As if Facebook wasn’t doing enough, it has now launched a gift service that allows people to send real items (e.g. cookies, stuffed animals) to friends.  It uses the tagline “Real friends. Real gifts.” (Dembosky, september 28).

This service marks the social network’s first attempt into dealing with physical goods; up till now Facebook has restricted its activities to digital goods and gaming (e.g. music and movies).

April Dembosky (writer at The Globe and Mail) explains that Facebook can’t compete against Amazon’s shipping, she says it’s is missing the most crucial element-peoples’ physical addresses.

The system works in steps; when the user orders a gift, a Facebook message is sent to the friend asking for their physical address. This service provides a handful of products, such as cupcakes and Starbucks gift cards, and plans to expand to goods like socks, chocolates, ice cream, and even mini-dinosaurs!

This is another way for Facebook to make money, and even if the idea isn’t too innovative and new, it still prompts excitement. People may just want to try it out  because it’s “Facebook” doing something different. Many may also find it an easier alternative to Amazon,  as people are on Facebook most of the time anyway.

Sources:

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/technology/facebook-launches-gift-service-ventures-into-amazons-territory/article4573963/