Amazon recently launched a new feature that lets users integrate their Facebook account with the online buying giant. Users can now find product recommendations from friends and get gift ideas based on Facebook profiles and users with similar interests.
This may be the next big thing in e-commerce.
Because it’s obvious that you’re going to take a friend’s recommendation of a book you’re interested in more seriously than a stranger’s. So what if, from now on, instead of browsing on Google to find user reviews about a particular product, you go to Facebook first. You instantly see if any of your friends own this product. If they’re reviewed it. And what they think.
This type of information is game-changing. And other retailers are definitely going to follow Amazon’s lead in this. Let’s say you’ve been curious to try that new Italian joint in your town, but aren’t sure if you can trust the reviews from strangers. So you jump on Facebook and see that 3 of your friends have been there and loved it. You’re going to go that night. Now, getting all of these different companies to integrate with Facebook might be a challenge, but it would change commerce forever.
Online advertising will come into play not only by targeting people who have similar interests to their product. But now, with the market research potential of Facebook, advertisers will be able to better determine what kind of person their best customers really are. It’s mutually beneficial. And if users willingly give up some privacy for this benefit, it’s a brave new world for business.