STORES Magazine - September 2008 - (Page 29)

Facing facts f you’re wondering what the face of Facebook users looks like, you’re not alone. The Simultaneous Media Usage Study (SIMM) conducted last December by BIGresearch offers some insight. Among survey participants who indicated that they go to Facebook most often for fun/entertainment: • 64 percent are female • 63 percent are ages 18 to 24 • 73 percent regularly view photos from friends • 59 percent regularly IM/chat while online • for women’s clothing,·they shop most often at Forever21, American Eagle and Old Navy • for men’s clothing, they shop most often at American Eagle, Kohl’s and JCPenney I Few quibble with the popularity of the site, yet they raise questions about the business value of Facebook. And though they don’t always come right out and say it, some think of Facebook as the latest online flash in the pan, a social playground for the young – or both. Fear of less-than-flattering feedback is also an underlying factor. The site’s “fans” have an entirely different view. Being on Facebook — today, at least — is not about bolstering the bottom line; it’s about developing a deeper relationship with customers. It’s easy enough, they maintain, to see whether a potential customer has landed on their websites from Facebook, but it’s really about being a part of the conversation — jumping in when they can offer a valuable suggestion, Face time providing relevant information about promotions or events and building brand awareness. mong the retailers with fan pages Paula Rosenblum, managing partner of Miami-based on Facebook are: RSR Research, admits she was initially reluctant to emAbercrombie & Fitch Kohl’s brace Facebook. “Let’s just say it took some persuasive Amazon Nordstrom arm-twisting to get me to set up a Facebook profile,” she Barnes & Noble QVC says. “I thought it was a kids’ thing.” It didn’t take long Bath & Body Works REI for her to recognize the business value of networking Best Buy Sephora with colleagues and contemporaries, however. Blue Nile Staples Would she recommend that a retailer establish a FaceCostco Target book page? “If they’re looking for a direct money Crate & Barrel Victoria’s Secret maker, the answer is ‘No.’ If they’re looking to do some Gap Walgreen brand-building, then it’s ‘Yes,’” Rosenblum says. “And Home Depot Zales if they want to do a sniff test to find out their customers’ J.Crew Zappos preferences, they should absolutely be on Facebook.” Source: Rosetta (formerly Brulant) Sucharita Mulpuru, principal analyst/retail at Cam- A WWW.STORES.ORG STORES / SEPTEMBER 2008 29 http://WWW.STORES.ORG

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of STORES Magazine - September 2008

STORES Magazine - September 2008 Contents Executive Editor's Page President's Page Office Depot Unveils First Green Store Dunkin’ Donuts Debuts DDSMART What Shoppers Think 10 Things You May Have Missed Numbers Worth Counting Full Price/Markdown Retail People Are You a Facebook Fan? RFID Concept2Watch E-commerce Supply Chain Marketing ERP Credit Web Optimization LP Vantage Point Newsbeat Cover Story LP Program Building Biometrics Industry Perspective Customer Service Site Selection E-Commerce LOEB Retail Letter Arts Update Point of View NRF News Retail Crossword Retail Industry Calendar Last Laugh

STORES Magazine - September 2008

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