Posted: April 24th, 2010 | Author: Julio Hernandez-Miyares | Filed under: Social Shopping |
As a technologist, I am excited With the announcement by Facebook on Wednesday April 21th 2010 of various changes and additions to their exposed Social Networking platform services. Time will tell which one of them will have the most benefit for my craft and for consumer utility. Initially, I may be somewhat anal in finding the use of Open Auth 2.0 to authenticate oneself via Facebook credentials the most enticing. Was not looking forward to having to deal with Facebook Connect while the other networks we are integrating with namely Twitter and Foursquare would be following the Open Auth 2.0 route.
Was perusing the Facebook Developers’ website just now and seems like they have the site well funded with “how-tos” and examples in various scripting languages as well as for WAP devices and their more sophisticated and powerful Smartphone siblings. 
Will comment on a separate post after I actually “do it’ for the Social Shopping application that Jittr is developing. One of our driving requirements is the absolute punting away of any need for our own social networking duplication that can be leveraged by way of Facebook, Twitter or the budding Foursquare in the location space. Why bother? It is not out of laziness but out of practicality as users are tapped out interest, time and mental bandwidth of all the different sites and credentials that mushroomed like weeds during the social networking startup craze. Facebook and the small bunch have the platform and as such will get their share of the rewards but it is time to exploit that power for features that fully exploit the power of the winning networks and implicit trust that revolves around them. In many cases, and I believe that is good ,the network you tap into will be a microcosm of the multitude of real friends and fake friends that a typical Facebook user has accumulated since it’s grand opening beyond the college ranks a scant 4 years ago. What I mean , in practical terms, if my daughter wants to craft a social shopping event with only a small subset of friends and none other, then there has to be a way to keep it that way. Well practically, as in any human interaction with groups of people, there is always the chance for someone to betray the circle of trust or secrecy. Applications must expand the capability at low interaction costs to craft a subset of a larger network for whatever their intent is , Social Shopping, Social Gaming , etc . The closer these platforms do so the closer they become to simulating the way most human interaction occurs. We are all part of a multitude of social networks but most sane rational folks parcel out what each one of them knows or is involved in at any point in time.
On a grander note, and this idea just came to me as I was wondering how to get the deal at the local supermarket without having that supermarket’s loyalty card , the ubiquity of Facebook and the pace they are moving to be the authoritative signin to the Web, why not just leverage that to be the identity I provide for the myriad discount and loyalty cards which I have and which I don’t have because I can’t stand to have another card in my wallet or ring on my keychain.
I mean, truly at some point all of this technology and capability we surround ourselves with have to make a major impact in simplifying our lives. One way to simplify would be to just not care and carry no cards at all BUT wouldn’t it be better to get the benefit, the merchant get’s the benefit and all at truly negligible thought and cost.
Posted: April 21st, 2010 | Author: Julio Hernandez-Miyares | Filed under: Product Stream, Social Shopping |
Was reading another post on TechCrunch concerning Social Shopping startup named Mertado that had just secured funding of about $1 million. All the right buzzwords are stuffed into the article including viral, personalization,recommendations which pop out from my initial read.
Site leverages Facebook Social Network and Facebook Connect as an integration point outside of the facebook site which makes as much sense as going to the bank to ask for a loan (well at least in the old days) as that is where the people are.
If I can distill the value to its barest form, the service provides “deals” that are targeted to me based on my Facebook profile as well as on my interaction with my Facebook network of friends sharing particular deals and the end result of whether or not there is a purchase transaction.
With the continued march forward of Smartphones with all their smart features and the purchase and adoption of these devices with their Global Positioning Systems ,digital cameras and mobile application frameworks , everyone with a spare neuron is jumping on the bandwagon of becoming the breakout product to tie the social , local , mobile mantras together for the common purpose of selling more things.
So what does Mertado actually offer me? At first glance, a chance to purchase at a deep discount from MSRP like anyone actually sells at MSRP. Going to their website brought to mind the websites that my former employer had for discounted wares for employees. Usually on closer inspection the deals were not that good and if Wal-Mart had it in stock it did cheaper. Logging into the site via my Facebook credentials did provide more interesting if slightly social twist as the right rail also depicted other users who were “viewing” a particular deal. The deals I saw though limited and easy to go from first to last in no time, did have a few things of interest to me , like a Deep Fryer for my frying needs and a few other odds and ends. That’s a Crockpot for as low as $16 dollars and change in the photo below. When I took the screenshot I still had 31 + hours to make up my mind if I wanted to take that deal. Given this was the first time I was on the site , no amount of personalization was possible or expected.
Crockpot
I would say though I was not overwhelmed and nothing but Wal-Mart and it’s falling prices and quick checkouts overwhelms me in the shopping arena, the site did not underwhelm me either and I did find it “neat” to view the apparently random Facebook users that were viewing the same offer. Why? I don’t know, perhaps the voyeuristic nature of these Web Social Networks. Though given the chance to broadcast and invite my selected friends to partake in the app, I passed on that honor and now ritual as I usually find it not worth the keystroke to delete the invites when I get similar invites from my large circle of Facebook friends.
I still have a nagging feeling or question surrounding the utility of recommendations surrounding deals like deep fryers and Men’s Cologne splash water and such. Yes there is a value to it , I grant you that but they are generally such inconsequential transactions that it’s almost not worth the bother. And will I buy a deep fryer because somehow based on my profile they know I like deep fried foods? The answer is maybe, I can be like most people convinced to buy things I don’t really need.
Frankly, in my crystal ball I feel all these initiatives will largely be a bust. I still believe that the person with the sandwich board handing out 2 for 1 near or in front of the store is a most effective manor of getting spontaneous like engagement to strike a deal. That is why I am more bullish on the Foursquare model centered around location services and where I am now married with the knowledge of what I have already frequented either in the same general location or in a similar category.
