Facebook Shopping
We've all witnessed the tremendous growth of social media, and of Facebook in particular (it just surpassed Google for traffic volume as I am sure you are aware). For those of us who actively participate, I think we are all a little surprised by how much we actually use it - surprised by how much (and even how) we have incorporated it into our lives.
I for one have reconnected with friends from every facet of my life: grade school, high school, college, first jobs, career changes, neighbors, new friends ... you name it. Quite honestly it's wonderful. And as Facebook has grown, so too have I in how I use it including emailing, photo sharing, news reading, crowd gathering, opinion seeking, coupon clipping and now .... shopping.
Yes, you can now shop on Facebook! Not a huge revelation, I suppose, but yet another way that Facebook is infiltrating in our lives, and another way that brands can be in the right place at the right time with value for their consumers.
J.C.Penney is the first major retailer to put their full catalog on Facebook. Now I don't know about you, but I grew up on J.C.Penney and the catalog. Literally. It was my very first job all through high school and college. Even did a tad bit of modeling (blush). So to think that J.C.Penney is now on Facebook is nothing short of ... modern!
I for one think it's brilliant. Bring the catalog TO the shopper and TO the browser. Get it out of the snail-mailbox (those catalogs are heavy!) and get it out of the lumbering website, and bring it to where the people are!
But they are not the first. 1-800-FLOWERS is on there. And of course CPG giant P&G is there too, with a full Facebook shop of P&G products (the first in its class I might add). And this is just the short list of a few early entrants. Perfect for small businesses, too, who don't have the resources to print catalogs or make big websites.
What will they think of next? No, I mean it ... what else will Facebook do to infiltrate our lives? I love it, as a marketer and a consumer.
What's your experience? Jim.