ISLAMABAD – In another boost for small entrepreneurs, social media giant Facebook has rolled out its platform for online businesses in the South Asian country.
Pakistan’s e-commerce has seen rapid growth in recent times as earlier e-commerce company Amazon added Pakistan to its sellers’ list.
In the meanwhile, Advisor to Prime Minister on Trade and Investment Abdul Razak Dawood also reacted to the development after Facebook introduced Market place that facilitates people to find and buy products online.
In a series of tweets, PM’s aide wrote: “I am happy to see that, after Amazon, Facebook has recently launched a marketplace for Pakistan. The launch will encourage small enterprises and entrepreneurs in Pakistan to sell online. Such opportunities during COVID-19 could be a lifeline for micro-enterprises.”
I am happy to see that, after @amazon, @Facebook has recently launched market place for Pakistan, it will encourage small entrepreneurs to sell online. Such opportunities during COVID-19 could be a lifeline for micro enterprises.
— Abdul Razak Dawood (@razak_dawood) July 30, 2021
Dawood went on to say that such initiatives also aid female entrepreneurs, who wanted to engage in buying and selling in their community of friends, family, and networks — the first step towards e-commerce.
It is also helpful for women entrepreneurs who want to engage in market activity by buying and selling in the community of friends, family and networks. A first step towards eCommerce.@aliya_hamza #Pakistan #ecommerce #SMEs #women #PakistanMovingForward #entrepreneurs
— Abdul Razak Dawood (@razak_dawood) July 30, 2021
Furthermore, these platforms also give business owners easy payment solutions through local third parties. Another benefit of these online platforms is that the authorities can also collect taxes such as GST from online sellers.
Facebook Marketplace was introduced in 2016 and has been rolled out in over 100 countries. Last month, the Chief Executive Officer of Facebook Mark Zuckerberg revealed that they introduce personalized advertisements in its Shops service based on users’ shopping behavior.
The social media giant said it has more than 300 million monthly Shops visitors and about 1.2 million monthly active Shops.
