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Facebook has brought purchasing capabilities to all retail pages (FB)
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Facebook has added the capability for all retailers to accept purchase orders directly from their profile pages,reports Recode.
Previously limited to select retailers, the feature now has a global reach, pushing Facebook further into the social commerce space. The company's massive user base and global recognition could help bring social commerce into the mainstream, while strengthening Facebook's position as a go-to platform for a variety of consumer needs.
Facebook's commerce efforts extend across its various products. In addition to bringing purchasing capabilities to all retail pages, the social media giant has also introduced tools for Messenger and Instagram that increase its retail footprint, including buy buttons and the ability for chatbots to natively accept payments.
By incorporating e-commerce tools into all of its offerings, Facebook is trying to create a platform that gives users little reason to look elsewhere. Moreover, its active user base provides the company with a massive number of people to reach when looking to drive up e-commerce orders through Facebook — in fact, global Facebook users far outnumber shoppers on e-commerce sites like Amazon.
The company's extensive efforts to provide purchasing capabilities on its platforms could help bring social commerce to the mainstream. Roughly 1% of e-commerce orders in Q1 2016 occurred from a direct social media referral, according to Custora.
This is down from just 2% during Q1 2015, indicating that shoppers prefer to make their purchases elsewhere. Facebook's global reach and trusted name could help its users feel more comfortable making purchases on the platform, particularly as the company continues to attract online merchants.
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