CorpComms Magazine

American department store JC Penney has launched an integrated ecommerce site within Facebook that allows customers to buy its products without leaving the social networking site.

Customers of JC Penney, which has 1.3 million registered Facebook fans, will be able to post comments and recommendations to their friends when they visit the online store.

The JC Penney Facebook page now has a 'shop' tab that allows customers to browse through 11 departments, ranging from women's wear to jewellery, and place selections in their 'shopping baskets'.

Each product page features an image of the product, a short description, a share button that allows them to post comments on their wall, and a like button. The application is linked to Google Analytics, to enable JC Penney to analyse its return on investment by tracking campaigns, page metrics and conversions.

Other companies have created links to Facebook from their online stores, which allow customers to share images with friends in the hope this will boost further sales, but this is the first time that a major retailer has created a complete store within the site. Other stores, such as American electronics retailer Best Buy, display their inventory on Facebook, but direct users to their own sites to complete transactions.

Britain's online fashion retailer Asos is said to be planning its own Facebook store.

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