Posts Tagged ‘real gifts’

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I raised five teenagers… I know when I am being worked!

How do we reach the time-tested mom?
Mothers have a sixth sense when they are presented with a story that just doesn’t seem to add up. After years of such pitches, these women have a very polished intuition.

This is why advertisers struggle reaching these ladies on social networks. And why Baby Boomer women will give virtual gifts a very short life span.

These women have spent years providing real experiences for their families. A virtual hug is a nice diversion, but it holds no value for the serious mother who nurtures with reality.

Advertisers are learning that these experienced mothers don’t want their social walls cluttered with mindless junk. They see Facebook as a real tie to children who have left the nest and a link with old friends.

It remains our contention that REAL things are the only sustainable purpose for social networks, especially for women over 50. Marketers need to be reminded that this demographic is increasing by the millions almost daily and that women don’t need to be pitched junk when they know how good the real thing is…

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PartyWeDo
The AlbinoPhant Creators
Your Party 2.0 Specialists

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I got a tip from Itamar Kestenbaum, a social media expert, that Twitter was being used to send real gifts between users.

Mashable ran the story of five Twitter applications that provide ways to share real gifts through network connections.

As I looked over the report, I was struck with the very limited gift selections. We would hope that selections might increase over time, or maybe the author was just looking at a sampling of the gift offers and they really do have more items on the shelves.

To illustrate what I am saying, here are some of the quotes from the article, where a product was mentioned:

“Love Hearts and strawberry lip gloss the current most popular items…”
“…if you’re looking to send a Twitter contact a Whoopee cushion, or a badge that reads “boob inspector” then this is your new go-to place”.
“…with books and movies catering to any get-well soon scenario, flowers and food great for thank yous, and comedy tees”.
“…mostly cookies and a few geek-themed phone cases and jewelry”.
“…as well as some sexy underwear”.

As I examined these sites, I found them to be mostly a way around getting the delivery address directly from the user.

Whatever the case, we appreciate the trend toward actual gift commerce coming from social networks. We know that Facebook, Twitter and other networks can facilitate the sharing of real items and will eventually be the go-to locations for gift giving.

We are happy to be involved in the leading edge of this emerging market.

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PartyWeDo
The AlbinoPhant Creators
Your Party 2.0 Specialists

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Why do we need an online gift distribution system?

There a millions of people on social networks who are connected ether by strong friendships or genealogy. These relationships often result in gift giving opportunities several times during the year. The gifting process works well when using traditional distribution methods.

But this process has been a bit of a problem for social sites like Facebook, so they have attempted to replicate gift giving using virtual gifts. These “Un-Gifts” don’t have the same value as something that is real, so there is not much real support provided with these virtual items.

Families and friends give gifts during birthdays, weddings, baby births, holidays and more as a means of support.

These actual gifts for important life events have traditionally been handled outside of any online social network, so we need new applications developed to pass out the real gifts on Facebook.

Gift distribution is very important all year long…

We are now in the graduation season and Americans will spend an average of $88.01 on gifts for about two students this year. According to the National Retail Federation, total spending on graduation gifts is expected to reach $3.9 billion in 2010.

Distribution of these gifts is usually accomplished through one of three methods:

Personal; where the gift is handed directly to the recipient.

In a Party; where gifts are shared and opened as a group.

Shipped; where the gift is sent through the mail or via UPS.

This slide presentation will explain how one company is preparing to help us pass out the gifts on Facebook, for any occasion.

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PartyWeDo
The AlbinoPhant Creators
Your Party 2.0 Specialists

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Time reporter Dan Fletcher recently tried to use Facebook as his florist, with mixed results.

He chronicled his adventure in a piece titled:
Gift Giving on Facebook Gets Real

This tongue in check portrayal illustrates the challenges that retailers will have as they attempt to move from virtual gift selling to the real deal on Facebook.

Dan attempted to use a Facebook application to purchase and deliver some actual roses to three women on his “gift list”.

In the end, only his mother would take the roses from him, and here is why…

Facebook is not designed to be a convenience store. If retailers are looking for another distribution channel like 7/11, they will fail in this space. Purchasing convenience is not what social networker’s need when they come to Facebook. They are there for something different.

