Eric Boggs @ericboggs Founder, CEO Argyle Social

Social Commerce: Fact or Fiction?

Social Commerce Nirvana…

#SocialFresh @ArgyleSocial

Welcome to Farmville

If Zynga can build a $9B business selling virtual livestock, then online retailers must be KILLING it, right?

“The number of transactions we see from our Facebook commerce tabs is

not insigni!cant, but the tabs are more for communicating new

products to our customers.”

IR500 Retailer

“Our Facebook store has had very little impact on our business. We

don’t promote it to our customers because our site provides a much

better shopping experience.”

IR500 Retailer

“Facebook has not made a strong impact on sales, at least according to

our data in GA. Most of our social sales come from from fans clicking on the

links we post, not from transactions on our Facebook storefront.”

IR500 Retailer

So what gives?

#SocialFresh @ArgyleSocial

Let’s get data driven…

•  Argyle aggregated social data from the IR 500. •  We analyzed 28 publicly available data points for

each retailer, ranging from audience size to marketing practices.

•  The data set includes: – Massive retail brands like Starbucks, Levis, & NASCAR. – Niche sites like Golfballs.com. –  Really niche sites like PressureWashersDirect.com.

•  This is work-in-progress research.

#SocialFresh @ArgyleSocial

Context: Audience Size

0

20

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60

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120

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<10k 10k - 100k 100k - .5M .5M - 1M 1M - 2M 2M - 5M 5M - 10M >10M

Num

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Audience Size

#SocialFresh @ArgyleSocial

Context: Audience Size

0

20

40

60

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100

120

140

160

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200

<10k 10k - 100k 100k - .5M .5M - 1M 1M - 2M 2M - 5M 5M - 10M >10M

Num

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Audience Size

Mega-brands are the exception, not the rule. Plan accordingly.

#SocialFresh @ArgyleSocial

FB Integrated Commerce

4% 13%

84%

Facebook Check Out On Site Check Out No FB Commerce

#SocialFresh @ArgyleSocial

FB Integrated Commerce

4% 13%

84%

Facebook Check Out On Site Check Out No FB Commerce

Most retailers haven’t made signi!cant social commerce

investments.

#SocialFresh @ArgyleSocial

SMM Tools

Enterprise – 3% Mid-tier – 7%

Free/cheap – 91%

Free/Cheap: Tweetdeck, HootSuite, et al Mid: Argyle, Awareness, et al Enterprise: Buddy Media, Vitrue, et al

#SocialFresh @ArgyleSocial

SMM Tools

Enterprise – 3% Mid-tier – 7%

Free/cheap – 91%

Free/Cheap: Tweetdeck, HootSuite, et al Mid: Argyle, Awareness, et al Enterprise: Buddy Media, Vitrue, et al

Sophisticated retailers are running social with the same

tools as Mom & Pop.

#SocialFresh @ArgyleSocial

Asking For the Sale

Facebook Twitter

Frequently 26%

Rarely 24%

Never 49%

Always 1%

Frequently 29%

Rarely 27%

Never 44%

How frequently do retailers use CTAs on social properties?

#SocialFresh @ArgyleSocial

Asking For the Sale

Facebook Twitter

Frequently 26%

Rarely 24%

Never 49%

Always 1%

Frequently 29%

Rarely 27%

Never 44%

How frequently are calls to action used on social properties?

Your fans can’t read your mind. Use calls to action to direct

consumer behavior.

#SocialFresh @ArgyleSocial

Few special offers…

Facebook Twitter

Do posts include special offers?

No 71%

No 77%

Yes 29%

Yes 23%

#SocialFresh @ArgyleSocial

No special offers…

Facebook Twitter

Do posts include special offers?

No 71%

No 77%

Yes 29%

Yes 23%

Exclusive content and incentives drive community.

Key insight: Retail is a case study for all social media marketers.

#SocialFresh @ArgyleSocial

Still WIP…But With Obvious Applications

•  Find your peer group. •  Make strategic technology investments. •  Ask for the sale.

•  More insights later this month… – Feb 23 webcast with

#SocialFresh @ArgyleSocial

Marketers: Ask yourself…