As “F-commerce,” or Facebook Commerce, has become the latest social buzz word, retailers are increasingly turning to the largest social network as another customer touch point to harvest not only engagement, but real revenue opportunities.
Laura Geller Makeup, a top-selling brand at Beauty 360 and QVC, has extended its social media efforts by launching an e-Commerce store within the brand’s Facebook page. The cosmetics brand tapped technology from dotbox, a New York-based social commerce agency, for a content-based approach to commerce. In order to build on the success of the existing e-commerce strategy, Laura Geller’s executive team chose to socialize the brand’s existing online shopping experience by setting up shop on Facebook.
Currently more than 140 Laura Geller SKUs are sold on television at QVC and more than 200 through QVC.com. Laura Geller Makeup also is expanding its brick-and-mortar retail distribution to select Macy’s stores.
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The Laura Geller brand has benefitted from an integrated approach to marketing and recently launched a semi-annual sale using both email and social media. Facebook in particular has been a great customer resource for Laura Geller. Referrals to Laura Geller products via Facebook increase 300% over the last year and accounted for almost 10% of total sales, according to a dotbox blog posting.
“In order to stay attuned to customers’ changing purchasing habits, we feel it is crucial to provide an enjoyable and instantly accessible shopping experience wherever our customers are,” said Alyce Cucurullo, VP and Managing Director, Laura Geller. “Laura has an extensive following of passionate fans on Facebook who spend quite a bit of time posting product questions and suggestions on our wall. We hope our Facebook Store will provide Laura’s community direct access to her products, allowing them to interact and purchase in new ways.”
dotbox’s social commerce platform, 4CsX, is designed to help retailers extend their online brand via content, so retailers can publish rich editorial and user-generated content to any channel within their digital constellation. Retailers can then manage their traditional online store, in addition to a personalized store on Facebook, a mobile-optimized shop and mini-stores that can be distributed through flash banners. The solution offers retailers the opportunity to manage their entire e-Commerce footprint from one central platform for consistent 360° branding across all shopping channels.
Built on the notion that content and commerce are linked, dotbox’s platform is designed to allow retailers to mix their catalogue, conversations and editorial content to provide a more compelling shopping experience. The platform integrates tools previously found in separate platforms like DemandWare, Buddy Media and WordPress. “Social commerce is no longer a buzz word — it’s how brands need to attract, sell to and maintain relationships with their consumers in today’s environment,” said Ashley Heather, CEO of dotbox.
