Shop till...your battery dies?!

Facebook and Twitter have risen to the global digital world and, at the same time, inspired a counter-trend: niche social sites. These community oriented sites focus on a commitment to learn and share with similar interest people. One such community is shopping. Social is the new shopping currency. Fashion focused social websites are a trend to watch as I think they will continuously be changing the way consumers shop, discover products, and ultimately decide what to wear. This new type of social network is now creating the perfect intersection of content, community, and commerce.

What is social shopping? With sites like Groupon and LivingSocial on the rise, social shopping has burst into the social media sphere. By combining online commerce and social interaction, web developers and start-ups have pioneered the concept and have even included a lot of variations of shopping in a social context. With sharing, inviting, sending emails, chatting, discussions, voting and ranking on the rise, social shopping is HUGE!

Want to get into social shopping but don’t know where to start? Well let me show you a few key social shopping sites that allow you to get involved whether you are interested in window-shopping, getting product reviews, knowing what your friends are buying, keeping up with the latest fads, or just seeing what’s out there!

Sites like Rue la la, OpenSky, and Gilt Groupe have experienced explosive growth in email subscriptions thanks to a focus on unique products that users want to tell friends about. OpenSky offers an even more user-friendly experience, allowing shoppers to discover new products tailored to their interests.

Online pinboard sites like last week’s featured social media craze Pinterest lets users share stuff they love, promoting product desire and consumerism in the process. It’s a perfect place for brands to promote their products and "inadvertently" drive traffic to their online shops.

ShopSquad is another free social shopping service that connects shoppers with advisers through live video chat and guided browsing sessions for product advice and recommendations.

What's ShopSquad?

Other social shopping websites include Kaboodle, MyItThings, ProductWiki, ShopStyle, Woot, Iliketotallyloveit that offer an array of  different features such as applications that allow you to ask the community which product they prefer, so if you can't decide which blouse to buy, or are wondering which necklace to wear out on a date you no longer have to fret. Sites offer access to product reviews and also let you compare prices, and finally there are even shopping sites that give you a virtual closet to show off what you have bought and a space to review your favorite products or even your favorite books, movies, or music.

Will 2012 be the year that social shopping finally takes off? Hopefully it will be and this will be great news, not only for buyers like me—but for sellers too. Soon anyone will be able to integrate the element of social shopping on their website.  Social shopping  will keep buyers loyal to a particular set of sites, because that’s where other shoppers you know hang out, and who doesn't want to be with the "cool" kids? 

Many of these sites are tied into Facebook, so friends can tell other friends about their social shopping experience, and urge them to join in. An article I came across, “Can Social Shopping Finally Take Off? Some companies still trying to integrate social networking and e-commerce” By Erin Griffith, talks about how social shopping has initially had a hard time "taking off," but once sites discovered that using Facebook “norms” such as the share and “like” buttons, Facebook has actually become more effective at driving traffic to shopping sites. The Levis.com "Friends Store," for example, uses Facebook so its shoppers can see comments, shares, and likes from their Facebook friends within the Levi’s site. It’s social, without that awkward “I really didn't want EVERYONE to see what I was looking at” part.

                                         

No doubt businesses will benefit largely from this trendy way to buy, but they must make sure to, as Groundswell would say, focus on the people and capitalize on their community involvement. Companies must find ways to entice their followers to contribute to their content regularly. And as always, their Facebook, Twitter and overall groundswell presence must continue to shine!