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Shoppers Stop will provide a ‘shopping' option on its Facebook page in the next three months. On offer - with a payment gateway - will be the bestsellers from the chain's retail outlets.
The move is in line with the brand's strategy to route its social media traffic to sales - online and offline - informed Mr Vinay Bhatia, Customer Care Associate and Senior Vice-President - Marketing and Loyalty, speaking to Business Line on the sidelines of India Retail Forum 2011.
He said, “We may not have all the brands on the page, but a limited series of bestsellers. We should be able to launch the ‘Facebook store' in the next two to three months.”
Shoppers Stop claims to have the largest number of Facebook fans among retail brands in India - 1.45 million. This makes its Facebook fan base the eighth largest among clothing and apparel stores globally, and 18{+t}{+h} largest among department stores, said Mr Bhatia.
Routing Fans to Stores
The brand admittedly invested time and effort in getting members of its loyalty programme - First Citizen - to join as fans on its Facebook page.
“The 2.2-million members of First Citizen are ‘paid for' - it's not a free loyalty programme. And they account for 75 per cent of our turnover. So it made sense for us to get them to join our Facebook page.
Between 35 and 40 per cent of the 1.45-million fans on Facebook would be members of First Citizen,” said the spokesperson.
The brand launched its Facebook page 11 months ago, and crossed one million fans in eight months.
On the occasion, the brand sent out a ‘Thank you' a gift voucher for Rs 200 to each of its million Facebook fans - valid only at its physical outlets.
He added that while social media did not involve media costs, it was not free because it involved management time and agency partner fees.
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