Facebook has just launched a new experimental feature, where users can “collect” items to a wish-list, and “want” various items from the list (“wants” function the same way as “likes”). “Wanting” an item doesn’t mean you have to buy it, though Facebook does provide the option, but rather helps brands to understand who their products appeal to.
Not only can you refer back to your own wish-list, but you can share it with everyone you know. At first, I was ecstatic that I would no longer have to wait for my wedding for a gift registry, but I was still skeptical. Would it become the second bain of my social media existence – first place always being your insipid “archive message” feature – cluttering my newsfeed with insignificant retail hopes and dreams? One thing’s for sure: I couldn’t possibly hate it more than Google, Amazon, Pintrest and the like.
Intended as a commercial search engine, Facebook offers brands more than competitors do. According to Business Insider, even though people purchase less on Facebook than competing sites, Facebook has two significant advantages: Facebook has a much larger user base and a social context. One billion users strong, products reach more people, and instead of looking at insignificant items selected by strangers, you’re looking at items selected by your friends. In the words of Facebook itself, “People will be able to engage with these collections and share things they are interested in with their friends.”
What’s in it for Facebook? According to TechCrunch, because Collections is offered through Pages, it is projected to stimulate more Facebook Ads, which is how the site makes money.
So it’s good for Facebook, and good for brands, but is it good for me? Eager to find out, and made more eager by my approaching birthday, I began to scour the pages of Facebook Collections’ seven retail partners: Victoria’s Secret, Pottery Barn, Neiman Marcus, Michael Kors, Smith Optics, Wayfair, and Fab.com. To no avail.
I saw no “want” button, no “collections” option – how could this be? Was this because I was behind in the Facebook times? Did I have to update my Facebook to access “Collections,” much like I had to update my timeline to get in on the ever popular cover photo? Was I simply not cool enough?
The Los Angeles Times confirmed my worries. I wasn’t cool enough. Because Collections is an experimental feature, for now it is only offered to a select few, a random lottery of profiles. And because I am not one of the lucky few, my verdict would have to be postponed – though I will say my displeasure indicates that I will probably favor Facebook’s newest addition. The good news is, it probably won’t be long until everyone can decide for themselves. According to Rueters, Facebook seems committed to making the feature permanent, and to including a wide array of brands.
Do you “want” the “want” feature, or do you “like” the idea of things staying as they are?
