Retail history has been made in Melbourne, after a small business made $50, 000 in less than 24 hours through a sale on its Facebook store.
123 Cheese reduced all its products to $29 for a one-day ‘Leap Year Sale’ on 29 February.
“[It’s] truly remarkable. People were placing orders and then sharing the store with their friends, who would then share it with their friends,” 123 Cheese owner Mark Lynch said.
The store, which provides an online photo book solution that allows customers to create photo books using their own photos, is powered by Aradium, a Brisbane-based software start-up.
Aradium founder, Ryan Mills, said: “The amazing success of the 123 Cheese Facebook store promotion clearly shows the power of social media for small business.”
With software like Aradium’s, businesses are now able to sell online without having to pay for search engine advertising, or auction and deal site fees, all without leaving Facebook.
Mills believes Facebook, with over 845 million users, is more than just a place where people socialise – it’s also a place where people interact with businesses. Though Facebook has been seen as more of social website rather than a shopping site, Mills believes this is changing rapidly, with consumers increasingly creating online relationships with their favourite brands through Facebook.
This is because Facebook allows “both a dialogue as well as a transaction between buyers and sellers,” Mills said.
“When a customer ‘Likes’ your business on Facebook, they are indicating they want to follow your brand, your products, latest offers, and exclusive discounts,” he added.
The success of the 123 Cheese Facebook promotion has left Lynch with no doubt as to the the power of Facebook as a platform to sell and develop long-term relationships with clients.
“It’s the new world and if you’re not on it, you’re missing out on vital sales. This is where the new consumer is,” he added.
