According to Fast Company, 2012 is the year for Facebook Commerce, with a prediction that social sales will be worth $14 billion by 2014. While Facebook commerce continues to develop from its nascent stages, at Zmags we often talk with retailers about the huge, untapped revenue opportunity that Facebook provides for them to directly sell to their most loyal customer base, the millions who have raised their hands as eager to interact with brands and buy from them on Facebook. There is much to learn from both the highly successful and not-so-successful first plunges retailers are taking — and some influential voices are still doubting the ultimate ability of Facebook to drive commerce. What’s your take?
As a follow up to our profile of today’s connected consumer, last week we took a look at which retailers are ready to meet these connected consumers with research we commissioned with HawkPartners. Journalists at Direct Marketing News, Internet Retailer, MediaPost and others discussed the report and weighed in on how effectively retailers are meeting the new demands of consumers using tablet, mobile, and social channels to browse and buy products. With tablet sales set to exceed PC sales by 2015, according to Business Insider, getting commerce right on tablets takes on even greater urgency.
Here are some additional articles we found interesting over the past week:
Mobile Commerce News
Talking Retail: Mobile technology will decide who wins battle on the high street, says global KPMG survey
The research suggests that the importance placed on mobile technology varies by country. According to the KPMG Consumer Markets CFO Survey, 36% of UK respondents view mobile technology as key to maximize sales, compared to 46% in Germany, 44% in the US and 50% in India. One of the key reasons for mobile technology being more important in developing countries is the lack of access to broadband and stores so more people are shopping via their smartphones.
Mobile Commerce Daily: Mobile-connected devices to reach 10B by 2016: study
More than 10.3 billion mobile-connected devices will be available by 2016, which equates to more than one device per worldwide consumer, according to a new report from Cisco. According to the report, mobile-connected devices include mobile phones, tablets, ereaders and laptops. The expected mobile growth will stem from three increasing factors – content, new devices and more sophisticated features.
Internet Retailer: More merchants are focused on online marketing than in-store
marketing efforts
According to a Retail Horizons study, co-authored by The National Retail Federation Foundation and KPMG LLC, more marketers are leveraging their web sites and apps to sell merchandise and services than are using their bricks-and-mortar stores.
Mashable: 5 Paradoxes Shaping the Future of Mobile Commerce
The mobile evolution has been advancing at a break-neck pace – mobile web adoption is happening eight times faster than traditional web adoption in the late ’90s. With that staggering growth comes a new set of user behaviors and consumer trends. What’s the reality when it comes to the new mobile commerce landscape? Here are five facts that will have striking implications for the future of mobile commerce.
Social Commerce News
Fast Company: Facebook Commerce Edges In To The E-Commerce Marketplace
Analysts predicted that 2011 would be the year mobile commerce took off, and they were right–sales nearly doubled over 2010. Now, 2012 is being hailed as the year of Facebook commerce. Social sales are expected to be worth $14 billion by 2014, and brands including Coca-Cola, Pampers, and Oscar de la Renta have already opened “F-stores” on their Facebook pages.
Internet Retailer: Facebook’s Timeline applications are proving valuable for retailers
Since the Timeline Apps launched, retailers’ Facebook bounce is even more pronounced. Take outdoor apparel retailer GiantNerd.com – their Facebook Timeline application enables shoppers to click that they Love, Want or Own a product. Since the application launched, GiantNerd has seen Facebook drive 19.2% more new visitors to its site than other channels, and those visitors have a 13.1% lower bounce rate than other consumers.
Tablet News
Rosetta: Rosetta Tablet Trends Study: Q&A on Key Findings
Researchers from the marketing firm Rosetta released study findings in which nearly 900 tablet owners were asked about their experiences with the mobile devices, and a question that has been haunting each and every tablet user since the devices first went mainstream almost two years ago has finally been answered, namely: How many of us take our tablets into the bathroom?
Business Insider: Tablet Sales Will Blow Past PC Sales To Nearly 500 Million
Units A Year By 2015
Tablet sales will hit nearly 500 million units a year by 2015, according to a new report by BI Intelligence. Tablet sales in 2015 will exceed the number of PCs currently sold per year (~360 million) and make tablets a $100+ billion market. The forecast, which includes e-readers, predicts that tablet sales will grow at better than a 50% compound annual growth rate over the next few years.
