All depends on the quality of the gifts. If they're chintzy, good luck. But if it's quality stuff, cool. It's got to be of a higher level than Zynga was for apps.
Facebook would be served best by controlling gift quality with an iron fist. I'm a little skeptical they'll do that, but maybe.
This is very cool, though "Friends ... can swap for a different size, flavor or style before the gift ships."
Example: when my distant friends announce that they are expecting a baby I usually have to contact them to get mailing info so I can send them one of my favorite children's books. If Facebook can make this happen in just a few clicks, then I'll gladly use their service.
As a selected vendor, I must say they do seem focused on quality. I'm clearly biased but the impression I got from the buyer is they're being very picky.
Another thing that will be tricky is separating signal and noise. If I'm buying a birthday gift for my punk rock friend, they shouldn't bother showing me cupcakes and chocolate boxes. Seems like a no-brainer to show me gift options based on his likes.
Comments
All depends on the quality of the gifts. If they're chintzy, good luck. But if it's quality stuff, cool. It's got to be of a higher level than Zynga was for apps.
Facebook would be served best by controlling gift quality with an iron fist. I'm a little skeptical they'll do that, but maybe.
This is very cool, though "Friends ... can swap for a different size, flavor or style before the gift ships."
Still. Quality. Quality. Quality.
I would love to be able to send books.
Example: when my distant friends announce that they are expecting a baby I usually have to contact them to get mailing info so I can send them one of my favorite children's books. If Facebook can make this happen in just a few clicks, then I'll gladly use their service.
As a selected vendor, I must say they do seem focused on quality. I'm clearly biased but the impression I got from the buyer is they're being very picky.
Another thing that will be tricky is separating signal and noise. If I'm buying a birthday gift for my punk rock friend, they shouldn't bother showing me cupcakes and chocolate boxes. Seems like a no-brainer to show me gift options based on his likes.
I would love to hear more, if you have more to share.
They're selling a lot of things that you would expect to see on fab.com. And I think they only have 100 vendors to start?
All Things D has a good write up: http://allthingsd.com/20120927/say-hello-to-gifts-facebooks-...
Why wouldn't they just do a deal with Amazon?