Get your spending spree on: Facebook's shops are coming to WhatsApp

Facebook's shops will soon be available on WhatsApp, the app's CEO Mark Zuckerberg announced on Tuesday.  

According to Zuckerberg, the e-commerce update is to support economic recovery.  

The option will first launch in the US and then be expanded in selected countries. 

He said users will be able to view a shop in WhatsApp so they can chat with a business before buying something. 

“Businesses only need to set up their shop once to have it work across Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp,” he said. 

Popular app Instagram will also be getting a new feature called Visual Search. 

The AI-based feature will roll out for testing in the coming months.

Zuckerberg said Visual Search will help people find similar products, like floral print dresses, just by tapping on an image of a dress they like.

“Instagram Visual Search helps you discover products based on images that inspire you. I'll use it to find more grey T-shirts,” he joked.  

In the future, the feature will make it possible for people to take photos from their camera to start a visual search.  

“While it’s still early, we think visual search will enhance mobile shopping by making even more pieces of media on Instagram shoppable,” he added.

According to a  2021 SA Township Marketing Report by digital agency Rogerwilco released on Tuesday, SA’s township residents prefer WhatsApp as a form of communication.  It also reported a large portion of township business transactions are done over WhatsApp.

The report, based on responses from more than 1,000 individuals living in townships, aims to plug the gap between the audience that represents hundreds of billions of rand in aggregate, and the information that exists about them.

It found more than 75% of residents prefer WhatsApp as a medium of communication compared with Facebook (17%), Instagram (2%) and Twitter (1%)

It said 70% of residents prefer brands to communicate in English and they are more likely to be swayed by those holding positions of authority such as elders, religious leaders and teachers in their communities (11%) than they are by celebrity influencers.