How to Buy Online

I just read a blog by Abhishek Rohilla, where he has highlighted 5 things that we should keep in mind when shopping online.

The first two - knowing what one wants and knowing ones budgets have been appropriately emphasized. I agree that many a times we start our search without really knowing what we are looking for. Abhishek also advises us to read expert reviews and compare prices before we make up our mind.

What really takes the cake is the last tip where Abhishek suggests that the experience of shopping online is greatly improved by using the power of the social network. Reviews from our family and friends is usually more trustworthy and more relevant to our needs. ShopSocially's service aims to provide exactly this convenience to the user community. 

Do you use the power of your social network before you buy online?

Please click here to read the full article

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Interesting Article on Importance of Social Merchandising by Sam Decker

"Today's shoppers don't go to a store to determine which TV they want - they already know which product they want when they arrive." says Sam Decker, Chief Marketing Officer at Bazaarvoice. We at ShopSocially, have been talking about how the online market place needs new tools to leverage the power of social recommendations. In his article on ClickZ, Sam explains how traditional merchandising efforts don't translate to the web and that shoppers don't trust traditional marketing material anymore and want to hear from people like them. He has dissected the process which shoppers use to buy products online into three simple phases - Discovery, Choice and Validation/ Confidence. Discovery can start at the search engine but more recently seems to begin at social networking sites. Shoppers read reviews and stories from "poeple like them" to make or reduce choices. Finally, validation occurs by reaching out to a network of friends before making the final purchase.

Click here to read the entire article.

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Excerpt from "After Social Networking And Social Marketing, Facebook Lets You Shop Socially"

"Saying that Facebook has become an important platform for social networking would be a big understatement. With the number of users that join the social networking website every day, it was no surprise that most companies and brands have a fan page on Facebook. Having a fan page meant marketing new products through the social networking giant without having to make too much of an investment in marketing, while at the same time ensuring massive penetration through the fans of the page, as well as their friends. So what would be the next logical step for any brand or company? Shopping through Facebook of course! Facebook is now a major platform for“Social” Shopping."

Link to full article:

http://www.watblog.com/2010/08/23/after-social-networking-social-marketing-facebook-shop-socially/  (by Anish Sadanand)

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