Another day, another top 10 list, but this one is really useful, so I’ve summarized and annotated. A thoughtful top 10 list of top social media tools for online retailers by Linda Bustos from Get Elastic, the e-commerce blog from ElasticPath. Top of Linda’s list, in order of impact, are customer reviews – the elixir of social media.
1. Customer Reviews – they help conversion, loyalty and even satisfaction (points to the Bazaarvoice page of social commerce stats)
2. Shopping Widgets (selling directly on third party sites such as social networking platforms – e.g. Amazon widgets)
3. Question and Answer (user questions – user answers)
4. Twitter (RSS/email marketing for the ADHD generation)
5. User Generated Cross-Sells (Wishlists, Mixes etc) – also user photos which aid conversion
6. Facebook Pages – it’s your Newsletter (with offers to share)
7. Co-Browsing – shop together online (e.g. ShopTogether and PurchLive) e.g. Charlotte Russe gives the option to invite friends to co-browse through Twitter and Facebook. Works when you want to consult (e.g. wedding planner or interior decorator with a client)
8. Social Widgets on Your Site; (Facebook Connect) syndicate customer comments and testimonials to their social graph
9. Retail Blogging; store news, events, interviews
10. Video Sharing: product reviews on YouTube
