Tag: gamestop

Facebook continues pushing into the e-commerce space

| August 19, 2015

Social media company hopes to find success with latest e-commerce initiative

Facebook is moving forward with its latest push into the e-commerce space. The social media company has had trouble in this sector before, as its previous e-commerce projects have proven to have little impact and failed to attract support from consumers. Facebook may have found a way to effectively engage consumers, however, with its new shopping feature that it has begun testing with a small number of merchants.

Merchants will be able to sell products directly through Facebook

With Facebook’s latest attempt to break into the e-commerce space, brands will be able to display their products on their Facebook page. Consumers will be able to find information about these products and make a purchase without having to leave the page itself, making digital shopping more convenient. This is not a new concept for Facebook, of course, as it first began inviting brands to use the social media site as their business gateway in 2009.

Company’s previous e-commerce endeavors have failed

e-commerce & facebookBy 2011, Facebook had convinced several large companies, including Nordstrom and GameStop, to open digital stores on the social media site. Through these stores, the brands would sell products, but consumers would be directed to a dedicated e-commerce site operated by the merchant they were purchasing products from. The initiative proved to be fruitless, however, as merchants saw no significant increase in sales or engagement. The companies participating in the initiative closed their digital stores on Facebook within a year.

Social media companies see great promise in the e-commerce space

Facebook is not the only social media company that is trying to find success in the e-commerce space. Twitter and Pinterest have also begun experimenting with “buy” buttons, with their focus leaning more toward mobile consumers interested in shopping online. Even search giant Google is focusing more heavily on the e-commerce space, giving merchants a way to sell products directly through display ads. These companies have, thus far, seen limited success in their endeavors, but they have high hopes for the e-commerce space, especially when it comes to the number of growing mobile shoppers.

Amazon and Apple lead satisfaction in mobile commerce

| February 14, 2013

Mobile Commerce Apple and AmazonReport shows Amazon and Apple win over consumers with mobile commerce services

ForeSee, a leading market research firm, has released its ForeSee Mobile Satisfaction Index: Holiday Retail Edition report highlighting consumer satisfaction in the realm of mobile commerce. Traditionally, Amazon and Apple dominate the charts in terms of consumer satisfaction. The two companies boast of a powerful online presence that has proven difficult to compete with among smaller businesses. The report from ForeSee shows that the dominance that Amazon and Apple have established online translates well into the mobile space.

Growth of mobile commerce may not bode well for physical retailers

According to the report, Amazon leads the retail industry in terms of satisfaction among mobile consumers. The retailer has adopted a very strong focus on mobile commerce, offering a variety of services to consumers that want to make purchases using their smart phones and tablets. Apple has followed suit and has found significant success through engaging mobile consumers, many of whom already make use of Apple products. The performance of these two companies does shed some light on the retail industry and its continuing struggle in the offline world.

Some retailers are experiences steep declines in store traffic

Retailers without a strong online presence continue to see major declines in business. Companies like Sears and Gamestop have been seeing less traffic in actual stores. While Gamestop does have a relatively strong online presence, Sears has been lacking in the e-commerce field for years and does not perform well among mobile consumers. Retailers that are not embracing mobile commerce may actually be missing a significant opportunity at keeping their own business afloat.

Mobile commerce adoption is not free

Mobile commerce has become a powerful trend with consumers. Smart phones and tablets are abundant and people are finding it easier to shop using their mobile devices than go to physical stores. Adopting mobile commerce is not free, however, as retailer have to develop a suitable platform that is accommodating to mobile consumers. Those that cannot afford to invest in such an endeavor are unable to fully embrace mobile commerce.