Amazon and Facebook Team up For Online Shopping

Amazon and Facebook team up for online shopping

Online shopping giant Amazon, and social networking site Facebook, have formed an alliance to deliver a more social shopping experience for online customers.

Shopping is considered by many as about socializing aside from just buying items. People usually talk to each other and seek advice before purchasing a product. That is not an easy thing to do online.

Not until now.

Amazon and Facebook announced that shoppers of Amazon can transport their friends from Facebook by linking their accounts from the two sites. Friends can then share recommendations and tips on what to buy.

The shopping site was a pioneer in letting customers rate products they buy and post them on their site. However, the company did not take advantage of social networking when it started, while other companies like Go Try It On and Swipely have introduced a more social online shopping experience to buyers.

The new feature of Amazon to link up with Facebook represents a move to rectify that mistake. Amazon wants to improve the shopping experience by involving customers with friends who share the same interests and taste, according to Mary Osaka, a company spokesperson.

When two accounts are linked, shoppers are now able to view their Facebook profile on Amazon. They can then get shopping suggestions based on what their friends like as posted in Facebook. Upcoming birthdays are notified to their friends who can decide their choice of gifts based on what they think is best.

To alleviate any fears regarding privacy, Amazon also said a customer’s shopping history will not be known by Facebook and will never appear in the social networking site.

Posted by Melanie Mendoza on Saturday July 31 2010, 11:40 AM EST. All trademarks acknowledged. Filed under Featured News, Health. Comments and Trackbacks closed. Follow responses: RSS 2.0