Social Shopping
Shopping is, by nature, a fairly social activity. Chances are that if you like to shop, you like it even more with "trusted advisors" like friends or family. Being able to exchange ideas and opinions with while shopping can help you make wise choices and save you from an embarrassing fashion faux pas. This is why it really makes sense that social shopping online is becoming increasingly popular.
From electronics to apparel to home decor, social shopping sites provide a venue for online shoppers to interact, chat and share information in new ways. They also provide online retailers with an opportunity to increase their presence on the Web. Some of the features of social shopping sites include:
- Product Reviews
- Price Comparisons
- Polls (like 'which necklace works with this dress?')
- The ability to create and share wish lists, shopping lists and so on
- Blogs or message boards so users can chat with peers about products
- Deal/discount sections
With all of these features social shopping is providing shoppers with some great benefits:
- Help finding products those hard-to-locate items
- Help finding the best price
- Simplified comparison shopping
- Increased confidence shopping online
- Camaraderie shopping with peers with similar taste
Social shopping sites (which happen to rank *very* well in the search engines, BTW) offer many ways for you to get extra exposure for your products. At TKG, for instance, we help our clients establish a presence on some of these sites by employing strategies that allow them to participate and become trusted members of the community. Once they show they're engaged and committed to the community, it's possible and perfectly acceptable to occasionally give your products a little plug. Besides the publicity, an added bonus is that social shopping sites are a great way to gauge reaction to your products, so it's a good idea to monitor these sites to see what's being said about your products.
Here is a list of some of the more popular social shopping sites:
So before you splurge on that little black dress or drop a wad of cash on a plasma TV, take a few moments to see what your fellow shoppers have to say about it - you may find a better price or even a better product!
If you'd like extra exposure for your online products, give us a call or drop us a line using the form on this page. We know the ins-and-outs of social shopping and can help you implement things the right way, helping you gain online visibilty and increased search engine rankings.