Tuesday, November 3rd, 2009...1:18 pm
Ecommerce Goes Social For the Holidays
by Yvonne Gando, Social Commerce Analyst
With online retailers gearing up for the holidays, there is no shortage of tips and tactics out there to tap into social to supercharge sales. We decided to poke around the social web and take a look at how a couple of big name retailers (who also happen to be our clients) are doing interesting things to power social forward this holiday season.
Electronics retailer RadioShack® uses one of several hero banners on their homepage to promote a particular product that will help shoppers connect via social networks:
Notice the prominent use of the Facebook, Twitter, and MySpace icons, as well as the headline “The SHACK leaves no social network behind…” This caught our attention as a great way to use the momentum of social to stand out. And while the retailer could have picked any product to spotlight, RadioShack® chose one that explicitly serves the function of connecting its users to the “social universe” of Facebook, Twitter, and MySpace. Extending the social circle across multiple touchpoints, RadioShack retail partner T-Mobile airs a TV commercial plugging this product as the “first phone with social skills.” RadioShack® gets props for effective multi-channel marketing the social way.
We also took a look at how REI is taking social cues seriously this holiday season. Much like the famed Threadless folks, REI gives crowdsourcing an edge by opening up a contest calling for artwork submissions to be featured on an Arbor snowboard. The invitation comes complete with a catchy, user-centric tagline: “Ready to Ride Your Art?” Winners also have a chance to win a $500 or $1000 gift card. Talk about viral potential – the participatory nature of this contest will likely fuel word of mouth and share of mind, engage shoppers and artists, and get them involved with the brand. It’s also worth mentioning that this type of promotion is likely to drive repeat purchase. We tip our beanies to REI for this smart use of social to build community around a seasonal theme and top-rated product.
Leave a Reply