of solidarity in such difficult times? Yes and no. Facebook gains a large amount of data about the purchasing behavior of customers and can thus make lucrative offers to advertisers for ad placements. The social media platform’s advertising revenues would increase as a result, according to its forecasts.
New features
By linking WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger or the Instagram chat function, customers can communicate directly with the shop and pay for items immediately with a stored credit card. The use of AR is also to be enabled to improve the shopping experience. For example, it is possible for people with a cosmetic interest to virtually project make-up onto a portrait photo on the smartphone display. Customers can then see which lipstick color suits them best. Live Shopping is another feature that can be used to present products. Livestreaming makes it possible to purchase products in real time, announce newly arrived items or make cooperation with influencers more effective.
Benefits for Digital Signage?
Facebook has been collecting user data for about 15 years. The worldwide user base now has a size of several billion people. If a significant number of people view Facebook shops as online retailers of their choice, a potentially huge amount of data on purchasing behavior will be collected. This could become very interesting for digital signage.
Some smaller shops already use Facebook to maintain their content. An interface between Facebook shops and digital signage CMS systems could greatly increase the benefit of large-format displays for the target group. Shop operators can use the knowledge gained about their clientele to display relevant content in order to attract attention, inform customers about discount campaigns or to present similar products. This promises to improve the conversion rate of sales.
Facebook and Amazon as direct competitors – few people expected this. The social network with its approx. 2.6 billion users worldwide has the potential to become a huge trading platform. In the end, not only retailers and companies benefit from this, but also the digital signage providers.
Reaction to Corona Pandemic
Mark Zuckerberg, Facebook founder and head, describes the project as helping smaller companies to survive the Corona crisis. The development of the shops had been on the agenda for a while, but the outbreak of the pandemic and the resulting disappearance of many small companies and retailers accelerated the introduction massively. Setting up the shops is free – merchants would only have to pay for the payment function to cover the costs of the social network.
Does Facebook actually benefit from providing the platform? Maybe an act of solidarity in such difficult times? Yes and no. Facebook gains a large amount of data about the purchasing behavior of customers and can thus make lucrative offers to advertisers for ad placements. The social media platform’s advertising revenues would increase as a result, according to its forecasts.
New features
By linking WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger or the Instagram chat function, customers can communicate directly with the shop and pay for items immediately with a stored credit card. The use of AR is also to be enabled to improve the shopping experience. For example, it is possible for people with a cosmetic interest to virtually project make-up onto a portrait photo on the smartphone display. Customers can then see which lipstick color suits them best. Live Shopping is another feature that can be used to present products. Livestreaming makes it possible to purchase products in real time, announce newly arrived items or make cooperation with influencers more effective.
Benefits for Digital Signage?
Facebook has been collecting user data for about 15 years. The worldwide user base now has a size of several billion people. If a significant number of people view Facebook shops as online retailers of their choice, a potentially huge amount of data on purchasing behavior will be collected. This could become very interesting for digital signage.
Some smaller shops already use Facebook to maintain their content. An interface between Facebook shops and digital signage CMS systems could greatly increase the benefit of large-format displays for the target group. Shop operators can use the knowledge gained about their clientele to display relevant content in order to attract attention, inform customers about discount campaigns or to present similar products. This promises to improve the conversion rate of sales.
Facebook and Amazon as direct competitors – few people expected this. The social network with its approx. 2.6 billion users worldwide has the potential to become a huge trading platform. In the end, not only retailers and companies benefit from this, but also the digital signage providers.