In one of the first moves of its kind, JCPenny is offering a selection of its products for purchase through its Facebook page. Partnering with Usablenet, a leading provider of mobile Web, application and other solutions, JCPenny now allows Facebook fans to browse, recommend, add to cart, and checkout, all without leaving Facebook.
This fully-integrated e-commerce solution is Usablenet’s first, but plans include extending this experience to other retail clients’ Facebook fan pages.
Fans of JCPenny can perform a transaction right within Facebook now, including adding products to their cart, editing their cart, checkout, updating shipping information, shipping products to a store near them, and paying with their credit card.
The Facebook store also offers a curated inventory of carefully selected products from the main JCPenny web store. Users can search through the offerings on the Facebook page, and “like” and share products they are interested in or have purchased with friends on Facebook. While browsing the Facebook store, users can also interact with each product page by leaving a review.
And on the merchant side of things, Usablenet provides JCPenny with Google Analytics integration to track specific campaigns, page metrics, and conversions to measure their ROI.
Tom Nealon, group executive vice president for JCPenney, has this to say about the new store:
“With over 1.3 million friends and growing, our Facebook page remains a vital tool for engaging our customers as they explore and share the JCPenney brand. By introducing commerce capability, we are able to take our Facebook experience to the next level, providing convenient features that encourage social integration and user contribution as our customers shop.”
JCPenny is among the first retailers to offer full e-commerce from within Facebook. Kembrel, an exclusive college-only shopping site, announced their Facebook store earlier this month, while Mertado has begun offering in-game retail purchases that stay within Facebook for social game makers.
It looks like social shopping is beginning to take on a new meaning, as retailers flock to Facebook not only to boost brand awareness and increase their fans, but also to directly monetize people within the social network.
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