Facebook to become a powerful ecommerce platform

With more than 1.2 billion users a month, Facebook has the potential to connect large and small retailers with shoppers worldwide and to build communities of customers.

Julien Meraud, Director of Marketing at Rakuten.es, thinks that social networking is a considerable means of increasing business in the future and mentions three directions of approach for the retailers who take into consideration the means under discussion.

First of all, one may account for the promotion of ‘engagement’, which is to develop customer loyalty by getting them involved in the content with personal opinions.

Secondly, the retailers can consider that in social networking what it matters is not the sales figures but product, brand promotion.

The third, and the last direction is to manage commitment and customer services which can comply with customers’ complaints or requests. Retailers must answer posts precisely, ask the customers whether they can be sent private messages and, whenever possible, to keep away incidents from the public space.

Shoppers are 40% more valuable when they click the likebutton, but with access to more information, retailers may understand how and why a shopper has begun interacting with them on Facebook, and consequently, what keeps them loyal, according to Rakuten.es.