Small- to medium-sized businesses in particular have increased purchase rates since incorporating social commerce into their sales and marketing strategies. Total dollar sales for Facebook storefronts increased 267% during Q4 2012 versus the same period in 2011, according to research from Ecwid, a provider of e-Commerce shopping cart solutions.
At Apricot Lane, a fashion boutique chain with 87 locations nationwide, a single brick-and-mortar store garners 80% of total online sales from Facebook, according to Renee Dixon, Co-owner of the store.
“We use Facebook as a key platform to interact with current and prospective customers,” Dixon said in an interview with Retail TouchPoints. “Every day, we publish photos on the social network to showcase new arrivals in the boutique. When we publish images at 4:30 p.m., for example, most of the items are sold out online by 6:30 p.m.”
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Dixon noted that her Peoria, Ill., store gets the most “bang for its buck” through Facebook marketing. Overall, she said, the social network is more effective than other outlets and channels team members have tested.
During this episode of TouchPoints Radio, Dixon shares why she decided to take her store online. She also discusses how Ecwid has helped Apricot Lane increase sales and boost overall brand awareness using social media.
Listen to the podcast:
TouchPoints Radio: Renee Dixon, Apricot Lane|https://89f1998b72479202c439-d69defcb10b88dcedb61156a205e16b1.ssl.cf1.rackcdn.com/TouchPoints_Radio_Renee%20Dixon_Apricot%20Lane.mp3
