Facebook and Google Expand on Social Shopping

From: http://www.marketingpilgrim.com/2010/12/facebook-and-google-expand-on-social-shopping.html

Facebook and Google Expand on Social Shopping

I don’t think of shopping as a social experience, unless it’s a day at the mall with my friends. But when I’m online trying to fill a particular need, I’m not all that interested in sharing my choices with those who follow me on Facebook. Apparently, I’m alone in this because Google and Facebook are both working hard to make shopping a big part of their business.

Back in November, Google bought Boutiques.com. This site groups high-ticket fashion items by celebrity then uses a Likes and Dislikes algorithm to determine which tops, dresses and shoes are good for you. There’s an option to follow each of the celeb boutiques and every item has a share button so you can show those sweet $800.00 shoes to your boss on Facebook to explain why you need a raise.

Now, Facebook is coming back strong with their own ecommerce solutions that will allow users to purchase items without ever leaving the site. According to Business Week, Facebook is actively courting several large brand names in hopes of getting them to set up shop inside their fan pages.

Says Sucharita Mulpuru, an analyst at Forrester Research;

“It’s not natural to go to Facebook to shop—yet. But it’s not a long step.”

Facebook already has a few companies on the line. Delta is already set up to allow you to buy tickets from inside their Facebook page, but JCPenney’s shop and share function goes to an error message so it looks like there are a few bugs in the system.

For smaller companies, Payvment is beta testing a Facebook store app that sets up a storefront in under 15 minutes. They say they’ve timed it and I believe them.

I tested their system as a buyer and it’s very simple to use. I went to the fan page of Game Intern and put a Final Fantasy XIII Fang Play Arts Kai Action Figure in my cart. (Nothing special there.) Then I was prompted with a message that said if I “Liked” the fan page, I’d get a discount. Sure enough, after hitting the like button, I clicked to buy and $2.50 was deducted from the price. Not a huge discount but the fact that I could make it happen that easily was impressive. Of course, the item comes with the usual share buttons so I can show my friends the cool action figure I just bought. Hmm. . . I could get to like this.

Maybe social shopping is a good thing. It certainly makes it easier to rub your friends noses in the fact that you own a $25,000 replica Lost in Space robot and they don’t.

What are your thoughts on social shopping?

Selling Supplier Info

This Singaporean blogshop owner ahs decided to close down her blogshop and is selling her supplier information.

