The leading e-commerce site and the leading social network just shook hands on a tie-up that could lead to social shopping. Amazon.com launched a new beta feature Tuesday that lets shoppers connect their Amazon and Facebook accounts. The feature serves up gift recommendations for users and their friends based on the information stored in Facebook profiles.
Privacy advocates haven’t launched any missives yet, but Amazon was nonetheless quick to stress that it will not share any user account information or purchase history with Facebook. Amazon also promised not to try to contact anyone’s friends on the social network.
Intro To Social Shopping?
When you connect Amazon and Facebook, the Internet book-selling giant said it will improve your shopping experience via an Amazon Facebook page. Amazon offers three reasons why shoppers should make the Amazon-Facebook connection.
First, the company said it helps shoppers discover recommendations for movies, music and other products. Second, you can see upcoming birthdays of your friends and buy them a gift they’ll enjoy because you can see their Amazon wish lists. Finally, you can explore your friends’ profiles to see who has similar interests.
Greg Sterling, principal analyst at Sterling Market Intelligence, said the Amazon-Facebook deal could significantly improve product recommendations that Amazon offers, as well as increase frequency and engagement with the site.
“Ultimately it could help Amazon incrementally sell more stuff to people,” Sterling said. “This was not an explicit part of the deal, but I also wonder whether Amazon will become a product data provider to any ‘social shopping’ initiative that Facebook might consider doing. I’m not sure, but it’s interesting.”
Will Facebook Be Regulated?
Amazon didn’t go so far as to integrate the “Like” button on its product detail pages. Taking that step would have opened the door for Facebook to collect information about a customer’s book, music and other…