Feel the power of Like

Shopping is so much simpler if someone has already given your purchase a thumbs-up. Susannah Butter reports
p35 edition 28.05 CFCMCC Facebook like button Credit: Alamy
29 May 2013

I’m about to buy a bottle of perfume on a website called Fancy. But as well as deciding what I want to smell of, I can see that 4,348 other people have liked the scent I want, and someone calling themselves “studiomimi” has worn it for years. This is shopping in an age governed by the power of like.

Since its introduction by Facebook in February 2009, the Like button has crept into every part of life. Most people know you can like a friend’s photograph on Facebook, or share with the world that you just really like KitKats. The Facebook Like button is clicked an average of 2.7 billion times a day and is so deeply entrenched that people are even getting tattoos of the thumbs-up symbol. But it has spread beyond the social network.

With Facebook use in the UK down by nine per cent since last year, according to a YouGov report, others are using their own independent variation of the Like button. Design shop Fab allows you to “fave” items, and see how many others have bought them, as does Nuji.com. Fancy, where I am buying perfume, describes itself as “part store, blog, magazine and wish list”.

François-Henri Pinault, owner of Gucci and Stella McCartney, is on the board of directors, along with Jack Dorsey, founder of Twitter. Sign up, browse a range of products from clothes to lampshades and tell people what you “fancy”. The price is set according to how many people like a product, Fancy sells it and takes a cut. Founder Joe Einhorn says: “Consumers set trends, communities form around objects, and then merchants or brands can come right in and sell directly to them.”

Making money out of the social network is a shrewd move. In an interview with this paper earlier this year, founder of Net-a-Porter Natalie Massenet said if she were starting an online retail business today she would take pictures of dresses, post them on Instagram and then find a way to monetise likes.

A recent study by ComScore found that people who like a page are more prone to make a purchase, and consumers are 65 per cent more likely to remember social advertising than non-social.

Last year, Procter & Gamble CEO Robert McDonald announced a lay-off of 1,600 people, saying the company is trimming its £8 billion annual advertising budget because “things like Facebook and Google” can be “much more efficient”.

“Traditional adverts seem exhausted,” says Tim Malbon, co-founder of digital agency Made by Many. “At the moment there is an almighty fight away from campaign-based adverts to ones people can directly engage with. The like is not powerful in itself. But being able to buy what you like straight from the page is a good idea. Facebook is getting tired — now other companies are using aspects of it in interesting ways.” Facebook denies that usage is down saying the YouGov report is down to errors and measurement and numbers continue to rise.

Does this commercialisation ruin the charm of a simple thumbs- up? Malbon doesn’t think so. “Shopping is a hassle, so being able to buy something while on a site you look at for pleasure is appealing.”

Einhorn says: “Facebook is about the people who matter to you. Fancy is the stuff that matters to you that you’re going to spend money on.”

According to a study by consulting firm McKinsey: “Person-to-person advocacy has overtaken all other forms of communication as the most persuasive influence on people’s attitudes and behaviour.”

Coca-Cola, the most liked product on Facebook with 64 million, values likes so much that it has a whole team employed to manage their page. Rihanna has a carrot-and-stick policy — you can only watch her videos if you like her page — and other companies are said to be buying likes.

So if you are reading this online and enjoyed it — go on, click the like button on the right.

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