Facebook and online commerce: How to take advantage of F-commerce
One of the trends on the rise is the so-called Facebook commerce (or f-commerce). This is the placement of applications that allow opening a point of sale within the user’s favorite social network. Through them, companies can convert fans into buyers, and transform their ‘likes’ into sales.
Although there are companies that have started to bet on this new modality of online commerce, there is a widespread lack of knowledge when it comes to strategically locating the new channel and managing it effectively. But, what are the keys to f-commerce management?
Part of the commercial strategy
Many companies create a store on Facebook, upload a few products and passively wait for people to buy without further ado. This is comparable to opening a store on a commercial street and, without advertising or showcase, waiting for people to come in and buy. Having a Facebook Store requires planning and involves the investment of time and resources in its management.
In this sense, organizations must conceive it as a more integrated sales channel within the commercial strategy of the company.
Give Visibility, add value
What is not communicated, does not exist. Companies can not and should not wait for their customers to discover the new channel and proactively target the fashion of acquiring products through social networks. It is about communicating actively, taking advantage of corporate spaces, launching promotions that link the physical store with sales channels, informing about the advantages of this new medium ….
However, there is another premise that companies must take into account. Every sales channel must have a reason to be and obey a specific objective. When a company decides to open a store in a certain street, it is because, previously, it has carried out a market study, and has detected a certain business opportunity. The same happens on Facebook: companies must find their “opportunity” or give a reason to be at their new point of sale.
Take for example the BMW Facebook store. It is probably unlikely to try to sell cars through Facebook; but it is the fact of offering exclusive gadgets to the fans of the brand. With this, BMW demonstrated its ability to detect its opportunity within this new channel, offering exclusive products to fans of the brand. Oscar de la Renta has done something similar.
Take advantage of the social environment
While Facebook stores should be considered a sales channel, organizations must understand the nature of the medium and understand its specificities and idiosyncrasies. Therefore, the applied management model should enhance and take advantage of the benefits offered by this new platform. The direct access to the clients and the capacity of viralización are characteristic attributes of Facebook, that must be taken advantage of by the marks to communicate their messages and to guarantee their propagation.
In addition to the characteristics of the medium, there are certain applications that allow you to maximize the benefits inherent in Facebook. This is the case of Social-Buy that, in addition to offering a complete solution of Facebook commerce, incorporates personalized recommendations based on the social profile of the client; social discounts to reward fans who prescribe products; and social analytics, which allow companies to know the profile of their fans.
