A month ago, Facebook teased that they might be testing out a new feature — the “Sell Something” button that would be made available to a select few groups. Now, Facebook has confirmed that this feature is here to stay.
The new feature manifests in For Sale groups that have been set up within Facebook.
The ‘Sell’ feature works pretty much the way you would write a post or share a picture, except that you can add a price to the description of what you’re selling, and set a pick-up/delivery location. Sellers can also mark a product as “Available” or “Sold” to update their catalog of items.
It’s pretty obvious from this new feature that Facebook is pumping in a lot of their efforts — and thus placing a lot of their confidence — in their groups. Some For Sale groups have sprung from its test phase, such as Made By Mama Buy/Sell/Trade, which has 4,500 members in Florida buying and selling artisanal handmade craft. A group created by Kadu Carvalho also helps musicians in Brazil buy and sell instruments.
Should Carousell Be Worried?
Image Credit: TechCrunch
While Facebook fans are revelling in this new feature release, people in Singapore and Malaysia would realise that it is reminiscent of one of our most popular apps — Carousell. From the open marketplace to the intuitive interface, it’s a tough competitor for Facebook to face.
It’s true that Facebook has the masses behind it; it’s much easier to adopt a new feature that’s already a part of your daily life. But with the headstart that Carousell has gained, Facebook may be at a disadvantage in the app-dominated social marketplace industry in Southeast Asia. It will be difficult to convince casual shoppers — who already have one marketplace on their phones to scroll through — to share their attention.
It’s also caught in a legal grey area in Malaysia: the buying and selling of goods on Facebook and Instagram was banned as of December last year. Despite this, Facebook has confirmed that the feature is still being rolled out there without any legal hassle.
Image Credit: Business Insider
But what Facebook’s For Sale Groups would shine in is niche interest marketplaces. Much like Made By Mama Buy/Sell/Trade, groups that have popped up around specific interests that range from handmade crafts to fencing equipment would glean an advantage from people who would rather buy or sell to relative ‘experts’ in their fields. No point buying a Phantom DJI from someone who can’t tell you how to use it.
It’s not exactly entreating into Carousell territory, but it’s pretty damn close.
So are Facebook’s For Sale groups going to be a threat to Carousell? At this moment, it doesn’t seem likely. With the way that Facebook has been focusing on their Groups, especially with their new Groups app, their focus seems less on e-commerce and more on expanding their capabilites to connect people in new and diverse ways.
For now, at least.
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