http://x-tictactoe.blogspot.com/2010/12/supplier-info.html

Blogshop issues

 http://nightowlsays.blogspot.com/2010/12/how-i-wish-i-could-have-such-sales.html

How I Wish I Could Have Such Sales Volume

Sender : Lost Seller (Seller)
Case Received : 24/12/2010 
 
Lost Seller Says :
Dear NOS and fellow NOS readers,
I'm a seller who owns a 2 years old blogshop with my partner and we would like to seek help from the fellow readers here sincerely. Well, we have been working hard in bringing nice and affordable pieces to our customers. We take clear pictures and provide clear information (eg, measurements, description etc) for all the pieces. Never let down customers whenever they ask for discount. Tried our best to please customers (eg, mail out parcel the next day after payment is received); however, sales are not promising (sometimes good sometimes bad) and we are very frustrated of the increasing backout buyers.
I'm sure other blogshops may face the same problems as well. As i browse through the blogshops listed in shopping roll, i noticed that there are many blogshops offering many nice pieces at affordable price too, but just can't sell whereas those famous blogshops (eg, tictactoe (massive update every week), pumpkin, attireattic, dorfbury) can clear 90-100% of their items before their next update. is it just because that they have been in this field for long and thus famous or they have some characteristics that we don't have?
My parents have been asking me to stop the business as they feel that selling clothes piece by piece can't earn much and can't sustain my living after i graduate in the future. They feel that it's just a waste of time cuz the amount of time you spent, does not justify with the profits you get. I was telling myself that it's my passion for fashion, i really love what i'm doing, but seeing that i will be graduating soon, i know i have to be realistic. I know that online shopping thingy is still very new in Malaysia and many people are not exposed to online shopping or fear of it due to sizing problems, trustworthy etc...but i think there will be one day that Malaysia's online shopping will be comparable to that of singapore's as the market in malaysia is huge (larger population) and it just takes time to take off. FYI, the sales volume for spore online shops are huge. Pls see the amount of parcels for them to mail out for each update each week. (Picture Link)
How i wish i could have such sales volume one day later...
So dear readers, please help us to improve by letting us know how you think okay?
1. what do you expect from online blogshop?
2. what kind of pieces do you normally get online? (eg, free sized clothing, things that cant get offline, top brands inspired pieces, cheaper clothing online, bags because hardly find nice bags elsewhere etc)
3. would you mind if online blogshop owners tag u in fb as their marketing approach? (i mind actually, hahah)
4. what do you think that current blogshops are lacking of and how can they improve?
5. does showing the pretty face of the model or if the model who has awesome statistics (like attireattic's model) will encourage people to buy the clothing?
6. would you love to see the ways to mix and match for the pieces modelled?
You need not answer every single question. Just answer anyone you feel like answering or let us know how you feel will do, so that we can IMPROVE! we will appreciate it much!
Seller and buyers are welcome =)
Thanks in advanced and Merry Christmas to all of you!

Interview with Kiki Chen

From: http://yourshoppingkaki.blogspot.com/2009/10/getting-to-know-room-8008.html

Do you know who is Kiki Chen?

With one of the most recognisable faces in the online shopping community, Kiki Chen is the owner, model and photographer behind Room 8008. :D This is the blogshop that shoppers swarm over every Sunday night for their previews - where you get first dibs at discounted rates - and then Monday night for their official collection launches!

This is the blogshop that other blogshop owners shop at! ;) The joke on the grapevine is that all you have to do is check out that customer list on the sidebar of Room 8008, and you've practically got the yellow pages on the online shopping community. :D

And there's little wonder why.

Complete with exclusive sneak peak at their upcoming updates (see: photos in this blog post!) and latest items still available, this is one feature interview that you can't miss!

Amazing photographs. A gorgeous model. The fun-loving personality of the entrepreneur behind it. And of course, a long list of loyal and beloved customers - well, they're more than just customers ...

They're roommates.

Let's get to know the woman who came up with the magical concept of roommates congregating in Room 8008 every weekend for some power-shopping!

Q&A with Kiki Chen
Owner of Room 8008

• YSK: Who are the people behind Room8008? :)
• Kiki: Room8008 is handled all by myself...alone (sob sob) an old woman ^^ i am a big blur queen who likes to do something crazy, something that people never thought i will do but i do it ^^ i'm a dummy for online and the stuff call computer, i even use one month to find out what is blog and how to post up the picture in blog, i like to chill out, y so serious rite ^^ but starting this blog make me learn a lot of stuff , especially my EQ, i have a hot temper and low self esteem person, but with room i try to handle all the problem by myself of coz without throwing temper toward my customer ^^

• YSK: Tell us the story of how Room8008 began. What inspired you to start this blogshop?
• Kiki: room 8008 began with 4 silly gal, like to hang out around after class ^^ ha hahaa we r uni opssssss id college friend, ya ya actually the room8008 is our secret gathering place.. everytime when we feeltired or wanna skip class we will meet in that room and began chit chat, gossip and talk about our dream idea and exchange info hahahhaha, but now all off we already graduate and work in different field so when i decidde to start the blog i was thinking that what name shud i put then room 8008 just pop in my head ^^ coz i was thinking to memorise those moment hanging with them ^^ and maybe i can find another soul mate here ^^ that y i din call my customer is customer or client or buyer, I CALLED THEM ROOMATES / ROMMIES fell more closer and intimate ^^ my purpose open this blog not all is for profit , i have my own company so i have stable income ^^ beggining is for fun but lately i become passionate toward fashion, i feel happy when roomates like my collection (mean i have my taste in fashion) hahaha u cannot image how touching i was when i saw my roomates wearing the cloth that she buy from me and tell me how lovely they are... *(we r bump in to in pavillion) ^^