Facebook is a friend and family gathering system with the potential of being a fabulous retailing format. It can be the perfect place for passing out real gifts to people who WANT to stay connected. But the key is not the convenience of the purchase; rather it is the simplification of the gift sharing process. Even then the sharing must be a part of the engaging conversation within the Facebook experience. Retailers who can facilitate the sharing of gifts within these walls will find the gift selling process simplified.

Facebook is more like a party than a convenience store. Retailers who can inject a fun atmosphere of a group activity within the gift giving process will fit the Facebook model perfectly.

Until Dan’s real flowers can join the Facebook party, they will wilt in the delivery box.

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PartyWeDo
The AlbinoPhant Creators
Your Party 2.0 Specialists

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This statement represents the PartyWeDo “Cause”…

Our cause began as a result of real events, and the passion for it is based upon real emotions and real needs.

There are three supporting pillars to the cause:

People

Memories

Giving

Genesis Statements:

* The love for our family is real and is the most powerful motivation for our actions.

* The years of real memories have addicted us to the need to keep generating more.

* Support for those we love requires real giving, which cannot be virtually substituted.

To Sarah and me, the PartyWeDo cause is very personal. We are motivated to contribute because of the people and the memories that we love.

You may have similar people and memories in your life, for which this cause might be valuable as well. If so, we hope that you will join us in making the internet experience like REAL.

The AlbinoPhant party, and the others that will follow, make gift giving on the internet as real as possible.

We are passionate that the virtual experience should somehow send people back into the real world and provide real support.

Memories are not built in a vacuum, so these parties should link real people into an activity that adds to the stories, emotions, and the laughter of great personal connections.

It is hard to stay real in a world built on keyboards, bandwidth and servers. Nevertheless, our cause is to make some of this virtual world like REAL.

NOTE: Thanks to Jesse Stay for suggesting that we publish our Cause for you to read…

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PartyWeDo
The AlbinoPhant Creators
Your Party 2.0 Specialists

There is a growing feeling that Facebook and other social properties will begin to join forces with online retailers to sell real products on their networks.
In fact when Catharine Taylor asked thought leaders to consider what is ahead for 2010, John Dudley, an editor at Hampden-Sydney College suggested that “At least one major retailer will develop an e-commerce Facebook app that will replace its entire “traditional” e-commerce Web site.

What does this really mean?
Can it mean that retailers will just increase their efforts by beefing up their fan page or throwing up some additional advertising on the walls?

No.. Mr Dudley is suggesting that e-commerce will move an actual sales channel into Facebook. This effort would require that a retailer build a storefront on the Facebook super highway. With a social network based store, users could stop and shop without leaving the Facebook system. They could use their regular profile, their recognized PayPal account and have UPS deliver the goods to their door. They would find shopping and sharing with distant family and friends a seamless experience.

What type of retailer would take that risk?
We suggest that gift merchants are the perfect group for the move toward an e-commerce/Facebook partnership, and here is why:

* Gift giving among family and friends sends about $115 Billion dollars into cash registers every year, in just the US alone.

* The concept of sharing gifts (virtual, at least) in Facebook is not a new concept, so selling real gifts through this space is not a giant leap.

* Facebook users have demonstrated that they want to stay connected and supportive to even the most distant contacts.

* Established affiliate sales systems provide the framework to track and administer the sales efforts.

Adding to this concept of e-commerce on social networks, a year end discussion on advertising trends suggest that; “Social media will provide a new sales channel for establishing product awareness and commercializing brands to better support traditional advertising or text-based ads”.
The keyword in this statement is the mention of a new sales channel, supported by advertising and other internet based tools. The integration of retail sales and online tools will provide the wise e-commerce pioneers with a head start into this emerging opportunity.

Which e-commerce retailer could take advantage of this emerging trend?
Amazon should be on the list, and so should Ebay. But Wal-Mart or Target could make a big move with this effort as well. Then there is Buy.com, Overstock.com and other 2nd tier online retailers, who might be looking for some differentiation from the big dogs in e-commerce.

It might be interesting to explore the possibility that an e-commerce retailer could use an engaging Facebook application to assist in gathering family and friends together to purchase gifts and share with each other.

We really like this idea…!!!

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PartyWeDo
The AlbinoPhant Creators
Your Party 2.0 Specialists