Facebook Launches its Rival Service to E-commerce Platforms

Every day, over 450 million users of the world's most popular social network browse through various buy and sell ads. Specifically for these users, Facebook has launched a special tab called Marketplace within its application. Through this tab, visitors can quickly view items in the necessary category, sorted into a convenient feed. Additionally, the process of listing items for sale is significantly simplified.

Functionality:

The service has three main subsections:

1) Explore for Purchases. This is a complete feed of items listed for sale. Thanks to special tags that sellers leave in their posts, along with data about your preferences, region of residence, and search queries, all items are sorted by relevance to the specific user.

2) Sell Your Items. With this feature, any Facebook user can snap photos of their items, add a description and corresponding tags, and they will appear in the appropriate feed.

3) Find Items Nearby. This function allows users to sort items by location, keywords in the description, and search for a specific item on a map.

Advantages of Marketplace

According to analysts' forecasts, users will appreciate the service because the buying and selling process involves interacting with a real person who has a filled-out profile, rather than an impersonal seller. Additionally, the algorithmic feed tailored to your interests will appeal to fans of spontaneous online shopping who previously used Instagram for this purpose.

Disadvantages

However, the service currently has several significant drawbacks. For example, there is no rating system to distinguish trustworthy sellers from scammers. Additionally, Facebook refuses to act as an intermediary and provide the option to make payments directly on Marketplace. Therefore, the company does not bear any responsibility for the transaction process.

Currently, only the mobile version of the service has been released in the United States, New Zealand, Australia, and the United Kingdom. If initial tests are successful, Marketplace will become global and receive a web version. Already, major online platforms are expressing serious concerns because if the service's functionalities are user-friendly, it could significantly impact their businesses and shift a large portion of online commerce into social networks.

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