• YSK: When did Room8008 start? How long has it been around?
• Kiki: err.. the excatly is in middle november 08 cause i use almost 1 month to figure out how to operate the blog.. i'm not familiar in computer n net stuff ^^

• YSK: Why Sunday night previews and Monday updates?
• Kiki: 1st time i think i wanna make diff with other blog so i set up preview 9but now i think alot ppl also follow the preview strategy, kinda bored, i must think smething differently ) but MONDAY is roomday, i always update in monday since i start the blog

• YSK: Where do you get your supplies (imported or local) and what factors do you take into account when you are choosing stocks?
• Kiki: It depends.. mostly is HK base n bangkok , but lately i been to taiwan (taipei) i think the good is cool, planning next year will directly fly to KOREA i think will be awasome ^^ i hold this principle when i choose my stocks: design, cutting, material!

• YSK: Here are some questions buyers might have in mind - What are the price range of your items, what kind of clothes do you sell, and how do people pay you? Do you COD?
• Kiki: price range is from 29 till 89, modern stuff, i like chiffon and comforatble soft cotton ^^, normally they will pay trhorugh maybank2u or cimb, now i have paypal, cod only in bangsar n times square

• YSK: What is your favourite item you have ever sold on Room8008 and why?
• Kiki: yayyaya the tutu skirt love it so much! u can have the picture here.

• YSK: What is a memory of running Room8008 you'd like to share with us?
• Kiki: yeah.. i always been cheated.. other blog like to kacau me, tipu tipu say she like my stuff and hold it for 1-2 week then cancell it or some is MIA, spam my email said the model is ugly ( i am the model hahahhahaha) fat, like bulldog but i don care, my mom say i am pretty what ^^...
• i handle so many MIA and back out stuff i neve scold them and neve blacklisted also cause i und some ppl memang like that their mind always change like whether some time like some times dun like ( BUT PLS TAKE NOTE, SHOP WITH 8008 MUST HOLD ONE PRINCIPLE, PLSSSSSSSSS DO INFORM ME IF U CANCELL THE ITEMS DONT BE AFRAID , I WONT BITE AS LONG AS WITHIN RESERVATION PERIOD, I'M OK, IF OVER THE RESERVATION PERIOD I ALSO UDAH RELEASE THE ITEM LAR SO I DUN CARE TOO ^^)
• i remember got one gal beg me ( u see beg me ok) for letting the dress for her, then i agree in the end (acc the dress is need to pass to other waiting list punya) and she wan cod in 8.30am morning i agree to cause she need urgently but when i reach the cod place tomorrow morning she din turn up, i call she din pick up,, i call many time she directly turn off the HP, i wait her there for almost 45 min, sigh.... i nearly cry there.. damn scary the street is empty no shop open just left me and few foreign worker... gosh

• YSK: Room8008 is definitely one of the most estalished and successful blogshops in Malaysia. What words of wisdom do you have for newcomers to the industry? And what would you say has been the secret to your success?
• Kiki: A dummy like me also can start and pursuit my dream , dun care what other ppl say, if u think u can do it just try, but pls take note starting ablog is not like a piece of cake , c'mon where got so easy, u need to maintain and reply hundred a mail a day, pppl will scold u and bias and say many bad thing a bout u n ur blog, u need to be strong .. a good start indeed...

