Facebook's ushering in the new year with an update to their Marketplace interface via a "Vacation Mode" setting, as spotted by Alessandro Paluzzi.
Facebook Marketplace is one the myriad of platforms the company has launched in an attempt to delve into perhaps any and all niches available. It caters mainly to local vendors and people looking to trade goods in general. Got something you want to sell? Or maybe you're looking for a niche item at affordable prices? Well, this once-removed version of Craigslist has you covered.
As the Marketplace's community blossomed, with people establishing customer bases akin to actual start-ups, the need for a convenient interface arose. For example, if any seller was unavailable for a short while (a prime reason for this being vacations), they had no way of conveying that to their regulars. People would continue buying products, with the seller being unable to deliver on schedule. The only option such users had available was deactivating their IDs until they were back to regular schedules. But, as any small business owner could attest to, such disappearances would only lead to customers looking out for other vendors in the community.
Well, no more! With one simple addition to the settings tab, sellers can now let their customers know when they'll be temporarily unavailable. Buyers won't be able to place orders and start conversations, but existing orders won't be cancelled out either. The Vacation Mode, labelled as such in the Settings menu, is an easy fix to what has been a significant annoyance for burgeoning vendors on the platform.
Marketplace may be one of Facebook's better attempts at covering well-trodden territory. Its attempts to give competition to platforms such as Cameo and Twitch have been duly noted, but Marketplace and its limited yet highly accessible range of tools feels like a great fix for users either looking to get an online garage sale going, or scouting for second-hand, yet useful items. With pre-set questions that sellers can use to further elaborate on products and availability, a neat chat function to allow interaction between vendors and customers, and the ability to check Insights, there may not be much to the platform, but what little there is easily and effectively lets users set up shop and get to work.
It also feels like the best use of Facebook's massive community, giving them a platform to interact with each other in a different yet just as useful manner. Much more so than Super and Gaming, which are competing with highly established and specialized communities and don't have the added benefit of user interaction, the literal concept that Facebook was founded upon.
Read next: Facebook Groups Now Feature Admins and Organisations via Affiliations Settings Feature
Facebook Marketplace is one the myriad of platforms the company has launched in an attempt to delve into perhaps any and all niches available. It caters mainly to local vendors and people looking to trade goods in general. Got something you want to sell? Or maybe you're looking for a niche item at affordable prices? Well, this once-removed version of Craigslist has you covered.
As the Marketplace's community blossomed, with people establishing customer bases akin to actual start-ups, the need for a convenient interface arose. For example, if any seller was unavailable for a short while (a prime reason for this being vacations), they had no way of conveying that to their regulars. People would continue buying products, with the seller being unable to deliver on schedule. The only option such users had available was deactivating their IDs until they were back to regular schedules. But, as any small business owner could attest to, such disappearances would only lead to customers looking out for other vendors in the community.
Well, no more! With one simple addition to the settings tab, sellers can now let their customers know when they'll be temporarily unavailable. Buyers won't be able to place orders and start conversations, but existing orders won't be cancelled out either. The Vacation Mode, labelled as such in the Settings menu, is an easy fix to what has been a significant annoyance for burgeoning vendors on the platform.
Marketplace may be one of Facebook's better attempts at covering well-trodden territory. Its attempts to give competition to platforms such as Cameo and Twitch have been duly noted, but Marketplace and its limited yet highly accessible range of tools feels like a great fix for users either looking to get an online garage sale going, or scouting for second-hand, yet useful items. With pre-set questions that sellers can use to further elaborate on products and availability, a neat chat function to allow interaction between vendors and customers, and the ability to check Insights, there may not be much to the platform, but what little there is easily and effectively lets users set up shop and get to work.
It also feels like the best use of Facebook's massive community, giving them a platform to interact with each other in a different yet just as useful manner. Much more so than Super and Gaming, which are competing with highly established and specialized communities and don't have the added benefit of user interaction, the literal concept that Facebook was founded upon.
Read next: Facebook Groups Now Feature Admins and Organisations via Affiliations Settings Feature
