Monday, November 03, 2014

Facebook, Twitter Push ECommerce

Facebook, Twitter Push ECommerce, Like It Or Not

The article I found for blog post #6 is regarding how Facebook and Twitter are making a push as Shopping destinations. The article notes that major social networks companies have unveiled plans to start using "buy" buttons on their sites, which could start having an impact on "social shopping" environment.
The idea of using social networks to promote e-commerce has been around for some time, but so far has failed to deliver much. Facebook had some short-lived programs for digital gifts and another programs selling virtual goods via Facebook games.

There is smooth connection between shopping and social networks, since users often discuss products and brands in the messages. In addition, sharing feature can be a reliable indicator of what people are going to buy. The article noted that among milennials born in the 1980s or 1990s, 55% will click on content shared by social network friends, and often consider peers recommendations to decide what to buy.

Given we use social networks as part of the decision-making process, I believe there are tremendous untapped potential for growth in social commerce business. Until recently, social media marketing has been mainly about softer strategies such as brand awareness, which are difficult to measure. However, moving toward social commerce is a smart decision for social media networks because of the sheer volume of users online, but that marketers need a well-defined strategy.


I believe just putting a buy button out there is not going to be effective unless it is targeted in the right way. However, the challenge is building enough context around that buy button. Thus, Social media will need to be aware of consumer’s buying trends and find ways to deliver ads and purchase opportunities without turning members off

Moreover, the other challenge is helping business partners think about how social commerce is different from e-commerce. Facebook and Twitter are much more engaging and they're based on people and dialogue, yet businesses take traditional approaches to new paradigms and expect them to work the same. But it is hard to take traditional Web approach to a social network.


<source : http://www.informationweek.com/software/social/facebook-twitter-push-e-commerce-like-it-or-not/d/d-id/1297457>

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