Archive for October, 2007

Get Elastic has written a summary of 29 Facebook applications that promote e-commerce. There are social shopping apps, deal-finders and even apps developed by fans of shops like Threadless. A couple of online stores have attempted to create Facebook apps themselves, but the results are not startling yet.

We have discussed an app for Yuppiechef that would compliment the Facebook group we created. It would probably revolve around the new Gift Registry service we launched, although we're still trying to iron out the details in our own minds before we commit any development time to it.

Social Shopping is definitely on the up, but only the quick and brave will benefit from it any time soon.

Amazon.com are busy rolling out a new design. Get a taste here.

This will create an interesting trend in site design. Everyone has been copying Amazon’s tabbed-navigation; now watch how they will all change to match this new-look left-hand navigation.

Also fun to think that the old Amazon look was “scientifically proven” to lead to the most conversions. Does this mean they were wrong, and a better solution eluded them all this time?

Or perhaps they really are on to a new trend, and we would be wise to follow their lead. After all, surely the world only needs one way of navigating an e-commerce site. We are used to following the Windows way of navigating desktop applications ("File Edit View" along the top, then some icons underneath, Ctrl-C always copies, etc), even though many different companies produce software. Shouldn't the same apply to websites?

Last week Shane and I spoke to World Wide Creative's clients at their monthly Heavy Chef Session. We encouraged this group of business owners to get ready for the e-commerce wave that is coming to South Africa's shores in the next few years. It's a matter of "when", rather than "if" it will come. You can read Fred's summary and view photos here.

Arthur Goldstuck has released his latest e-commerce research which confirms that we're on the brink of an upturn. A big reason for this is called the "Experience Curve", which he described as follows:

"Only once users have been online for around six years are they comfortable with the more challenging aspects of the Internet, such as e-commerce. And the number of people who have been online for six years or more has finally reached the level where it is making a substantial impact in online retail."

Read the full press release here.