Where E-Commerce Meets Chat, Social Retailing Gains Traction†

Users Focused on Shopping Could Be Marketers' Dream, But Transparency Pitfalls Loom

Wall Street Journal, November 27, 2007 — As more consumers turn to "social-shopping" sites, advertisers from Nike to American Express are targeting them with new holiday ad campaigns. Sites such as Kaboodle, ShopStyle.com and ThisNext are a blend of social networking and e-commerce. They offer product recommendations — some from the staff of the sites, some from random users — and let shoppers create wish lists, comment on items and prices, post photos and make purchases. Marketing executives say the sites are attractive because visitors tend to be focused on shopping rather than just browsing.