• YSK: You mentioned there's a question your customers often ask you - maybe you can answer it here for all of us to read: How come you don't usually smile in your pics? :D
• Kiki: ah ya... if u know me personally u will know that i always like to smileeeeeeeeeeeee, laugh and joking person, i din smile while taking picture is becoz i using self timer to take it, all the pic i taking my selft, i am the hair dresser, make up artis, photogtapher (all in one) so i cannot stand my smile till 10 sec then the camera just clicksssssss.. i will die to hold my smile ^^so roomates be understand sikit ya ^^

See you at Room 8008! ;)

Seeking blogshop pasrtners

From: http://forums.vr-zone.com/jobs-services/332788-seeking-blogshop-partner-blogshop-suppilers.html

svpam_ms Registered User

Join Date:	Apr 2008
Posts:	384
Trade rep:	0 (0%)

Seeking blogshop partner + Blogshop Suppilers! svpam_ms Sep 28th, 08, 04:15 PM

#1

Hi all,

As mentioned above, looking for a blogshop partner and blogshop suppliers as well.

Blogshop partner: (Preferably a female because might need to do modelling for the clothes.)

We are looking for an additional blogshop partner to help share the workload. Most definately, profits will be split (50-50). Most of the operation details have already been settled, will brief the new partner when he/she has been shortlisted.

Potential partners will be required to come out an equal capital outlay. (More details will be provided upon confirmation)

Background of the current blogshop: We have established a secure supplier. Most of the details have already been worked out. Upon successful partnership, then only will my partner and I reveal our sources. One thing is for sure, we are not like traditional blogshops, we will be bringing in a new refreshing new look to the community.

Scammers, dont bother wasting your time with me, I am not interested.

Some criteria we are looking for in the new partner: (Please be honest about all these details)

(1) Your commitment towards the blogshop, how many hours are you able to put into the blogshop. Are you in for the short or long term? Would prefer someone who is committed to doing something rather than dropping off halfway.

(2) Please also provide a self-intro of yourself. (This will help in facilitating in the shortlisting of potential partners for the blogshop)

(3) The new partner must be proficient in using blogspot/ livejournal/ wordpress (either one of these blogging mediums).

(4) It would be beneficial if you know how to use some designing software. Eg, photoshop and etc.

(5) Lastly, do you have any experience in blogshops (Please be honest about it).

(6) One more thing, what do you think you can bring to the blogshop (Like skills or expertise, what can you contribute)- We are looking to bringing a new image to blogshops, so we are open to all ideas and concept if it is a good one.

If you are able to meet most of these criterias, then drop me an email or add me in msn: limzen26@hotmail.com

Potential candidates will be shortlisted based on the above criteria. (Hope to hear from all of you soon!!!)

Blogshop Suppliers:

I am also looking for blogshop suppilers, mainly into male/female clothings, apparels and accessories. If you have something interesting to supply at good prices, then e-mail or add me in msn as above.

If you are able to provide at good rates then drop me an e-mail.

Looking forward to hearing from all of ya!!!

Social Commerce in 2011

Social commerce is defined here as social media being added e-retail functionality and/or traditional e-commerce sites being added social media.

From: http://thenextweb.com/socialmedia/2010/12/20/opportunities-and-challenges-for-e-commerce-in-2011/

