Along with content, social networking is a key part of most of our customers? marketing and communications strategies, with many brands tying in their blogs, news feeds and selling pages with Twitter and/or Facebook. However, while social networking definitely provides an edge in communication, as a straight selling tool, it has not yet proved to be as effective. However, that does not mean it cannot.</p> <p>During this past year, HMV, ASOS, Best Buy and others have launched transactional shops on Facebook and other brands, such as French Connection have shops in the works. According to research, only 11 per cent of page visitors have actually bought anything. </p> <p>The result of the research, which was conducted by Lightspeed and Havas Media Social, was presented at an online marketing show late last week. Comments backed up the findings with Simon Wallis?, sales and marketing director of Dominos, saying they have decided not to launch a Facebook Store and Phillip Rinn, director of advertising partnerships on Ebay UK putting it in sentence: ?Social shopping isn?t yet mature in the UK.?</p> <p>For those who invest in social media and have been considering adding a transactional shop to go along with their content, news, and social networking communications strategies, all is not lost. Despite the research?s low findings when it comes to purchases made via Facebook, there is indication that exclusive buys via Facebook shops might fare much better. The trick, it seems, is to offer something on Facebook people cannot get anywhere else and then make it easy to buy it.<br />