Now you can go shopping on Facebook

Facebook announced back in July that it was testing the waters about adding digital storefronts and buy buttons to retailers pages.

Now, after partnering with e-commerce platform Shopify, shopping on Facebook has become reality.

The Shop, as it’s called, lets merchants display products directly on their company Page. Retailers can also choose whether they want customers to be able buy products directly on their Facebook Page or if they will be redirected to the company’s store or app after clicking the buy button.

Of course, there are Facebook Store apps already, but these don’t work on mobile devices and that’s how most people use Facebook these days. Existing Store apps just add a new tab to your page, while the new digital storefronts appear on the merchant’s main page, making it easier for people to see and subsequently use.

All of the payment processing is handled by Shopify, not Facebook, so shoppers need not worry about having their credit card information saved without their permission. There is an option to have it stored for future purchases though for anyone who wants that.

So how does this benefit Facebook? Well, it means you’ll have less reasons to leave the site to browse your favorite shops.

The feature is currently being tested by a few thousand pages, which visitors to those pages can see, and it will be rolled out in the coming weeks for all to enjoy.

➤ Shopify introduces the Shop Section on Facebook Pages [Shopify]