Campus bookstore operator Barnes & Noble College has integrated the social networking features of its more than 500 campus Facebook pages into its e-commerce site, in a move that will create a seamless shopping and product recommendation capability for the retailer’s more than 250,000 Facebook page fans. Students can now “like” a product they buy from a campus bookstore and show off the goods they buy or would like to buy.
B&N worked with social media firms Enter New Media and Expion to integrate the functionality which also offers such customized Facebook tabs as The Shop, a showcase of hot trends at each bookstore; Books, new, used, rental and digital textbooks and access to NookStudy; Mascot, alumni athletic apparel and more; and The Hall, a live feed to a student blog and student orientation materials.
Max J. Roberts, president of Barnes & Noble College, cited the importance of social media and the power of their peer’s “word of mouth” when it is time for students to purchase products or services. "In a university community, students are engaged in campus life through their social networks, including purchasing and recommending products and services," Roberts said. With nearly 250,000 Facebook fans, the platform has jumped from the fifth to the number one referral site to B&N's campus bookstore websites since the current school year began, Roberts said.
