If you’ve been reading our blog this week, you’ll know that Margot Horgan, Clairemont intern, has taken us from Pinterest to peplums and now to F-commerce in today’s Whaddaya Think Wednesday. Tune in tomorrow when Margot shares how to put some green in your clean.
With Facebook becoming ever more popular and powerful, the social networking behemoth had started to brand itself as not only the place where you talk about things you like, but the place where you actually do those things you like. In the past Facebook was where people could like a movie, but in Zuckerberg’s future, Facebook would be where people could watch that movie. So, it only seemed natural that retailers would set up shop on Facebook, where users could purchase items without ever having to leave the site.
However, retailers like Gap, J.C. Penny, Nordstrom and GameStop are closing up shop on Facebook. According to Sucharita Mulpuru, an analyst at Forrester Research, “There was a lot of anticipation that Facebook would turn into a new destination, a store, a place where people would shop,” said Mulpuru. “But it was like trying to sell stuff to people while they’re hanging out with their friends at the bar.”
But does this really mean the end of F-commerce? Maybe not forever, but definitely for now. Retail stores on Facebook were slow running and offered users no incentive to buy there instead of the regular store website. And, with other sites like Pinterest more equipped for retailers, big brands have switched over from Facebook.
So for now and the near future, Facebook users will have to leave the site in order to shop online. But, for majority of us, we won’t miss this app. Will you?
I agree. Buying through Facebook doesn’t seem natural… but then again, buying online didn’t at first either. Will be interesting to see if this come back and when.
Great job, Margot! I hate to be a naysayer, but I never liked the idea of purchasing things through Facebook. If I want to buy a new pair of trousers, I’ll do it on the Coldwater Creek website. I trust it more.