Facebook E-Commerce

This article, by Mark Walsh, is about brands transitioning their ‘fan pages’ to storefronts.

‘”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, in a statement.’

The one thing this article doesn’t mention is the Facebook Marketplace. People have always connected on Facebook. Over time, people started connecting to their favorite brands on Facebook. People also started buying, selling and trading things on the Facebook Marketplace. It would have surprised me if these actions did not converge.

After giving it some thought, I am okay with brands using Facebook as a point of sale. I just hope that those brands don’t lose sight of Facebook’s roots – their first job is to connect with their consumers. Quality interactions with their fans will gain more sales in the end.

‘”What’s often ignored is whether the commercialization of Facebook will hurt its social feel,” said Shiv Singh, vice president and global social media lead at Razorfish.

He suggested that e-commerce activities should be presented in ways that don’t intrude on the conversational flow of Facebook. The success of an e-commerce venture via a Facebook page also depends on the product being sold. “I wouldn’t buy a car from within Facebook but I might buy a T-shirt,” said Singh. Or a pound of coffee?’