'Shop with Friends' on Social Networks

Our Shop with Friends button on an e-commerce site enables customers to send an impromptu invitation via chat on Facebook, AIM, or Bebo to an online friend to join them on a retailer's website. Once the invitation is accepted, a private 'Shop-N-Chat Room' is instantly launched on the website in the exact location of the invitor, eliminating any hassle connecting the two shoppers and ensuring precisely the same view. Shoppers communicate in real-time by chatting and marking up pages as they navigate and scroll in sync.

Moreover, Shop with Friends presents the opportunity for a Mall Experience as it enables shoppers to easily switch from the 'shop Together' tab to 'hunt Apart' tab where they look for items on their own, sharing finds with a click that brings them back Together. This unique design captures the excitement of shopping with friends at the Mall by melding fun and adventure with the benefits of advice from a trusted friend … and at a speed that supports quick, confident buying decisions. Each shopper also has their personal shopping bag in the Apart tab.

Retailers can utilize the Sesh technology to its fullest by truly leveraging these vast social network populations. Since social network members are already signed in to catch up with their friends and socialize, Shop with Friends is a natural extension of this original intention, socializing. Our technology enables a retailer to monetize this enormous population's intention to be social in a co-shopping environment on their website.

Implementing viral campaigns via promotions and contests for Facebook fans will incentivize them to invite friends from Facebook, AIM, and Bebo to shop with them, thus increasing brand exposure, traffic and fan base. In addition, shoppers have the option, while shopping, to publish what they're doing and viewing with a postback to all of their Facebook friends, broadening the reach of any marketing campaign exponentially.

Bring-Any-Friend

Customers may also invite friends and family who are not social network users to enjoy a Mall Experience online in a couple of ways. A room link is presented in our 'Invite' dialog to copy & send to a friend or relative who is ready to respond. Also, retailers can link customers to a page that allows them to 'Start Shop with Friends' or 'Join Shop with Friends'. Each room is assigned a unique customer room number, making it easy to join a friend on the website. This method is helpful in assisting those who may not be familiar or comfortable shopping online to make a buying decision.

Community

Retailers can opt to offer their loyal community members the ability to make themselves available to other customers that are seeking live advice from another customer who has experience with their products. With one click customers invite one of these online devoted patrons, who are willing and eager to share their recommendations, to join them a private 'Snop-N-Chat Room'. These advocates, in effect, act as an emotional sales team, which can ultimately lighten the load of service staff.