1000 Retailers and Growing: SortPrice.com Store Application for Facebook Platform is Changing the Face of E-commerce

March 26, 2010; 06:35 AM

NEW YORK, NY - Proving yet again a solid commitment to opening new avenues of success for online merchants everywhere, comparison shopping engine SortPrice.com today announced that it is has now built virtual stores for more than 1,000 retailers through its Merchant Store application on Facebook Platform.

SortPrice was one of the first to offer a virtual storefront for retailers on Facebook Platform when it introduced the Merchant Store application a little over a year ago. Available as a free add-on to enhanced SortPrice.com merchants, the application lets retailers display product listings on their Facebook Pages for shoppers to browse and share, complete with photos, descriptions, and direct links to their own web sites.

"We've heard repeatedly from our merchants how valuable a resource this application is in expanding their reach to Facebook's huge audience," said Doron Simovitch, SortPrice.com co-founder and CEO. "We're thrilled to have hit 1,000-store milestone in a little over a year. It indicates just how serious retailers are about expanding their e-commerce efforts to the world of social media."

While the 1,000-plus retailers encompasses merchants of every size and scope, the application is proving to be especially helpful to many smaller and mid-sized ecommerce outlets that are using it to integrate their Facebook fan pages with their online stores to raise brand awareness and drive overall traffic. Simovitch noted that nearly 1 out of every 4 retailers using the Merchant Store application has a "Find us on Facebook" badge or similar notification on their own website, indicating that more and more e-commerce entities are branching out into social networking.

One such merchant having great success is Equestrian Collections, which incorporated the application on its Facebook Fan page prior to the holiday shopping season by first using it to run a Wishlist contest for its followers.

"The ability to market the application both as our Facebook store and also as a Wishlist, by simply changing the tab gave us great flexibility," said Chris Duggan, the company's president. "Having our SortPrice Facebook Store brought Equestrian Collections closer to our fans and helped make our 4th quarter a banner one."

Nebraska-based apparel retailer Buckle.com is using the Merchant Store application as a key component of the company's strategy to reach more potential customers through social media avenues.

"Our focus has always been on creating the most enjoyable shopping experience possible for our users," said Shannon Whisler, Buckle's social media and online marketing specialist. "By offering exciting new interaction areas like the online store and Wishlist application on our Facebook page, we believe that a level of convenience and flexibility has been created that enhances that experience for our users on Facebook."

Retailers are able to control the look and feel of their stores, and visitors can comment on other users' wish lists, indicate particular items that they "like" and invite friends and family to view their wish lists or favorite products. To learn more about the Facebook Merchant Store application click here: http://www.sortprice.com/facebook_store

SortPrice.com, founded in 2004, has grown into one of the internet's most popular shopping search engines. With advanced search technology and a simple interface, the site features millions of products from thousands of merchants nationwide. Learn more at: www.sortprice.com

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