IT’S HAPPENING ON FACEBOOK
Whether it’s business, community support, fundraising or research, the people of Europe are making it happen on our platforms.
More Business is happening on Facebook
Last year, when the world shut down, businesses moved online. Many increased their use of social media platforms to drive sales. By bringing commerce and people together, Facebook's apps and services helped support businesses across Europe to continue their growth.
Learn more about how business is happening on Facebook here.
Attracting new customers
In Germany, online baby gear company, Mami Poppins, find that personalised Facebook ads drive up to half their revenue. Owner Ekaterina Arlt-Kalthoff uses our analytics tools to make sure Mami Poppins’ advertising is shown to people who would most benefit from their offering. Facebook also helps her reach those who’ve rented and bought from Mami Poppins before across Germany, Austria and Mallorca.
For many small businesses in Europe, Facebook’s platforms and services have been effective customer acquisition tools. Deloitte’s Dynamic Markets report in 2021 that analysed an Ipsos survey showed that 68% of small businesses in the EU using personalised advertising said it was an effective way to find new customers.
Launching new businesses
Netherlands-based Kirsten van Harten moved Hart voor Wijn, her wine tasting business, online during lockdown and found new customers through Facebook and Instagram. “With the help of Facebook, I’ve been able to reach new customers,” says Kirsten. “It was essential to building my brand during the pandemic.” Our platforms often act as a launch pad for new companies. In the above report, Ipsos data also showed that 73% of small businesses surveyed in the EU used Facebook and Instagram to help them get started.
Learn more about how Hart voor Wijn uses Facebook here.
Research is happening with Facebook
In 2017, Facebook launched the Data For Good programme to support nonprofits, universities and organisations across the globe working in areas ranging from disease prevention to climate change. Most recently, being able to access maps, datasets and tools has helped organisations gain a deeper understanding of how to react to the spread of COVID-19.
Learn more about Facebook’s Data for Good programme and how the use of data helps to address some of the world's greatest social issues at dataforgood.fb.com.
Supporting COVID-19 research in Europe
Throughout the past year our data maps and indexes have helped academics, policy makers and medical researchers understand vaccine uptake and the spread of new variants with rapid and impactful results.
In Germany, statisticians at LMU München are using privacy-protected data from Facebook’s Data for Good programme to discover how social interaction is impacting COVID-19 infection. This allowed them to forecast the number of COVID-19 cases on a local level, and to understand more broadly how everyday behaviours influenced the spread of the disease.
In a pan-European collaboration, researchers at Ecole Polytechnique in France and Athens University of Economics and Business in Greece developed a model to study the impact of population movement on the spread of COVID-19. To support their model, they used Facebook’s Disease Prevention Maps to look at human mobility via administrative regions. Focusing on four countries—Italy, Spain, France and England—the model forecasts the spread of the disease and therefore offers useful insights to policymakers on appropriate interventions and resource allocation.
You can download the reports and find out more about how Facebook is using data to help fight the pandemic on the Data for Good COVID-19 European research pages.
Building community in Europe is happening on Facebook.
All over Europe, Facebook apps and technologies are helping people to connect and build new communities. These communities are transforming lives, neighbourhoods and helping people to find friendship and support.
Communities that fundraise
When Carla’s son was diagnosed with FOXP1, a rare genetic disease that that affects speech, cognition and motor skills, Carla set up the Facebook Group, Vamos Ajudar o Diogo. Through this Group, she promotes awareness of the condition and has built a community to help fundraise for treatments. Together they have raised money through raffles and other initiatives to pay for the treatments that have allowed Carla’s son to enjoy many more aspects of life.
Facebook Groups are just one way in which people raise money for good causes using Facebook platforms. In Europe, more than 27 million people have created or donated to Facebook Fundraisers in support of causes they care about.
Communities that support each other
In Italy, Facebook Group Te Lo Regalo Milano has created a community that helps those in need by providing a place for people to donate unwanted household goods. Group founder Rosario estimates that tens of thousands of items are posted for upcycling each year, with 97% finding a new home. The Group has become so popular that around 1 in 10 people living in Milan are now members. Not only has Te Lo Regalo Milano managed to reduce waste, it has also created a strong, supportive community, while helping those in need.
Across Europe more than 200 million people are members of active Facebook Groups, many doing amazing things just like Te Lo Regalo Milano.