Meta knows social media like no other. But do they really understand #socialcommerce? 🛍️
Based on our personal experience, Meta has not been able to deliver a user-friendly e-commerce platform. The Meta Business Suite constantly adds new features that are not intuitive and have limited integration with Instagram. The inventory database is cumbersome to manage and lacks the intelligence to effectively partner with sellers who are also on platforms like Amazon, Square, and Shopify. Due to the resource-intensive nature of maintaining a clunky inventory catalog, we ultimately discontinued using the Suite. Currently, Meta only provides a basic merchandise listing platform without providing support for customer acquisition or product catalog management. In addition, the attempted integration of Instagram and Facebook selling platforms has resulted in confusion and added unnecessary functionalities. The two platforms have vastly different functionalities, causing issues such as product links being unable to publish on Instagram even when using the integrated Meta Business Suite. Meta seems to be trying to do too much at once, lacking a deep understanding of our needs. Instead of rushing to capture the market, Meta should prioritize building strong relationships with their commerce partners.
Very well researched and well written faisal.
Digital Retail Connector
1yCould it also be a demand issue in that US shoppers prefer to buy from retailers and brands rather than publishers? It seems like in even pre-Facebook times fashion magazines tried to mix content and shopping and it never took off. Pinterest and other social platforms have been trying this for a while as well.