Facebook Marketplace is introducing new Meta AI features, including auto-replies for messages from potential buyers, Facebook announced Thursday. AI will also assist sellers in faster item listings and profile summaries, along with providing a shipping option.
The company indicates that as sellers receive numerous buyer inquiries, it’s simplifying the response process with Meta AI-powered auto-replies. When buyers ask about an item’s availability, sellers can use Meta AI to generate responses based on listing details such as description, availability, pickup location, and price. Sellers can enable, preview, and edit these responses while creating their listings.
This feature aims to alleviate sellers from spending too much time on initial or redundant messages, like inquiries about item availability. Previously, a seller developed their own AI tool to handle these initial queries from buyers.
Facebook Marketplace also allows sellers to list items automatically using Meta AI. By uploading an image, Meta AI creates a draft listing, fills in details, and suggests pricing based on similar local items.
Moreover, buyers will now view a summary of a seller’s Facebook profile on their Marketplace page, detailing their Facebook tenure, number of friends, and a summary of their Marketplace activity, including listing history and seller ratings.
Sellers can broaden their audience by offering shipping on listings. Facebook states they can generate prepaid shipping labels and track orders via a simple dashboard.
The new AI features complement Facebook Marketplace’s existing Meta AI integrations, such as a tool aiding buyers in asking pertinent questions and AI insights for vehicle listings.