Opportunities and challenges for e-commerce in 2011 E-Commerce in 2011

Posted on Dec 20th, 2010 by Amalia Agathou

Is there anything left online without the word “social” in it? 2010 was the year social media exploded, transforming all of our online activities. Brands have started to allocate increasingly bigger parts of their budget to integrate social media into all aspects of their business from marketing campaigns, to customer service and of course, sales.
The evolution of traditional commerce to social commerce for small, mainstream and luxury brands has made its baby steps in this past year, but seems to be growing at an impressive rate. Customer experience is personalized and customers themselves are the new media outlets. Although we’ve seen the retail landscape change drastically in 2010, it seems like, with the fast growth of mobile and the deep influence of emerging technologies in our day to day lives, that what we’ve witnessed so far is merely a preview of the exponential changes that await us.
According to a recent report by L2ThinkTank on GenY affluents’ digital habits: 63% use social media to engage with brands, more than 50% say that Facebook, blogs, and brand videos affect their opinions about products, while websites are as influential as physical stores in shaping Gen Y sentiment, second only to friends’ opinions. So what trends and challenges lie ahead?
Avoiding the Old Media trap: Social Media offer an amazing opportunity to listen to customers and engage with them, building strong relationships. In order to do that though, companies need to adapt their culture to the spirit of conversation in Social Media, as traditional marketing tactics won’t cut it anymore. After all, there is no point in buying a Ferrari if you intend to drive it like a Matiz. No matter how innovative a communication platform is, it is nothing but a tool, waiting to be utilized. Social Media acts like a Swiss army knife of communication tools, but it won’t change  your business if you use them solely as a loudspeaker to promote your products and offers. Having sponsored celebrity tweets or payed blog posts raving about awesome products is not that much different from a print advertorial campaign. The challenge, apart from listening and learning about your customers, is to find creative ways to engage online creators, like DKNY did with #CozyStyleOff breakfast, where 15 influential fashion tweeters like fashionista_com, nitro_licious, and YuliZ participated in a style competition. The concept was to give them access to the entire store in order to create a head-to-toe look that incorporated DKNY’s “Cozy” cardigan wrap sweater. Photos of the completed looks were posted on DKNY’s Facebook page and a week’s “likes” showed the winner of two shopping sprees. Another example is the 4AM Finds at Alice + Olivia’s e-shop, a column where they ask people like Jack Dorsey to curate their own set of finds. Will social escape the traditional media fate in the coming year?
Providing a unified shopping experience: Social commerce integrates social media into e-retail sites and adds e-commerce functionality to social networks. We often see one of these two happening, but not very often both. For instance Levi’s has integrated Facebook into the Friend’s store but doesn’t have a Facebook store, (referred to as F-store), while JCPenney has a fully functionable F-store, but hasn’t integrated Facebook connect on its e-shop. E-tailers have also been experimenting with alternative platforms to market and sell their products, like Tumblr and YouTube. Taking into account that multichannel shoppers spend 82% more in each transaction than those who only shop in store, retailers face the challenge of achieving the same feel in each one of these facets of the customer’s experience, by using single logins (not having to login and out every time they change a shopping channel), providing great customer service, fast checkout and customized payment pages.
Privacy: It’s true that Facebook’s constantly changing privacy rules and instant sharing through mobile has made people, especially younger generations, more open to sharing, but privacy still matters to most, with more than 71% of social networking users ages 18-29 changing their privacy settings to limit what they share with others online. The latest hacking wars with high profiled victims like Gawker Media, McDonald’s and Mastercard, as well as accidents like the Blippy “leak” of credit card numbers on Google, have only raised more concern over personal data safety. Trust over customer’s data will be hard to gain and retain over 2011, the more information focused brands ask customers to share through social features. Provide your customers with a well written and easy to comprehend privacy policy, so they know what they share and with whom, and privacy options so they can opt-out from sharing certain levels of private information. Information wars will be a hot topic in 2011 with multinational brands taking the heat, so be prepared.
Customer Engagement: As social networks supersize, brands will need to find ways to rise above the noise and keep an ongoing dialog with their customers. The plethora of social networks will not only confuse the consumer, but also the e-retailer. Brands will have to monitor social media platforms and define which ones fit their message best, as a lot of them with drastically different philosophies seem to thrive equally in popularity. For instance group bartering Groupon, and exclusive Gilt Groupe target different demographics but both do exceedingly well. A trend that soared in 2010 are flash sales, limited time offers and pop up stores, for which the real time feeds of social media seem to be the perfect match, like in the form of pop-up F-stores. Also e-retailers need to provide their online fans with exclusive access to unique content like Michael Kors has done on Facebook, by producing click-and-shop videos for the holiday shopping.
Mobile Commerce: As competition heats up in the smartphones and tablets market, mobile commmerce is getting a bigger piece of sales. eBay has emerged as a leader in mobile commerce for 2010, reporting that on Cyber Monday, it saw a 146% increase in mobile transactions compared to last year. Amazon has also found success on mobile with more than $1 billion in sales for its second quarter, which ended on June 30, 2010. Best Buy also has a very popular app that can scan 2D bar codes in store and and provide product info, offers and rewards. Fashion brands like DVF offer mobile shopping as well, with DVF’s exclusive promotions for its mobile shoppers.
The challenge of 2011 will be utility apps. Users are deleting more than half of downloaded apps within the first month, so e-retailers have to focus on functionality in order to engage their customers in the long run. Mobile should act like the “glue” between the offline and the online world, as many shoppers use it while shopping in store to discover product information, read reviews and compare prices and offer an intimate and personally relevant customer experience.
Crowdsourcing: In 2010, crowdsourcing was used in marketing campaigns, like Doritos maker Frito-Lay’s competition for its Super Bowl advertising, and also for product development, like Rebeca Minkoff’s challenge to Polyvore’s community to redesign the next Morning After Clutch. Most of all, crowdsourcing has become integral part of companies’ cultures making them social to their core, a great example of this Toyota’s invitation for suggestions on how the brand’s technology can be used for good in unexpected ways, My Starbucks Idea and LEGO click. In 2011 brands will have to figure out ways to leverage crowdsourcing in product design, while maintaining a strong brand identity.
Get into the Game: 2010, with the rise of Zynga, V-commerce (the commerce of virtual goods) and the popularity of Foursquare badges, was also a banner year for the school of “gamification”, a number of entrepreneurs and marketeers used game mechanics to engage audiences and bring on behavioral change. Most recently, indie fashion retailer Moxsie, created custom Facebook badges to promote #BuyerChat event and entice their followers to act like virtual buyers. Late this year the launch of Microsoft’s Kinect, a controller-free gaming device that senses the space, movements, faces and voices in front of it, has already made a big impact on the market and businesses are already competing on finding innovative uses for it, like Chevrolet’s test-drive “Kinect Joy Ride,” Sprint’s co-branded retail experience “Kinect Adventures” and T-Mobile’s product placement throughout “Kinect Sports”. Looks like 2011 is game on for e-commerce!
What do you think will be the hottest trends and biggest challenges for e-commerce in 2011?

