Social Networking Helps EyeBuyDirect.com Increase Traffic
Traffic at EyeBuyDirect.com has increased between 10% and 15% according to Internet Retailer since the online discount eyeglass retailer added a social networking hub to its web site about five months ago.
About 20,000 consumers have added pictures of themselves sporting nearly 500 different styles of eyewear to EyeBuyDirect.com’s “Wall of Frame” social network. Here, friends, family and strangers can offer feedback on photos. The social networking hub now drives more traffic to the EyeBuyDirect.com site than search and any other marketing efforts.
EyeBuyDirect CEO Ron Hessel says the social network was added after visitors asked for a way to share photos. “Customers started calling and asking if we could provide links to their uploaded pictures. People started saying ‘I want my friends to see how I look before I buy.’”
To maximize social networking traffic, “Wall of Frame” visitors can also post their own or any other picture in the area on their Facebook pages via a link below each photo. “If I could offer advice to other online retailers, it’s to take advantage of the Facebook and MySpace phenomenon”.