Sierra Trading Post (STP) will become the first major outdoor retailer to try and leverage its fan base on Facebook by opening a store on the site that will make it easier for its fans to buy, share and virally promote its products on the social networking site. 


STP will use ShopFans, a solution provided by Adgregate, a San Francisco-based provider of secure online advertising and social commerce solutions that recently helped the apparel brand Icebreaker publish its catalogue on Facebook. 

 

The ShopFans service will enable STP's Facebook fans to complete purchases without compromising security and privacy and virally promote and share products while they buy, all through the social ‘hooks’ within the social network. The result will be fewer required clicks and higher conversions for Sierra Trading Post.  

 

Adgregate said STP will be the first major outdoor gear and apparel retailer to open a full-featured Facebook store. Adgregate recently implemented a “click-out” version of ShopFans for Icebreaker which allows the apparel brand's fans to view some of its collection within Facebook, but then links them to Icebreaker's own secure e-commerce site to make purchases.

 

“This is so new, so fresh, and we know it’s going to be a fun way for our fans to experience Sierra Trading Post,” says Juliette Rule, Sierra Trading Post social marketing manager. “To have our fantastic product selection right at your Facebooking fingertips is great. Our fans won’t be sacrificing security to get those great deals on great brands, and that just makes the experience with us even better.”

ShopFans will enable Sierra Trading Post to showcase many product categories directly in Facebook, allowing fans of the company to select items they wish to buy, and complete their checkout process securely.  Additionally, Sierra Trading Post’s ShopFans integrates PowerReviews' ratings and reviews into Facebook, which have been proven to increase customer engagement and drive sales.


“ShopFans enables our clients to monetize their Facebook fan base through spending and referrals,” says Henry Wong, CEO of Adgregate Markets. “Sierra Trading Post will now be able to offer their customers a secure online shopping experience within Facebook. We’re thrilled to be their social commerce solution provider.”


True social commerce includes measureable results and metrics that are vital to understanding customer engagement.  ShopFans tracks which conversations are occurring, and ultimately reveals how the conversion funnel appears within Facebook.  ShopFans encompasses all available Facebook social hooks, including “Likes”, sharing of reviews, and purchase notifications via News Feed Posts.  At the same time, Sierra Trading Post gains insight on product recommendations, purchase intent and conversion rates.


Unlike existing social commerce solutions offered in Facebook, ShopFans has won the public endorsements from both security and privacy heavyweights, McAfee, VeriSign and TRUSTe, to protect brands’ reputations and pave the way for consumers to buy confidently within Facebook.  In particular, McAfee is the exclusive security provider to Facebook.


Headquartered in Cheyenne, Wyo., Sierra Trading Post is a multichannel retailer specializing in purchases brand name overstocks, closeouts and 2nds, and passing the savings on to its customers. It sells outdoor gear, shoes, men’s clothing, women’s clothing, accessories and home furnishings at 35 to 70% savings every day. The company  operates four outlet stores in Boise, ID; Reno, NV.; Cheyenne and Cody, WY and operates customer service call centers n Cheyenne and Cody.  The company is ranked 74th on Internet Retailer’s Top 500 List and 16th within the list’s apparel category.