Facebook is pushing hard to get away from its Craigslist reputation and become the next Amazon by leaning hard into advertising monetization to grow the Marketplace platform.

Getting relevant

Facebook is partnering with Shopify next to bring 600,000 more merchants into the fold along with companies like Kylie Cosmetics, Nestle, and Rebecca Minkoff, just to name a few.

The latest push comes in the wake of cooling interest in Facebook’s Marketplace, which has yet to really impress punters, and left lmarketers hesitant to run ads through the platform.

Inventory wars

Part of the issue is that Marketplace cannot compete with the sheer bulk of big-name brands found on Amazon, which remains Facebook’s (and everyone’s) primary competition.

As a result, Facebook is aiming to add retailers of all sizes to the platform. But Facebook is hardly partnering with indie companies, having signed up Sony, Toyota, and Ben & Jerry’s at launch.

Applications have been popping up across Marketplace’s Help Page as well as the Ads Manager section, and retailers have noticed. If Facebook can maintain interest, it may make it up the hill yet.

Have you seen any applications pop up? Do you think Facebook could one day compete with online shopping giant Amazon? Give us your two cents in our comment section below.