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eCommerce on Facebook with Payvment ... first impression, wow!
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Now I don't know if Facebook members are ever really going to want to shop there or not, but I tend to believe that they will. When I set up a Facebook Fan Page for my store a few weeks ago I did so figuring that Facebook would find itself eCommerce enabled sometime in 2010--there were already some options, but none that fit me right. Well, it's only November 2009, but it looks like a viable solution is already here!
Payvment, currently in Beta, is intended for more than Facebook--indeed it appears that it's intention is to make your cart portable by, as stated on their FAQ, turning a shopping cart into a web service. Their claim: Payvment removes the need to ever purchase, install or develop a shopping cart system ever again.
We'll see about that another day, I haven't played with their more general offering yet, but I just spent about a total of a half hour with their Facebook App in that time having registered, installed, and even listed 7 items for sale on my Facebook Page!
Now either it's a little wonky because it's brand spanking new, or the directions need a little upgrade, but after a little fooling around I did manage to get the service installed. Where I erred was in installing the app directly from Facebook without first registering at Payvment.com.
After getting over that hump by taking the common sense step of registering at their site, I clicked on the link to install the Facebook App (while still on Payvment.com) and the App launched, though not immediately to my Facebook Page but my Profile instead.
Still, the Payvment Store wasn't active on my Profile, just nestled on the backend for only me to see. I went into the installation and clicked to add it to my Facebook Page instead. It then shows a list of all of the pages you operate and so I selected the appropriate one and launched it. After entering my "Secret Key" (they supply this to you in the installation flow), I clicked to make my store live and boom, there it was.
Now I did cheat to get everything up and running so shortly, copying over my terms and other info from an already existing site I have and similarly copying over my listings from pre-existing files as well, but if you're already selling anywhere it'll be just as simple for you to get started as well.
Payvment Suggestions:
- A little more detail to the directions. Besides the launch I also had trouble finding out how to return to the Admin section after viewing the first item I successfully listed (you go to Edit Page and selected "Edit" under the Payvment App heading). So there may be a little trial and error involved in finding your way around at first.
- I'd like both bigger images--large image on item page can only be 230 pixels wide, thumbnail is fine at 125 px--and an automatic resize. I probably could have listed several additional items during that half hour if I didn't have to stop and resize my existing images. Also, you can't upload images from your desktop, you have to publish them and enter the URL (see my previous article on image hosting if you're not sure how).
Keep in mind this article are my earliest impressions, I've definitely got to play a little more, but as shop owner I'm very happy with what I see so far. Actual sales, well, time will tell, but if people are going to shop on Facebook I don't see why they wouldn't shop through Payvment.
Besides your own store search there's a tab to search all Payvment shops on Facebook, so the potential is there to grow your shopper base above and beyond your current friends and fans.
Payvment is free at this time, the only fees you're going to pay are any PayPal fees associated with your Payvment sales.
I'll have more in this space about Payvment as I make new discoveries through further use.
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