What is the difference between shopping in person and shopping online?
OTHER PEOPLE!
Why it has taken so long for e-commerce to adopt a more robust social structure is beyond me. Sure, many great companies have tried to make e-commerce social but it has just not taken off.
One company that I admire greatly (although there are some elements of their platform that I just do not get, which is not a good sign for someone who is a social networking addict) is a company called Stylehive. They have been at the social shopping game for a while now and seem to be doing pretty well (they even have a presence in Second Life. Talk about socializing e-commerce...that is a story for another post).
Anyhow, Stylehive has just made a brilliant move in creating what they are calling "Nectar Hives". Essentially what they are doing is providing functionality of their platform to retailers in a plug and play manner--brilliant!
CEO Michael Carrier had this to say,
Online retailers and publishers are looking for a way to make their
sites more social, to take advantage of the "authenticity" and viral
distribution that communities like the Stylehive offer
Another elements that was mentioned in today's press release is something right at the core of modern marketing, getting the audience to sell for you!
Creating brand ambassadors is a priceless endeavor and Stylehive saw the potential for retailers/publishers and thus has rolled out their platform to the following ones:
InStyleGapShopBopLisa Kline
Ron Herman
Hayden-Harnett
Design PublicGenArtCraftzineReady Made Magazine
Tags: e-commerce, shopping, stylehive, nectar hives, second life, social media, brand ambassadors, tagging, gap, online shopping, viral, instyle, shopbop, lisa kline, ron herman, hayden-harnett, desgin public, Gen Art, Craftzine, Ready Made Magazine