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Introducing Facebook Shops

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Re: Introducing Facebook Shops

#161

Post by CosmicShadow »

As someone with an Etsy shop this got me excited for a second, but unless I missed something, this is just some sort of link from your FB Page to some integrated shop? We use Etsy because we get all these sales from people using it to search for stuff, but I guess if we only have 80 people and spend no money on FB ads or trying to grow our page, this is essentially completely useless as we already have links to our shop...

We were hoping this was some sort of shop built into marketplace that was curated or searchable or something, since we've had some success selling on there, but it's a complete garbage pile and dealing with people is awful and doesn't scale very fast. People flake out like crazy, no way to manage messages well or anything. Missed opportunity.

Maybe for Instagram, having a shop built into your profile could be awesome instead of saying, "link in profile" then having your user search for the product they say starting at your site homepage.

Re: Introducing Facebook Shops

#162

Post by skybrian »

mrkramer wrote: post #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 b…

It seems like you want to sell through multiple channels without being too dependent on any one of them? This could be a very good channel for some early adopters, but then the economics of it could change pretty quickly.

Re: Introducing Facebook Shops

#164

Post by dmode »

saadalem wrote: post #117

Small businesses operated either individually or by less than 10 people. A bunch of customers buy products/services from these businesses. So they need a better way to: Engage with their customers Sell and manage product/service deliveries Target specific customer audience Show products/services availability Whatsapp could be the right solution not facebook apps. Also a combination of Yelp and Facebook/Whatsapp could…

This is a great post. But the biggest opportunity here is to build an aggregate SMB platform to take on Amazon. In my local downtown, I see a ton of mom and pop stores, but they don’t get a ton of foot traffic. I sometimes imagine unlocking their inventory that can allow for some inherent advantages like same day pick-up and supporting local businesses

Re: Introducing Facebook Shops

#166

Post by dannyw »

Spivak wrote: post #62
swagonomixxx wrote: post #19

With the rise of services like Shopify, Etsy, etc. why are independent product manufacturers in the US / Europe still using Amazon? Is it the lack of the supply chain / item delivery that Amazon provides so well or is it something else? Hearing about how Amazon undercuts pretty much every seller on their system makes me think that sellers would be willing to jump in a heartbeat if given a viable alternative. Facebook…

It's the logistics network. Being able to just ship your product to an Amazon warehouse and then have them handle the rest on the cheap pretty much guarantees that using Amazon will come out cheaper. Combine that with Amazon handling the bulk of customer support, returns, and payments and you end up making more money on Amazon than anywhere else. I've actually tried to get a company to price match their own store on…

I also know companies that are going the complete FBA route now. Even if you order on their web shop, you get your item from Amazon.

Amazon is often cheaper.

When you account for the cost of a part time web dev and designer, as well as Shopify plugins and fees, I imagine the merchant probably prefers for me to buy on amazon.

Re: Introducing Facebook Shops

#167

Post by ikeyany »

einpoklum wrote: post #129

I just wish we could read on HN tomorrow: "Introducing Antitrust action against Facebook (justice.gov)"

Elizabeth Warren's campaign focused on tempering the powers of Facebook and other tech giants. However her campaign failed to gain serious traction, for various reasons.

Re: Introducing Facebook Shops

#168

Post by blahbhthrow3748 »

kamilszybalski wrote: post #76
jameslevy wrote: post #2

"We’re also working more closely with partners like Shopify, BigCommerce, WooCommerce..." Is Facebook Shops not a direct competitor to Shopify? Or is this just "embrace, extend, and extinguish"?

It's a really interesting question. My gut tells me that Shopify is looking for a suitor and this is facebook's way of de-risking (validating?) a potential investment.

A lot of Shopify's competitive advantage comes from being a giant, Canadian tech company. Similar to Blackberry before it, the government is extremely generous and investors price the stock accordingly. If Shopify moved to the States or was acquired by an American company I think it would take away that unique appeal.

Also the founder is an egomaniac and would never sell.

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