Facebook launched in the United States a gift service where users can buy and send products to friends on the social networking site, which seeks to develop new sources of revenue.
The gift service will be available initially in the U.S. and the online store will initially offer hundreds of products from companies that have partnered with Facebook and Starbucks, announced the company on Friday evening, according to Bloomberg.
Facebook, which this year bought Karma gifts application, will share some of the revenue with partners. The social network relies on events and occasions such as birthdays and holidays gifts to promote this service.
The “Facebook Gifts” service allows immediate payment of the equivalent products or payment later when approaching delivery date. Recipients can customize their gift or can request changes to another product available on the Facebook store. The gift can be displayed on the recipient or can be sent as a private message.
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It is interesting to see how Facebook has integrated Karma into its offering and time will tell how successful it becomes. Once the dust settles, Facebook Gifts is a good first step, but clearly not the end point since there are some major drawbacks to their offering.
1. It’s Costly. The Karma model, which Facebook has adopted, is to offer expensive products from a limited catalog…..and then to charge shipping and handling on top. The costs add up quickly!
2. It’s Not Social. There’s no option for a group to contribute to an individual gift, which means I have to pay the full amount. For close friends and family, I might spend $30 or more….but not on all my Facebook friends. It’s just too expensive.
3. It’s Limited. Granted I can choose a gift from their catalog….and the receiver can change it. They may be trading just to get something better, but it doesn’t mean that’s what they really want…just better than what you selected.
4. It’s Facebook only. What if I have friends on LinkedIn, Google+, or even people who don’t use Facebook (yes, there are some)? Guess they’re out of luck then.
If you want a truly inexpensive, social, and cross platform gifting solution that lets the recipient get exactly what they want, then check out http://www.zPerfectGift.com. You can chip in as little as $5 towards any gift….invite friends and make it a group gift. The recipient transfers the funds onto a gift card of their choice and buys exactly what they want. It’s completely free too and works across Facebook, LinkedIn, Google+ or with any email address. A much, much better gifting solution!