This archive report was first published on 23 June 2021.
Facebook Inc (FB.O) has announced significant changes to its commerce tools, expanding its "Shops" feature to its messaging app WhatsApp in several countries and to Facebook Marketplace in the United States.
According to Facebook Chief Executive Mark Zuckerberg, the company has more than 300 million monthly Shops visitors and about 1.2 million monthly active Shops.
As part of its push into e-commerce, Facebook launched Shops last year as a way for people to find and buy products on Facebook and Instagram.
Facebook is also working on ways to use augmented reality, allowing shoppers to try on items, including from ads, Zuckerberg said during a live audio room on Facebook.
The company will test an artificial intelligence tool called 'visual search' on Instagram, allowing users to click on items and find similar products in Shops.