By: Arthur Cooper
Submitted: 2010-12-16 19:14:53 | Word Count: 664
JCPenny is blazing a retail trail by opening an online store supported by Facebook. It’s the first retailer to do so, and it signifies the growing popularity of Facebook and the potential for profits the social media giant offers.
The Facebook app allows users to shop the store without leaving Facebook. It also lets them share their purchases, or things they like on their own Facebook pages.
[ advertisement ]
Other retailers like Delta and Best Buy have offered some services like coupons and promotions for their Facebook fans, but JCPenny is the first to fully integrate their store to the website. For example, Best Buy allows users to search their inventory through Facebook, but requires them to make purchases directly from Best Buy’s site, not Facebook.
The process is similar to any other Facebook app. First you have to download it and “allow” JCPenny to have access to your Facebook information. Whether I will be bombarded with JCPenny spam or not remains to be seen.
Once you’ve downloaded the app, it opens a page very similar to their online store. It has their special offer across the top of the home page and several categories down the left side, including women, home store, lingerie, shoes and handbags, men, JCP teen, kids, baby, jewelry and watches, gifts and toys. Once you click on a category, it takes you to a host of subcategories to choose from (like pants, sweaters, dresses, etc.). Selecting a subcategory brings up a screen very similar to the online store. It produces thumbnails and quick hit information about each product.
The one difference is the share button, which allows users to post an item on their own Facebook page. I’m struggling to think of why this would be useful or necessary, but I’m sure the 1.3 million fans of JCPenny will think of something.
I did go all the way through the procedure and attempt to add an item to my cart. However, the item I selected was apparently out of stock. The next item I tried worked just fine.
The shopping bag page allows you to remove items, continue shopping, add promotional discounts and complete the order process, just like a typical online store. The difference is you never leave the Facebook setting.
This latest use of Facebook will probably open the doors for a whole host of retailers who will follow in JCPenny’s footsteps. In fact, the company that created the software to make this possible for JCPenny has said there are several other companies scheduled to release similar stores after the first of the year.
My question is, what does this mean for users? For Facebook, it keeps people on their site, especially during the holiday season when online shopping is at its peak. For retailers, it opens up the Facebook market. But what benefit does this bring to users? If I shop with JCPenny through my Facebook page, am I not only going to get spam in my email, but also on my Facebook wall?
I’m sure this will be tweaked and perfected as time goes on, and JCPenny has certainly blazed a trail here for e-commerce and Facebook. For now though, I’m slow to jump on the retail/Facebook bandwagon.
