Guest Post By Dr. Natalie Petouhoff, Social Media Business and ROI Strategist (@drnatalie) and Author of Like My Stuff
Social commerce is the addition of shopping to social networks. While if businesses aren’t careful, social commerce has the 
potential to ruin social networks. The skill with which brands fulfill on f-commerce will directly affect the success not only for their own individual brand, but as an industry as a whole. If social networking shopping sites are not delivered in the spirit of what the customer wants, it will fail. If not for this point alone, brands need to pay attention to f-commerce as an example of how shopping can be integrated within a social network.
An example of someone who really gets social commerce? That would be Rachel Roy. Rachel used a pop-up Facebook commerce store to create engaging social merchandising experiences that increase a brand’s fan base while driving transactions. By creating immersive brand experiences that fully integrate shopping as well as the shopper’s wider social network, the brand increased their social currency with those fans and customers. And a pop-up shop is a great way for brand to test the f-commerce waters without going into full-scale Facebook shop.
Rachel Roy launched a pop-up store on Facebook, giving fan’s a shopping event that included early access to Roy’s new jewelry line which was a collaboration with British R&B artist, Estelle. Rachel Roy provided a limited edition, time sensitive offering that helped drive sales without having to offer a discount. In this example, the pop-up store lasted three days and boosted Rachel Roy’s fan base by 25% in the first day and 100% by the end of the campaign. The Facebook Page acquired 1 fan every 1.5 seconds. The exclusive, limited edition piece sold out in only six hours.
The Rachel Roy pop-up shop was built on a software-as-a-service solution created by Fluid Social Fan Shop of the Fluid Agency. This is an e-commerce firm whose clients include Diane von Furstenberg, Nine West, Theory, Vans and Coach. 6 hours: Time it took for the Rachel Roy Facebook jewelry store to sell out. 3rd highest: daily sales made by Rachel Roy, the day it opened its pop-up f-store.
You can find more examples like this in Dr. Natalie’s Book: Like My Stuff: How To Monetize Your Facebook Fans With a Facebook Store and learn how to use social commerce for your business!
Dr. Natalie Petouhoff is a former Rocket Scientist, turned social media business and ROI business adviser. You can find her here:
Twitter: @drnatalie
LinkedIn: DrNataliePetouhoff
website/blog: www.drnatalienews.com/blog