Facebook has just launched, this October 2016, a free marketplace service for users of the social network, which is already operational on iOS and Android systems for internet users in New Zealand, the United Kingdom, and the USA.
In this first phase of market penetration, the service will only work in the three countries listed above and on mobile systems, however, the idea is to expand it to desktops and to other countries, including Brazil, soon.
With the new service, Facebook managers expect to serve around 450 million people monthly, who already carry out organized sales in groups on the social network.
Within this context of merchandise sales that is already established, Facebook intends to improve some aspects to facilitate negotiations. Thus, the company's marketplace comes with news such as:
– Mode to add photos, description and prices of products;
– Mode to insert geolocation tag;
– Filter to search for products according to geolocation;
– Filter to search for products by category in the ads;
– Mode for making direct offers to the consumer;
– Private negotiation mode with the consumer (via Messenger).
The operation of the service is quite simple. It does not require the installation of applications. It is enough for the seller to enter the photos, geolocation, title and description of the product on one side and for the buyer to use the filters to search on the other. The system maintains a trading history for each user.
Facebook does not interfere in price negotiations or in delivery and/or reverse logistics , which must be provided by the merchants.
