F-Commerce Fizzles
The e-commerce platform Payvment announced it's going out of business this week. In 2011, Payvment had opened a virtual mall that allowed customers to shop without leaving the social media site. MediaPost reported that the company powered an estimated 200,000 Facebook stores. Payvment is sending its customers to Ecwid, which also offers F-commerce applications. As Mark Walsh notes in the MediaPost news story: "Despite its enormous user base and high...read more >>
Shopcade’s Roxanne Varza: Social Commerce in Action
Are you a tea drinker? On the hunt for a bacon-related gift? Or maybe just a fan of paisley? Roxanne Varza has shopping suggestions for you and for the 1,078 others who follow her on Shopcade. How does Shopcade work? The social commerce site aggregates 70 million products from 260 merchants. Users pick and choose from these products, group them into themed storefronts, share information with Facebook friends and followers, and get rewards. For example,...read more >>
Facebook Needs a “Buy” Button
Facebook commerce never took off because the site "failed to realize that people go to Facebook primarily to interact with their friends, and not to shop," according to a post in Econsultancy. But that doesn't mean the social media giant has no role to play in e-commerce. "Instead of bringing the stores to Facebook, take Facebook to the stores where consumers already do their shopping," digital marketer Oscar Trelles advises in his Econsultancy piece. Trelles...read more >>
Coming Soon: A Facebook “Want” Button?
Facebook might be testing a "Want" button, according to a post on Mashable. While currently an unconfirmed rumor, this relatively simple addition would have potential to greatly increase Facebook's role in e-commerce. Mashable tech reporter Samantha Murphy notes that a "Want" button would "allow merchants greater integration with Facebook without having to build their own apps or platforms." Might a simple button be a solution to the dysfunctional...read more >>
On Facebook, Brands Want to Get Nosy
If you were a sporting goods retailer, it would be helpful to know if your 245,000 Facebook fans were skiers or snowboarders. Even better, you'd want to identify the snowboarders so that you could alert them to the newest shipment of Burton boards. Unfortunately (or fortunately, if you're the type to worry about privacy) such software does not exist. Yet. But that hasn't stopped AdAge.com from dreaming of a day when they can "build personal relationships...read more >>
Content Merchandising Roundup #23
Below is a summary of the week's most interesting content merchandising-related posts from Content Ping as well as from other blogs and news sites. Happy reading. FROM CONTENT PING: Battling Choice Overload for a Better Shopping Experience How do you create a better online shopping experience and help customers avoid choice overload? Here are some techniques inspired by Sheena Iyengar's TED lecture. SOCIAL COMMERCE NEWS: Fewer Shoppers Follow Retailers...read more >>
Content Merchandising Roundup #20
Below is a summary of the week's most interesting content merchandising-related posts from Content Ping as well as from other blogs and news sites. Happy reading. FROM CONTENT PING: Bing Liu: The Science of Detecting Fake Reviews E-commerce companies are hard at work to develop algorithms that will detect fake reviews. But as computer science researcher Bing Liu notes, detecting fakes remains an arms race. Panos Ipeirotis: Bad Reviews? Don't Freak...read more >>
Can Social Gifting Give Retailers a Boost?
Dear Facebook Friends, Have you noticed I've been spending an unhealthy amount of time obsessing over the upcoming French presidential elections? And not nearly enough time shopping at H&M? A mobile gift card would help fix that. If you'd all chip in a couple bucks, I'd be well on my way to "paparazzi chic." Gifting for Cheapskates Ah, yes, social gifting. This e-commerce fad has been getting a lot of attention this week with the launch of Wrapp...read more >>
Content Merchandising Roundup #15
Below is a summary of the week's most interesting content merchandising-related posts from Content Ping as well as from other blogs and news sites. Happy reading. FROM CONTENT PING: Weekly Content Critique: It's a Baby Miracle We take a look at a product page for the BabyBjörn baby carrier as well as the company's use of product video. Engage and Educate Customers for Improved WOMM You can stoke the embers of word of mouth marketing by providing...read more >>
Content Merchandising Roundup #14
Below is a summary of the week's most interesting content merchandising-related posts from Content Ping as well as from other blogs and news sites. Happy reading. FROM CONTENT PING: Avoid the Telephone Game with Content Blueprinting Companies need to devise an internal system for collecting, sharing, and approving product information. This content blueprinting process is an essential part of producing compelling web copy. Will Amazon Get into the...read more >>