According to a Jan. 27th press release, the e-tailing group reported the following data vis-a-vis the integration of social media at online retailing sites:
Source: the e-tailing group, "11th Annual Mystery Shopping Study" as cited in press release, January 27, 2009
The most interesting of these stats is the bookmarking statistic. Although it only stands at 28% of online retailers, that represents incredible growth over 2007, when it was closer to 0%.
It got me wondering. If online retailers are adopting social media – bookmarking in particular - at such an alarming rate, then is there really any value offered by social shopping sites like Kaboodle? Especially when we consider the proliferation of social graph portability.
So it begs the question…why would I aggregate at Kaboodle if I can aggregate and share at all my favorite retailers? I don’t think I would. Exactly!
For social shopping to live up to its true potential, it’ll need to be more than an aggregation play that relies on a destination site….
