What’s the most important website/social media outlet today for retail? Is it Ebay? Is it Amazon? Is it Walmart.com (I hope not!)? Let’s see how Facebook and the retail game are answering, and changing, that question.
Retailers like Best Buy, Macy’s JC Penney’s, and others have been struggling lately. For the last couple of years, they’ve endured profit loss and falling stocks. They’ve had to shut down stores and lay off employees. Part of that’s due to an economic recovery that really wasn’t. But part of it’s due to online retail like Amazon. Part of it is because of Facebook, which commands at least an hour of our time each day. Since more Americans spend more time on Facebook, why not shop there? Over 15 million businesses have an official Facebook page. Imagine potential consumers spending hours on that app, then sharing it on their page. Their bots and ads communicate through the Facebook Messenger app. This kind of promotion brings big businesses for companies. Facebook promotion can come from nowhere. We can partially thank Facebook video for that. You know Star Wars Chewbacca masks have been flying off the shelves since Candice ‘Chewbacca Mom’ Payne’s Facebook video. That video has over 156 million views and still counting. Retailers like Kohl’s use that video, and Payne’s Facebook charisma, to bring in sales.
Facebook and the retail game shows you the new era we’re in. No longer can businesses depend on glossy newspaper ads, a smooth voice radio ad, or a funny TV ad and think they’re going to be successful. That’s so 20th century. A good social media campaign is critical if you want to compete in today’s market. Facebook is perhaps the best way to do so. Millions of people use it and use it often. Gone are the days of in and out shopping as well. People want to be entertained when they shop. Is Facebook contributing to that as well?