These days, social shopping is a huge buzz word. But what does it mean to you as an online retailer?

There are sites such as This Next and Kaboodle that are social bookmarking sites. Here, shoppers can bookmark and tag items while seeing reviews and ratings from other users. For retailers, Kaboodle allows you to add the “Add to Kaboodle” button to your site. Shoppers will be able to add your products to their wish lists and shopping lists. Their friends will then be able to view your products and buy directly from your store.

The coupon and deal sites like dealplumber rely on sales and coupon codes, fortunately some also offer the ability to set up a merchant profile to submit your deals and specials.

You can also “go social” on your website. The FaceBook “Like” button is fairly simple to add to your store. You can also make it easy for shoppers to share your products with the “email a friend” feature.

A product rating review system really gets online shoppers involved. Our system allows your customers to interact while you maintain control of the content, it’s also very SEO friendly. There are many compelling studies that attest to the powerful impact a product review system can have on sales and conversions. Check out this summary at SocialCommerceToday.

For a more in depth look at the different social shopping sites out there, this article from GetElastic.com is a great resource. No matter your opinion on this new trend, it isn’t going anywhere so you might as well make the most of it!