There's a lot being said about the potential for retailers and brands to drive business through social networks. Numerous companies have opened up storefronts on Facebook, and f-commerce is seen by many as a means to develop deeper connections with consumers while driving incremental business at the same time.
Now comes news that Google's social media answer to Facebook, Google+, is open for retailers and brands to launch pages. A number of merchants including Burberry, H&M and Macy's have pages on Google+. As of 10:00 p.m. ET on Nov. 8, Burberry had 12,349 followers, H&M had 10,383 and Macy's had 10,767.
According to the official Google blog, "So far Google+ has focused on connecting people with other people. But we want to make sure you can build relationships with all the things you care about—from local businesses to global brands."
Internet Retailer reports that Google is looking to gain an advantage over Facebook through a new search feature, Direct Connect, that will enable "members to search for the Google+ pages of retailers, as well as bands and movies, then add them to Circles."