Subscribe

Facebook integrates shopping into newsfeeds

Lauren Kate Rawlins
By Lauren Kate Rawlins, ITWeb digital and innovation contributor.
Johannesburg, 24 Mar 2017
Adidas is making use of Facebook's new ad format.
Adidas is making use of Facebook's new ad format.

Facebook does not want users to leave its newsfeeds ? even to shop online. The company is debuting an advertising format that will let users buy products without leaving the platform. This means when the purchase is complete, users can get back to scrolling.

The ad format, called Collection, displays a brand video with pictures of products featured in the video below it. The pictures have prices displayed underneath and when clicked, take the user directly to the brand's e-commerce site.

The format is optimised for mobile shopping, as Facebook says it will load fast and showcase up to 50 products at a time.

"We're taking advantage of trends we're seeing in the market where more visual creative drives people to discover, browse and buy on mobile," the company said in a statement.

"Three in four consumers say watching videos on social media influences their purchasing decisions, which is why we designed Collection."

Collection will start rolling out to all advertisers globally this week.

Tommy Hilfiger was one of the brands approached to try out the format first.

Avery Baker, Tommy Hilfiger chief brand officer, says: "We've set out on a mission to democratise the runway and make every look immediately available to consumers around the world.

"Video content is an important tool to help us realise our mission and the integration of shopping functionalities into our runway video provided a seamless consumer experience that helped to further drive sales."

He says the company was able amplify the effectiveness of the video content with Facebook Collection, achieving ROI of 200%.

Facebook will also introduce more insight for marketers to see how Collection performs. The insight will show the number of clicks leading people off Facebook.

This insight will also be extended to advertisers that make use of Facebook-owned picture-sharing network Instagram.

"We hope this offers marketers a clearer picture of people's paths through the entire ad experience," says Facebook.

Facebook previously tried to integrate online shopping into its platform with 'buy buttons' in 2014.

Share