Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg yesterday (Tue., May 19, 2020) announced the launch of Facebook Shops. According to Zuckerberg, Shops will make it easier for small businesses to sell their products on Facebook and Instagram. In the future, Facebook Shops will also allow businesses to sell products to customers through the chat features of WhatsApp, Messenger and Instagram Direct.

Facebook has previously let businesses list products on Facebook and Instagram. Facebook Shops will let them upload their catalogs once to make them accessible across Facebook’s various apps. 

“It’s one simple and consistent experience across this family of apps, which means it is easier for people,” Zuckerberg said in a live stream on Facebook. “That of course means there’ll be higher conversions and more sales for small businesses.”

Zuckerberg indicated that Facebook is ramping up its efforts to support small businesses during the coronavirus pandemic. He also said that he personally was involved with the development of the feature.

Since the pandemic began, the company has announced a $100 million program to support small businesses through grants and a way for small businesses to sell gift cards directly to consumers through Facebook.

Upside | Lots of local small businesses already have a presence on Facebook. And except for advertising, much of the services are free to use.

Downside | If you ever have a dispute with a giant online company, you could lose the ability to access the site. It’s your business.

Small businesses make up the vast
majority of Facebook’s more than eight million advertisers.

Mark Zuckerberg

In the past weeks, other major online social and ecommerce giants have announced initiatives and tools aimed at small businesses. In addition to direct contributions to Coronavirus relief programs, here are just a few of the small business focused programs and efforts we’ve seen.

Google Support Links and Local Tools

Google is adding tools and services that will enable verified local merchants, restaurants and other businesses to use Google My Business as a hub to post up-to-the minute information regarding a small business owner’s Google profile and maps.

Google also announced it is adding “support links” to its Business Profiles. With this feature, verified customers can support their support of favorite merchants or eateries with donations or gift card links. Merchants can also share a personal message in their post to inform customers how funds will be put to use.

Yelp Launches New ‘Yelp for Business’ Platform, Features

Yelp, the popular online local business directory, announced a major change and enhancement called Yelp for Business.

Yelp described it as “an entirely reimagined platform” designed to improve the business owner’s experience, according to Alon Shiran, Yelp director of product management.

Amazon’s Small Business Tools

Earlier this year, Amazon announced that it was on track to spend $15 billion in 2019 in infrastructure, tools, services, people, and programs to help third-party — primarily small businesses — succeed. According to Amazon, small businesses are responsible for up to 58% of all physical gross merchandise sold in Amazon’s stores in 2018.

“Local businesses are core to our communities, but the impact of COVID-19 has been tough on business owners. Over the past few months, we’ve added tools and features to make it easier for businesses to keep customers informed, including the ability to add dining options and updated hours to Business Profiles.“
‘
Dominique McGowan
Program Manager, Local Small Business Products

Recently we’ve noted that Google is adding new local-oriented features to Business Profiles of verified brick & mortar stores (or, “physical storefront”) restaurants, and other Main Sreet small businesses. Google has also been adding tools and features to make it easier for local businesses to keep local customers informed, including the ability to add changing dining options and updated hours. 

Yesterday (May 11, 2020), Google announced it is adding “support links” to its Business Profiles. With this feature, merchants can provide their customers with donations or gift card links.

To start, Google is partnering with PayPal and GoFundMe for donations. For gift cards, merchants can link directly to the relevant page on their website or to their gift card offerings with one of Google’s eligible partners, which include Square, Toast, Clover and Vagaro.

(While Google is not charging merchants or consumers any fees, there may be partner processing fees associated with campaigns.)

According to McGowan, the feature launch will begin with a subset of businesses “to protect against misuse” with plans to expand to more countries, merchants, and partners in a safe and responsible way. The feature will first be rolled to the following countries:

• United States
• Canada
• United Kingdom
• Ireland
• Australia
• New Zealand

Business eligibility

According to Google, participation eligibility criteria includes:

• Businesses must be verified before March 1, 2020.
• Businesses must have a physical storefront.
• Owners and site managers of the Business Profile can use the posts feature to add gift-cards and donation links.
• The feature is available only in select countries.

For more information visit Google My Business help.

Yesterday (May 5, 2020), Yelp, the popular online local business directory, announced a major change and enhancement called Yelp for Business. It is “a new way for business owners to understand their performance and manage their presence on Yelp,” according to Alon Shiran, Yelp’s director of product management.

Yelp for Business is an entirely reimagined platform designed to improve the business owner experience with a fresh new user interface that gives business owners more transparency and insight into their Yelp Business Page. This release is the first step in the company’s plans to completely overhaul the business owner experience in order to increase customization and efficiency on the Yelp platform by the end of 2020.”

Alon Shiran 
Yelp director of product management

Updated or new features of Yelp for Business include:

• Recommendation Cards: Step by step prompts on how business owner sets up their profile.
  
• Tips: Business owners will find “tips” sprinkled throughout the home page that will guide them toward the next best steps to reach consumers.
  
• Content Feed: The new integrated content feed shares relevant information to business owners based on their particular category and industry. (At first, business owners will be directed toward COVID-19 related content specifically geared toward helping them get through this time.)
  
• Faster load and response time: According to Yelp, the new platform is 30% faster than the previous Business Owner Account. 

The new platform is currently available to all business owners and can be accessed in their Yelp for Business account, according to Shiran.  

To begin the process, Google is linking several Google services that feeds a small business’ information to Google My Business and an array of constantly updated maps.

Here are some Google-related basics

1. Update business hours
   
   If your business is operating on reduced or shifted hours, you can update them on you Business Profile through Google My Business. Do this so that customers know exactly when you are able to reach them.
   
   Tip: Double check your phone number and make sure it is correct. Also, turn on messaging to make sure customers can reach you! 
   
   
2. Share a COVID-19 update
   
   Since every business’s response to coronavirus is unique, Google has introduced COVID-19 posts – featured prominently in a carousel on the merchant’s Business Profile in Search (and coming soon to Maps). This is how businesses can communicate to your customers about how your operations and services have shifted. Updates can include safety precautions you are taking, information about what products and services are available, and whether your customers can expect delays. 
   
   
3. Showcase business “attributes“
   
   Many restaurants and retail shops have closed their doors to on-site customers but are still serving them in other ways, for example: Merchants in the dining and shopping verticals can now update their business profiles to inform customers about service availability.
   
   Restaurants can add “takeout,” “delivery” and/or “curbside pickup” attributes and mark that they’re unavailable for “dine-in,” while retail stores will soon be able to add “curbside pickup,” “in-store pickup” and/or “same-day delivery.” 
   
   Business operations will prominently appear on merchants’ business profiles on Google Search and Maps results when customers look for the business. 
   
   
4. Share inventory online
   
   With various or changing shortages of groceries and home essentials, people have to make important decisions about when to leave home to purchase critical goods.
   
   Pointy (now part of Google), helps merchants get their inventory online by connecting information from the merchant’s point of sale systems to their business profile online. (For a limited time, Pointy is available for free to select grocery stores, pharmacies and convenience stores in the US.)
   
   Check if your store is eligible.
   
   
5. Mark a location “Temporarily closed”
   
   Google has made it easier for businesses to mark themselves as temporarily closed — directly from Google My Business.
   
   Note: If a business is marked as temporarily closed, it will be treated similarly to open businesses and will not affect local search rank.