It was only a matter of time before e-commerce applications would emerge to connect consumers with brands. For the most part, Facebook and other social media networks have been used as marketing tools that drive awareness about a brand or a product. iFanstore was created to turn Facebook into online storefronts.
With iFanstore, customers can purchase products without leaving Facebook.
Can social media really drive sales of premium food? Many would argue the increased awareness of your brand will push sales when customers visit retailers. Marketers are increasingly attempting to close the gap between social media and purchase decisions by leveraging location-based social media networks and online stores.
iFanstore is a robust ecommerce solution that enables ecommerce within the 4 walls of any social media environment and allows customers to purchase with fewer clicks and share their experiences with their friends. http://bit.ly/6SX4G1
“Social media is rapidly becoming a critically important vehicle for talking with our customers. Now, with our new iFanStore, we’ve opened up an entirely new sales channel for our seasonal, specialty blends,” said Helen Russell, CEO and co-founder of San Rafael, Calif.-based Equator. http://bit.ly/7QtwDz
*Equator Estate Coffee & Teas was one of the first companies to use an iFanstore.
Milyoni, a relatively new conversational commerce business, created a commerce widget that allows companies to launch a store on social media or on blogs and communities. This option allows customers to make purchases without getting out of their office chair. Of course customers can share what they purchased with their Facebook friends or Twitter followers, giving the brand increased awareness and social context.
iFanStore Tips:
- Use if you don’t have retail distribution; but if you do, offer what current accounts don’t sell to avoid cannibalizing them
- Select product offerings based on what you know about your Facebook fans
- Make products available that are inexpensive (consumers are not likely to make a huge purchase decision while surfing Facebook)
Not everyone thinks the move towards e-commerce on social networks is such a good idea:
- Shiv Singh, vice president and global social media lead at Razorfish believes “what’s often ignored is whether the commercialization of Facebook will hurt its social feel.”
- Mike Lazerow, CEO of Buddy Media, which develops applications and brand pages on Facebook said “people aren’t using Facebook right now to buy stuff. They use it to talk to friends, see pictures, play games, learn about new products, connect with companies and products they love. But they are not currently buying stuff directly on Facebook.”
Do you think directly selling to your customers on Facebook, or any other social media networks is an obvious next step? Or, do you believe Facebook’s social context will further lose credibility as the network becomes more commercialized?
