Gamestop to J.C. Penney Shut Facebook Stores

Last April, Gamestop Corp. opened a store on Facebook to generate sales among the 3.5 million-plus customers who’d declared themselves “fans” of the video game retailer. Six months later, the store was quietly shuttered.

F-commerce has been described as the next big thing in online commerce, but this article from Bloomberg shows it may not be all we thought it could be. Though Facebook is the most visited site on the web, its also fairly specific in it’s use of ‘hanging out with friends’. Retailers have found this environment doesn’t work well for selling, plus consumers seem to find the actual websites a preferable shopping experience.

The article quotes Wade Gerten as saying “It was basically just another place to shop of all the stuff already available on the retailer websites.”

But what is one of the top rules in social media? Customize your message to the medium. Replicating your store on the network isn’t customization, brands need to consider how to extend themselves and their online shopping experience to Facebook. Imagine if the stores used Facebook for a pop-up shop to showcase a new product line before it hits the regular store, or a limited edition product run that will be available no where else.

Give the fans something special.