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Introducing Facebook Shops

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Re: Introducing Facebook Shops

#91
The more low hanging fruit these companies pluck, the more obvious it becomes how much of the internet wants to be connected to real identities.

Facebook is largely a real person online person connector and a very crude version of everyday items such as photographs, calendars, small shops, etc.

Except computers lift the constraint of copying being expensive in the real world, while the internet lifts the constraint of copied object being expensive and slow to move around.

While Amazon provides inventory and delivery infrastructure to businesses and an internet storefront for customers, Facebook hardly provides anything that isn't trivial to copy - they rely solely on network effects and as a result - can largely be seen as a middleman parasite, worthy of extermination.

Re: Introducing Facebook Shops

#92

I don’t see this as a positive for FB at all. To me, this looks like FB has finally accepted defeat in the social networking space. Over the years it has been deteriorating at delivering on its core mission of connecting people and supporting personal relationships. I don’t think FB of the past would have green lighted this project, the hit on its brand positioning is significant. It will only accelerate people’s dis…

Do you know about Facebook Watch, their streaming service with real original TV shows? Their switch from 'just' a social network was years and years ago

Re: Introducing Facebook Shops

#93
Hm, unlike classifieds, shopping is not a social activity, in fact most ppl would not like their friends to know what they re purchasing.

And the shops would need to either duplicate inventory or lock it in facebook.

They 've tried this before, and failed

https://mashable.com/2012/02/21/facebook-brands-closing-stor...

I don't think it will be better this time

Re: Introducing Facebook Shops

#94
post #61

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Random non rant: Thank you for being self aware enough to know that you are in the minority when it comes to not having Facebook. Most posts by people who don’t use FB and post to HN feign ignorance and say something like “I haven’t used FB in 10 years. Does anyone still use it?”

I don't trust Facebook, but I use it. I don't spend money on Facebook. I don't intend to have a financial relationship with Facebook. There certainly are some benefits of using Facebook for certain purposes.

> I don't intend to have a financial relationship with Facebook.

You wish it was that way but you do have one. An increasing number of businesses submit their financial data to Facebook and Facebook uses that data to track your offline activities. Few months ago they made some of this info available to you.

Re: Introducing Facebook Shops

#95
post #46

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> really smart Maybe effective? Smart implies a bit too much imo. For a while now, users have been using pages to promote their businesses and using FB pay for transactions. It seems this was inevitable, and I'm more surprising how long it took than how "really smart" it is.

I work in banking. Everything we do, that's easier elsewhere, is harder in banking, because it's a bank (regulated, money, etc). Everything Facebook builds has to scale to billions immediately. Could be a contributing factor to why it took them this long to do this.

That makes a lot of sense. Does raise the stakes quite a bit too, which makes the decision maybe a little bit difficult. So the engineers who make the thing happen are for sure smart. And the researchers who prove it should be profitable are also pretty smart. But the idea itself -- trying to take over some other market that they already have a foothold in -- is pretty obvious.

Re: Introducing Facebook Shops

#96

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What is MLM?

Multi-Level Marketing, e.g. that person from grade school who messages you out of the blue to ask how you're doing, and then tell you how much better you'd be doing with daily injections of IsoLeanIonigenTonicWater which you will also want to sell once you feel amazing/thin/virle/whatever.

I used to program in a co-working space for fun where the company next to me was trying to build one of those schemes with some sort of ionized water. The CEO was perpetually convinced that if he "just got 400,000$ in funding" everything was going to be great. All the employees seemed to hate it there. Was pretty annoying to listen to, but not as annoying as the guy a few cubicles away who was trying to sell gold.

Re: Introducing Facebook Shops

#97

I dislike Facebook, but this is a really smart way to grab a market share. Most businesses need minimal online presence so FB front is sufficient. I won't see those businesses, but I know I am a minority, when it comes to this.

Random non rant: Thank you for being self aware enough to know that you are in the minority when it comes to not having Facebook. Most posts by people who don’t use FB and post to HN feign ignorance and say something like “I haven’t used FB in 10 years. Does anyone still use it?”

I haven’t used FB in 10 years. Does anyone that matters to your business still use it?

Re: Introducing Facebook Shops

#98
Crucial information from Shopify:

"Merchants will get control over customization and merchandising for their storefronts inside Facebook and Instagram, while managing their products, inventory, orders, and fulfillment directly from within Shopify."

"Consumers will be able to easily find, browse, and buy products through a purpose-built, immersive experience in these apps they use every day. Checkout will be powered by Shopify for merchants, with Shopify also offering Instagram Checkout to select merchants testing the new feature."

Facebook wants to capture all discovery through FB and Insta directly competing with Amazon and Google Shopping.

Re: Introducing Facebook Shops

#99
post #61

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Random non rant: Thank you for being self aware enough to know that you are in the minority when it comes to not having Facebook. Most posts by people who don’t use FB and post to HN feign ignorance and say something like “I haven’t used FB in 10 years. Does anyone still use it?”

I don't trust Facebook, but I use it. I don't spend money on Facebook. I don't intend to have a financial relationship with Facebook. There certainly are some benefits of using Facebook for certain purposes.

Funny that, I don't trust Facebook, so I don't use it.

Re: Introducing Facebook Shops

#100

how are those going to magically just-work without logistics and conflict resolution?

(unfortunately) worked pretty well for amazon, and the concerns were the same

what do you mean? isn't the logistics and conflict resolution of amazon, pretty much best-in-class?
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