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How Can Shopping And Social Media Integrate?

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Social media is a phenomenon and one that has taken over the world. Social networking site Facebook now has over 400 million worldwide users and Twitter is shortly following behind with nearly 50 million tweets per day. The interactivity is ever growing and it is estimated that social networking accounts for 11% of all online activity. Similarly, millions of people across the globe go shopping; whether it is for food, clothes, furniture etc. everyone shops. So if two trends are equally as popular with consumers, then why not integrate them? Interactive shopping experiences really engage with a customer and it is important for all retailers to participate and get involved with its consumers. By offering loyalty schemes a business can increase its customer loyalty attention, attract potential customers from rival firms and rise profits; which is why a company has lodged a patent- pending technology. Beanstalk Loyalty hopes to install the first loyalty platform of its kind to integrate the point-of-sale (POS) terminal and social media; converging shopping and Facebook. The deployed kiosks, with the customer’s permission, will enable a firm to check into Facebook Places, post on their wall and potentially influence their friends while at the same time giving loyalty registration.

There are exampled units deployed in industries that offer social media services however none currently have a connection with loyalty programmes and POS terminals.  At the moment, people can check themselves into locations so one can see where a person has been but the service doesn’t offer consumers to share what they actually bought. Reportedly, this is little use to marketers to learn more about the consumer’s behaviour and preferences. By knowing what was purchased, the marketer can use this info to tailor loyalty offers for example; if they keep ordering chicken via the Touch screen, chicken coupons can be sent out rather than fish. The Kiosk software works by allowing the user to swipe his or her loyalty card, register, pay and check in to Facebook offering data on what they just ate or bought. Even friends can get involved by clicking on the food produce and receiving discounts too! Gilbert Bailey, Vice President of Marketing and Business Development for Beanstalk Loyalty, said: “Integrating the social network and the POS with the loyalty engine provides the marketer with ability to have an intelligent conversation both before and after the transaction to deliver true closed-loop marketing.” Install a Touch screen kiosk in your business and build a better relationship with your consumers with Protouch; Europe’s number one manufacturer and distributor of touch screen technology.