All across the internet there are user-friendly sites that allow individuals and businesses to set up their own marketplaces. On some of them, you can find just about anything; Amazon and eBay are great examples of this. Some sites are more niche: Etsy is a handmade crafter’s haven with advanced search features and an online community for connecting and sharing. And then there are company-specific online stores such as Old Navy or Wal-Mart where customers can purchase a range of items online that they would find in a brick and mortar store. All of these online shopping options have one thing in common, though: shoppers must actively seek out these sites in order to become buyers.

But now there is another shopping option on the scene. Currently there are over 750 million active users spending 700 billion minutes per month on Facebook. Many will argue that Facebook is the most influential social media outlet to date, so why not reach consumers where they already are? Several application developers have honed in on the same idea. Sites like Ecwid, Big Commerce, and VendorShop all allow business accounts to add a shopping cart feature to their site so that their Fans may shop directly from their page (or in some cases, the shopping cart will translate over to the main company shopping cart).

My personal favorite is an app called Shopping Mall by Payvment. Its simple layout and user-friendly controls make it easy for any business to add it to their page, and its social features make recommendations and sharing a breeze. One of the greatest features of this application is that it is currently free! It also happens to be rated #1 in eCommerce sites among Facebook users, and over 60,000 business pages are currently using its functionality (another cool feature: users can add items to their cart from any of these 60,000 stores and check out from any storefront!). The only real “requirement” for the application is that it be linked to a standard or business Paypal account in order to collect payments.

Currently, Payvment seems to be doing it best, but it will be interesting to watch this new eCommerce section of Facebook grow and evolve over time to meet the needs of businesses and consumers even further. For more information on setting up a store using Payvment, check out this helpful blog post by You Brand, Inc., and if you are using a different eCommerce application on Facebook, we would love to hear about it below!