Over the next few weeks, all eligible U.S. business and creator accounts with Instagram Shops will have access to Instagram Checkout and Live shopping. Facebook has also added a Shop section to its platform. For now, the company is waiving selling fees for vendors.
New features were also introduced for shops. Businesses can now tailor their social storefronts with new layouts and see real-time previews of collections while they set them up. Commerce Manager also got a slight upgrade so businesses can better track sales efforts.
The expansion supports a shift to online retail in response to the global pandemic. According to the company’s latest Global State of Small Business Report, a number of small businesses are making a significant percentage of sales online.