Using 'Likes' for Gift Ideas

Companies such as Amazon.com Inc. and Etsy Inc., a site that sells handmade and vintage goods, are making gift recommendations for individuals by tapping into the trove of comments and preferences collected by social-networking giant Facebook Inc.

The social-shopping efforts are all in an experimental phase, but the goal is to change how consumers discover and choose products—and increasing their likelihood to click on the buy button.
The latest retail efforts focus on using Facebook's platform—where outside sites can tap into Facebook user information with their permission. Since last holiday season, more than half of the top 25 retail sites have integrated with Facebook's platform, the company says.

eBay Inc. launched "Group Gifts," which allows users to split the cost of a present with their Facebook friends by logging into eBay with their Facebook credentials.

For Facebook, the goal is to expand its reach on the Web and make its networks more useful. Facebook says it gives retailers some ground rules about how they can use its data—no spamming, for instance.

For the complete article, please click here.

Amazon was the online shopping site of choice in Q4

Jeff Bezos' claim that Amazon.com had its best holiday season ever was not overstated, it would appear. And, the Kindle appears to be a hit. Amazon.com reported an 18% increase in net sales in Q4 over last year (that's North America; their international segment sales were actually up 19%).

From The Wall Street Journal: Amazon has also broadened its offerings with its own products, such as the Kindle ebook reader. But the company has struggled to meet demand for the device, which sold out quickly each of the past two holiday seasons.

Mr. Bezos said the Kindle was driving incremental book sales. "When people buy a Kindle, they continue to buy the same number of physical books going forward as they did before they owned a Kindle. Incrementally, they buy 1.6 to 1.7 Kindle books for every physical book that they buy."

Compare Amazon.com's fourth-quarter success to eBay's struggles. eBay reported a $145M decline in Q4 revenue.

Although overall e-commerce revenue fell in the fourth quarter, Amazon.com's share grew to 10%, whereas eBay's share fell to 17% (from The Wall Street Journal).