Facebook & Shopify are going to bring it to Amazon like no platform ever has.  There is now a serious competitor in town, and platform competition always benefits the merchants.

We read through the announcements and listened in to Mark Zuckerburg and Tobi Lutke's call, here are the highlights:

• Shops will be US only for now.
• Facebook Shops are live today, Instagram coming in the next few months, WhatsApp and Messenger coming down the road.
• Directly integrates with Shopify, BigCommerce, WooCommerce, and other platforms. Simply import your inventory database with a few clicks and everything will be synced.
• Shops will be free forever (no 15% fee like Amazon), they just want to use them to grow ad revenue.
• Facebook will store customer payment info allowing for 1-click checkouts and payments.
• There will be a new "Shop" tab on Instagram where users can scroll through and discover new products and brands.
• Brands can now sell products directly through Facebook and Instagram Live with one click. 
• Loyalty programs can be seamlessly added in, cutomers can see their points and rewards from Facebook & Instagram.
• Once launched on all platforms it will be a unified experience. Ex: Add to cart on Instagram, ask a the brand a question through Messenger and buy within it it without having to go back to Instagram.
• Open ecosystem for 3rd party apps, similar to Shopify.

Shopify news & updates:  

• Shopify Balance Debit Card: Shopify Balance is a merchant account with no fees and no minimum balances
• Shop Pay Installments: Buy Now, Pay Later FeatureS
• Shopify Launches Local Delivery

Spotify keeps growing:
Joe Rogan exclusive contract, including all past library and video streaming.

Food Delivery Wars:
GrubHub, Uber Eats, Door Dash, Postmates: Who will survive and who will disappear?

What do you think?  Take a listen and let us know your thoughts.

Want more?

Subscribe to The Edge eComm Digest and receive weekly news directly in your INBOX >

Check our other stuff out too:

• The Edge
•  Instagram
•  Facebook
•  LinkedIn
•  Medium
•  Twitter
•  MGR Agency Website

This episode is brought to you by MGR Agency. Scaling marketing for leading digital brands.

If you liked this episode, please share it with your friends.  If you REALLY liked it, please leave us a positive review on your favorite podcast platform.  Thank you for watching or listening!