An eTailing report indicates that 31 percent of consumers consider Facebook posts when making purchase decisions, and now Facebook is making moves to facilitate shopping directly on its site. BusinessWeek reports that Facebook is forming partnerships to create ecommerce outlets on its Pages.
The source reports that David Fisch, the head of Facebook's new commerce partnerships group, is working to set up tools so retailers can offer purchasing options on their Facebook Pages. His team wants to create tools that will allow Facebook users to solicit advice from friends when making shopping decisions. Facebook execs suggest to BusinessWeek that these tools will enable web users to interact while they buy.
Fisch explains, "The onus is on my team to prove we can create a lot of value for users."
In theory, the benefits for marketers are clear. Facebook Likes, which now serve as recommendations for a brand, could directly fuel buying. Moreover, Fisch says the social network wants to build analytics tools that will help marketers understand which social users are drawn to specific products.
At present, the source indicates that startup tech firm Alvenda will help make Facebook commerce a reality. Payvment is another startup that is assisting by enabling Facebook storefronts to accept credit cards.
New Facebook commerce developments could help turn 500 million social users into online shoppers this year. With this in mind, brands should ramp up their social campaigns accordingly. Storefronts will makes sales feasible, but marketers should remember that seeding social sites with quality content is key to catching clicks from consumers, as Brafton has reported.
