Basically, what this means for retailers is that the Facebook “Like” button just got a lot more important.  Originally the “Like” button was just a way for loyal fans to express interest in a product or company.  Now the button is going to be crawled by Bing, so any retailer using paid search has a vested interest in the “Like.”

So how can you use the “Like” button?

• On your Facebook Page at the top: see our page—and “Like” us while you’re there! www.channeladvisor.com/facebook
  • When fans click “Like” you’ll show up in their newsfeed and it gives you the ability to connect with that user and publish updates in their “likes and interests”  page
• You can also embed the code for the “Like” button on your website or blog.
  • There is a very easy-to-use configurator that spits out the code for you here: http://developers.facebook.com/docs/reference/plugins/like
• But why not get detailed?  The “Like” button can be included at the product level to create a more in-depth user testimonial.  Users can also write comments with the “Like” to announce that they’ve purchased something or express their thoughts on the product.
  • Example: http://www.karmaloop.com/products.aspx?ProductID=125922&VendorCode=ANL
• The “Like Box” can be embedded on your website to attract visitors’ attention and encourage them to “Like.”  It has a “like” button, rolling Facebook updates and thumbnail images of who already “likes” your site—it’s a bit large so not sure if it’s a good fit for all websites, but another option anyways.
  • http://developers.facebook.com/docs/reference/plugins/like-box (Copy and paste your Facebook URL in the “URL” section for a preview of what your Like Box would look like)
• A new tool is the “Box Count” feature that, like a tweet-counter, shows how many people have clicked “like” (the Karmaloop picture above also illustrates this feature).

What’s the future of the “Like” Button?

Facebook is constantly evolving its use of the “Like” button, and they’ve made it clear that Bing won’t always be the only search engine allowed to crawl user’s “likes.”  However, we think in the future the “Like” button may evolve to more of a product review/product recommendation vehicle that is integrated with search.  We’ll also be keeping an eye out to see if this is available on Yahoo! when it rolls out, and how the “likes” will fit within your social graph.

September PJC eCommerce SSS results

For September, the index jumped up to 19% y/y growth vs. Augusts 15% – indicating continued strength with the consumer and a solid back-to-school season.

Here’s the data in a tabular format: (click to enlarge)

PJC eCommerce Index - September 2010

I’m a visual guy so here’s the data in a chart: (click to enlarge)

PJC eCommerce Index - September 2010

So after a bit of a slowdown from June’s 24% spike, the index is closing in on 20% growth again.  Munster notes in his report that Q409 was pretty robust so he expects the same-store-sale comps to be tougher going into Oct/Nov/Dec.  We’ll keep you posted when that data comes out.

Hopefully this recovery in the index is a harbinger for a better consumer mindset going into Q4 and we all enjoy a return to the > 20% growth days we enjoyed before the Great Recession.

How was your September?

How was your September in comparison?  Did you see similar trends or were you in a different category that perhaps had more of a headwind or tailwind?  Do you think we’re setting up for a solid holiday selling season?  Sound off in comments.