In a bid to help struggling small businesses during coronavirus pandemic, Facebook has introduced free tools for creating online "Shops" to help set up a single online store for customers to access on both Facebook and Instagram.

Facebook is launching Shops, a service that will allow businesses to display and sell products on the world's largest social network platforms, Chief Executive Mark Zuckerberg said on Tuesday. The move to build up e-commerce offerings follows Facebook's launch last year of limited shopping options on photo-sharing app Instagram and messaging app WhatsApp. Company leaders wager making the platforms more business-friendly will generate fresh ad revenue, even as user growth slows.

Zuckerberg said Shops will improve on the standard web commerce experience by storing users’ payment credentials in a single place that they can then use on any Facebook or Instagram storefront. There are currently more than 160 million small businesses using the company’s apps.

Shops can be found on businesses’ Facebook pages and Instagram profiles, and they can also appear in stories or be promoted in ads. Items that businesses have made available for purchase will appear within the shop, and users can either save items or place an order.