Disney has just opened up a slick f-commerce store, selling advance tickets for Toy Story 3 directly from within Facebook.
The Disney Tickets Together Facebook app works through online ticket retailer Fandango (about 20% of movie tickets are now purchased online), and allows people to purchase tickets and invite their Facebook contacts to see the movie together.
Oliver Luckett of Disney’s social media management subsidiary, DigiSynd said that the f-commerce experiment for Disney could be extended to future Disney films if the Tickets Together app. is deemed a success. The app marks a shift in the use of Facebook for Disney from a channel for creating awareness to a sales channel that connects Fans with their favorite film franchises.
There are five things interesting and smart about the Disney Tickets Together app:
1) Disney is using f-commerce to sell new products, not existing products. This is a smart decision for selling in social media, as the new has news currency and is likely spread faster and wider in social media.
2) Disney is using f-commerce as a VIP sales channel to connect and sell to brand/franchise fans – rather than a mainstream sales channel. It’s similar to P&G’s Pantene store that uses f-commerce as a tryvertising vehicle to create word of mouth buzz around new products. Selling in social media is new and sensitive – selling to fans – people who want to be sold to is a safe and smart first step.
3) Disney is building the f-commerce application around a social experience – seeing movies – selling social experiences in social media is a natural fit.
4) Disney has integrated a viral mechanism directly into the app to support sales – the ability to invite friends to buy too.
5) Disney has used an existing e-commerce service (Fandango) for processing and fulfillment rather than built a new app ground up.
Warren Knight thanks Paul Marsden for another great article