Facebook Stores in Brunei

Article from the Brunei Times.

The story is strikingly similar to that of blogshop entrepreneurs in Malaysia and Singapore.

FRom http://www.bt.com.bn/business-besides-oil/2010/12/13/facebook-kg-mata-mata

From Facebook to Kg Mata-Mata

From a virtual presence on Facebook, Mysunflower Seed now has its own showroom in Kampong Mata-Mata. Pictures: BT/Debbie Too

Debbie Too
BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN

Monday, December 13, 2010

FOR the past couple of years, Facebook has evolved to be more than just an online social networking system.

What started off as a website for friends to catch up and keep in contact with other friends, has slowly evolved into a commercial platform, with online shops giving it a more "business" edge.

Many members who started using Facebook as a social platform, began to see its potential as an online "marketplace" for buying and selling.

One of the appeals of having a separate Facebook account for a side business, is the fact that it is convenient and many people tend to be "logged on" to Facebook at various times throughout the day.

Hence, it allows both the buyer and seller to keep in constant contact with their customers who are able to take their time and browse through various Facebook "stores" to place their orders.

MySunflower Seed, a Bruneian shop which "opened its doors" on Facebook two years ago, was established with the intention of selling ribbons and bows.

Owner, Stephanie Chan, a mother of three, found that she had a knack for designing unique ribbons and bows, and after a few months of being on the market, she thought she should branch out and concentrate on a different customer range.

"The cost of actually ordering ribbons and bows in was quite high, so I just ordered the materials in and made them myself. My peers and friends convinced me that I should have a Facebook account to help with showcasing my products and that's where it started," says Chan.

Initially, she says, she found that there wasn't a lot of demand for bows, which made her start looking into children's clothing, baby slings and many other products catered towards children and new mothers.

