Facebook to ease creation of Instagram shops for influencers

[SAN FRANCISCO] Facebook chief executive officer Mark Zuckerberg said the social network is making it easier for content creators to set up their own digital shops on photo-sharing app Instagram.

During a company event on Tuesday aimed at social media influencers, Mr Zuckerberg said Facebook will let creators add shops on their personal Instagram profile pages and link their accounts with merchandise companies such as Fanjoy or Bravado.

The Menlo Park, California-based company is also testing a new affiliate tool to enable people to get paid for product promotion, Mr Zuckerberg said.

The feature will allow Instagram creators to earn a commission for purchases that are made through their recommendations to their followers. Brands will set their own commission rates, he said.

The announcements are part of a larger push by Facebook and Instagram to lure creators with new monetization tools as they fend off competition from social media rivals such as Snapchat and TikTok.

During the pandemic, Facebook has also been pushing its e-commerce offerings to attract small businesses that ramped up their digital outreach to find new customers when traffic at brick-and-mortar shops declined.

BLOOMBERG