'Net Features : shopigniter

ShopIgniter Fires Up for the Retail Enterprise

Pete Prestipino — Mon, 27 Feb 2012 17:30:00 GMT

There has been some serious discussion lately about the viability of Facebook-related commerce. To get caught up, read WM's post Solving the Facebook Merchant Exodus.

Whether you're a believer now in f-commerce or not, it's hard to imagine the social network without an e-commerce component in the future. One of the reasons many larger retailers and brands have been hesitant (and which may be preventing broader adoption) is related to the issue of security. Gradually, merchants are seeing solutions emerge that slowly address the issue. Case in point, social commerce software ShopIgniter announced the availability of an enterprise-scale platform last week designed specifically for Internet retailers.

The social commerce platform from ShopIgniter is one of the first solutions to deliver an "integrated" set of e-commerce experiences, including Group Gifting and seamless Facebook purchases, but it doesn't stop there. The offering is wrapped in a technology infrastructure that offers full integration with existing retail software systems and more importantly addresses the rigorous security requirements of businesses. Retailers including Levi's, Target, Nike Golf, Kaenon and others have sophisticated technology requirements for their commerce operations, particularly PCI Level 1 certification.

"Customers expect, and brands demand, the same level of security and confidence when buying through social channels as they do on their eCommerce stores," says Matt Compton, CEO of ShopIgniter. "By adding PCI Level 1 certification to our Social Commerce Platform, we're proud to offer brands and retailers the most complete social commerce offering on the market, with peace of mind that their transactions and data are completely secure."

Security is certainly important to big name retailers, but it’s the features that will likely drive usage long term. The highlight of the platform for many merchants is sure to be the group gifting capabilities. The system uses Facebook's built-in friend lists and messages to coordinate a unique, social purchasing flow -- and then processes multiple contributions for a single transaction. What will separate f-commerce solution providers from one another is in the ability to create a variety of experiences for their users. In addition to group gifting, SI clients can create programs for new product launches, special offers for key customers, flash/private sales and even seasonal and holiday collections.

In-Stream Checkout with ShopIgniter

Allison Howen — Wed, 19 Oct 2011 16:30:00 GMT

Facebook fans can now make purchases within their newsfeeds with new intelligent inventory control technology from social commerce provider ShopIgniter.

This in-stream technology allows brands and retailers to quickly promote products, deals and complete secure transactions – both inside a business page and inside a fans’ newsfeed.

Merchants can use the in-stream purchasing feature as a unique way to build social product promotions. They can launch any product simply and quickly, display timely product information – like quantity remaining, as well as provide suggested items to consumers in the event of a sellout.

“In-stream checkout gives brands and retailers a competitive sales edge, especially when integrated with the other merchandising and promotional capabilities of the ShopIgniter platform,” says Alan Wizemann, chief product officer at ShopIgniter. “The newsfeed is an excellent channel to offer impulse products, time- or inventory-limited items or highly desirable promotional products. We have taken extra care to ensure our software delivers a secure and elegant experience for our customers’ end consumers.”

By offering in-stream products that are customized for specific consumers, a social commerce store can not only increase conversions, but also provide a reason for consumers to “allow” the application – giving merchants access to consumer’s email, social graph, influencer and direct transactional data.

The in-stream checkout can either be integrated with a fully-transactional social store, or stand alone for daily deal products or impulse-buy items.

ShopIgniter Starts Measuring Commerce Influence

Michael Garrity — Thu, 15 Sep 2011 21:00:00 GMT

The hot new trend in online metrics seems to be the incredibly hard-to-measure and largely situational statistic of influence. ShopIgniter, the social commerce software provider, is trying to take it a step further with their introduction of a new solution for measuring commerce influence across the social Web.

This new feature is made for enterprise brands and retailers who want to identify and nurture their most influential customers by tracking the social impact that each of them develops by doing things like sharing, linking, or referring, or by the referred revenue they generate and friends they can reach.

What makes ShopIgniter's influence measuring system different from others on the Web, like the very popular Klout, is that it is not meant to be calculated as a generic statistic across various industries and customers, but rather it is a system that is geared towards specific retailers or brands and in the context of their specific business. As an example, a Starbucks customer who may have a low Klout score but shares about products or promotions in their network will have a much higher commerce influence score. The opportunity to purchase products within one's network will also affect his or her influence score.

Commerce influence scores are determined by over 10 social, product and commerce-related activities, such as one's quality of sharing and his or her direct impact on revenue generation.

It's also not only applied to individuals, but also products, coupons and promotions.

This product promises to give retailers and brands insights into who their most influential customers are (and how to create rewards for them), what their most viral products are (and adjust their stores and collections to reflect that) and test and optimize the virality of their promotions.

Click here to check out ShopIgniter's new social commerce software.

ShopIgniter Involved in New E-Commerce Solution

Michael Garrity — Sat, 03 Sep 2011 11:00:00 GMT

Retailers and brands who work in e-commerce have a new, comprehensive way to manage all aspects of their social Web presence thanks to a recent partnership between ShopIgnitor and Involver.

ShopIgnitor is well-known for their original social commerce software, which inlcudes their Social Promotion Engine. This software is used to power shareable coupons, referral and loyalty incentives, private and flash sales, group promotions and social ratings and reviews. It also allows for a fully transactional Facebook store (with in-stream purchasing options) and social commerce analytics, and all of these features are provided through a cloud-based platform.

Involver's biggest product would be their Audience Management Platform, which fills the role of a marketer's records system, using features like app management, wall response/moderation, update publishing, analytics and more all in a single interface. Currently, this platform is being used by over 500,000 companies across the globe, including, but not limited to, Nike, Facebook and the NFL.

The pairing of these two groups promises to bring an integrated solution between their two products that will help businesses manage content, commerce, promotions and analytics easily on the ever-changing social Web.

Not only will users be able to manage every part of their social Web presence, but they will also be able to measure the purchasing influence of their consumers as it relates to them sharing information about products, rewards or promotions.

In the end, this will give businesses or brands a simple way to manage their social Web applications and content publishing via promotions, product merchandising and marketing. They will also be able to personalize the experience and utilize best practice content and commerce functionality that will give them a custom look and feel that more accurately represents their brand or image.

Businesses, retailors, brands or agencies that have had trouble in their attempts to explore the rocky, restless terrain that is the social Web could be aided by taking a chance on two proven innovators in the field.

CaféPress Goes Social With ShopIgniter

Pete Prestipino — Tue, 08 Feb 2011 19:11:00 GMT

Social e-commerce solution provider ShopIgniter announced a partnership with CafePress, the immensely popular destination for those that want to customize their own products (t-shirts, mugs, hats, etc.).

CafePress is using ShopIgniter's Social Promotions Engine™ and Facebook Store platform to help clients drive social promotions such as limited time or private sales, social coupon programs, referral incentive programs, and social badging, while enabling transactions inside a robust Facebook Store solution.

"We are continually looking at ways to embrace the voice and enthusiasm of online communities," said Marc Cowlin, director of marketing for CafePress. "ShopIgniter helps us to extend our eCommerce experience into social networks, enabling friends to take advantage of special sales and discounts, and incent them to share these with their friends."