Her products, which are mostly brought in from Korea, China and Taiwan, follow the same business model that most Facebook stores adhere to, whereby items that are showcased on the page are for pre-order. "It costs too much to bring in a few sizes of each other's items of clothing, so now I'm just doing everything preorder," she says.

While most Facebook stores have blossomed, not many have ventured out into opening a physical outlet - a spinoff from their Facebook success.

Chan recently opened the doors to her showroom, an office where she conducts her Facebook business, and allows customers to come in and see the samples of her products to provide them with the reassurance that her products are of quality.

"One of the challenges that I'm sure a lot of Facebook retailers have is that there always has to be different places to meet and to collect payment, and for customers to make their collections, so that's why I decided to have a showroom, which can also be a meeting point place for my customers which helps with not causing too much hassle," she says.

She explains that her showroom, located in Kampong Mata Mata would allow her customers the freedom to come and pick up their items as and when they like.

When Chan first started her online business via Facebook, she had about 300 "friends" on her contact list, and in the past two years, it has expanded to about 2,000 "friends".

In the beginning Chan explains that as a Facebook business owner, she had to randomly add people to her Facebook page, but as time went on and business progressed, she has found that people are adding her account. "Business now is quite constant, and because I get most of my items from Korea, China and Taiwan, the items now are mostly winter items," she says.

She explains that this would be something that a lot of Facebook retailers would also have to deal with. "The end of the year is normally more quiet because of the range of clothing that we can sell, but business will start to pick up once the suppliers get their Spring or Summer collections," says Chan, who adds that her busiest month of the year is the Hari Raya period.

Asked about one of the positive aspects of having a Facebook business in Brunei, Chan says that the difference between doing a business like this in Brunei, compared to Singapore or Malaysia, is the face that there is "more trust" in Brunei. "In other countries, like Singapore or Malaysia, there is more of a need to make sure that deposits are made and so on, but here, the customers are more flexible, and the sellers won't normally chase you for a deposit, so this is the one things good about Brunei," she says.

Although Chan has a showroom available to meet with her customers and showcase her products, she still plans to continue with her Facebook model of having pre-order items. "With this space that I have, hopefully in the future, the showroom here can be a meeting point for other Bruneian Facebook retailers, who need a physical meeting point for their customers," she says.

She adds that this is just an idea that she is throwing around but that it may be something she will try to push for in the future.

The Brunei Times

Facebook Commerce

From: http://www.penn-olson.com/2010/12/21/facebook-store/

The Rise of Facebook Commerce

December 21, 2010 | Willis Wee   1diggdigg

  0 Comments and 22 Reactions

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Facebook is looking to turn its army of business pages into e-commerce sites (F-commerce to be more exact).

David Fisch, who runs a newly formed commerce partnerships group at Facebook told Businessweek that the group aims to help retailers set up shop on its pages that allows users to interact while they shop.

To kick-start the initiative, the world’s largest social networking site has dispatched managers to convince over 20 companies to do so.

JC Penney’s Facebook store was one of the fruitful examples that came out of the negotiations. On JC Penney’s Facebook page, the retail giant sells 250,000 items similar to its brick and mortar retail shops.

This initiative isn’t primarily motivated by monetary motives. Facebook doesn’t earn a single penny when users buy items through these F-commerce stores. Instead, Facebook believes that these stores would provide better user experience. Users would then spend more time on Facebook, which naturally leads to higher advertising sales. Similar to Google’s revenue equation, Facebook earns majority of its revenue through ads.

Third party companies have also contributed to the rise of Facebook commerce. Payvment, a software start-up that turns Facebook pages into storefront, has helped to set up 250 Facebook retailers on a daily basis. Alvenda is another social commerce company that helps clients built stores on Facebook. Its clients include, Delta Airline, 1-800-Flowers.com and Hallmark. Alvenda also reported that its clients reached a combined daily sale of $100,000 earlier this month. This amount is small compared to the e-commerce giants. eBay is able to hit about $2,000 worth of sale per second, compared to Alvenda’s, which is only $1.16 per second.

