How retailers are now utilizing social media
Social sign-on is quickly becoming popular among online retailers.
The process allows consumers to log into their Facebook account instead of registering as a member on an ecommerce website.
Many Internet marketers prefer this method because it gives them access to user profiles, which helps in product targeting.
Online publishers have adopted this model quicker than ecommerce retailers thus far. As of August 2010, 59% of online publishers surveyed by eMarketer had social sign-on fully implemented or the implementation was in progress.
As for the benefits of social sign-on, 84% of those surveyed sited increased engagement as the main reason to participate with social sign-on. Following increased engagement was “richer profile information for targeting product recommendations, emails, promotions and coupons at 80%”.
Even thought the process looks appealing, online publishers and ecommerce retailers have to be careful with the way they use social sign-on. If the social media users feel there is an infringement upon their privacy, the willingness to participate in social sign-on may disappear.
For more information on this topic, take a look at eMarketer’s recent article entitled “The Future of Social Shopping”.