With 500 million users, Facebook can be anything it wants to be. Facebook has morphed into a F-commerce site in this case. At this rate, we would expect many more Facebook business pages turning into retail stores. It does make Internet shopping more social, but just one problem, it might also make Facebook less social as a whole. Imagine being bombarded by sales, stores and promotions updates. It can be a little overwhelming. But I trust Facebook to have already anticipated this problem. We’ll see how F-commerce rolls out to be in the near future.

E-commerce on Facebook

Big brick retail stores have had a presence on Facebook, but now they are selling directly on them as this article shows.

From: http://www.fastcompany.com/1709828/jc-penney-opens-complete-store-within-facebook 

J.C. Penney Opens Complete Store Within Facebook

BY E.B. BoydTue Dec 14, 2010

When the world went online, brick-and-mortar stores opened up websites. When the world started going mobile, retailers followed them to their phones. Now that the world is moving to social networks, stores are following them there too. Today J.C. Penney became the first major retailer to make its entire catalog available to shoppers within Facebook—not just to peruse, but to buy.

Starting now, you can purchase any of the 250,000 items that the department store sells online from its Facebook page. The company expects many sales will take place as a result of shoppers seeing items listed in their friends’ news feeds and then clicking through to the product pages, still within Facebook.

“Retailers want their channels to be where their customers are,” said Jason Taylor, vice president of global product strategy for Usablenet, which built the Facebook operation for J.C. Penney. “They’ve recognized that Facebook is another place they need to be in front of their customers.”

Other companies have started selling from within Facebook, but it doesn’t appear that any have done so as extensively as J.C. Penney. Proctor & Gamble offers Pampers diapers within the social network, and 1-800 Flowers has made a selection of their bouquets available there as well. But J.C. Penney has pushed its whole catalog to the network. Anything you can buy at the company’s website is now available within Facebook.

J.C. Penney expects that the new channel will give it more information about its customers, which could influence future marketing and product choices. “All of the information that Facebook has about people can be aggregated into analytical data,” Taylor said. That includes the ages of their customers, what sorts of products they share with others, and how often they peruse the store’s offerings. “The interesting additional information they’re going to get could affect their decision-making,” Taylor adds.

This is a question by an aspiring blogshop owner on http://onedudesblog.com/questions-answers/open-question-should-i-open-a-blogshop/ 

This is of significance becuz it indicates some interesting concerns a out opening ablogshop.

These concerns are:

-risk of opening a blogshop

-small local market

-lack of connections

-sourcing for wholesalers

Open Question: Should I open a blogshop?

Posted on 20 December 2010

So I’m having a 8-month long vacation and I was wondering if I should take the risk and open a blogshop to call my own. I come from Singapore, where the local market is extremely tiny. However, I’ve also noticed that some local blogshops (especially livejournalshops) flourish.
Another area of concern would be the lack of ‘connections’ to promote the blogshop.
Lastly, do you know where I can find cheap clothes at wholesale prices ? I intend to import them to sell in my blogshop (=

Blogshop apps for smartphones

With the growth of smartphones, it is probably a matter of time before this will take off.

From: http://appshopper.com/lifestyle/blogshop-daily 

Blogshop Daily

Blogshop Daily is online shopping redefined.

It is the first mobile app that brings the trendiest and most popular blogshops together on a single platform. You can now shop at your favourite blogshops anytime and anywhere.

SUBSCRIBE to blogshops and get instant updates from new launches.

FAVOURITE products that you like to browse them again.

BROWSE through numerous products effortlessly. Double-tap on the item page and get a full-screen view for easy shopping. Swipe to move from one item to the next.

SIMPLY add the items you love to your cart, and check out the confirmed buys! (The Blogshop will send an invoice to your email and you may proceed with payment.)

Blogshop owners interested in having your shop on BSD can email us at blogshopdaily@floatingcube.com.

Screenshots

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