Facebook Gifts Get Real: Users Will Be Able To Present Friends With Physical Gifts

Gone are the days of dishing out miniature icons posing as virtual presents on Facebook. Instead of the standard “congratulations!” wall post users will soon be able to comment and include real-world gifts for any occurrence. The new commerce-based Facebook Gifts that users can purchase for their friends directly from their profile page. Facebook Gifts range from gift cards […]

Chat with MarTechBot

Gone are the days of dishing out miniature icons posing as virtual presents on Facebook. Instead of the standard “congratulations!” wall post users will soon be able to comment and include real-world gifts for any occurrence. The new commerce-based Facebook Gifts that users can purchase for their friends directly from their profile page.

FacebookGift

Facebook Gifts range from gift cards to a large selection of physical goods. The gift giver simply needs to choose an item for a friend, pay for it within Facebook. An address is not required as Facebook will coordinate with the recipient directly. Gifts can be publicly shared on one’s timeline for all to see, or kept private. Additionally, they will be wrapped in Facebook packaging and arrive with a personalized card. Facebook Credits will not be accepted for any gifts as they must be paid for with a credit of debit card.Facebook Gfits All

As every Facebook user knows, life events are extremely significant on Facebook. With proper execution Facebook Gifts could fill a huge void. Now Facebook could not only remind you of a Birthday, but let you send a gift that all can see — instantly. New baby? Say congrats and get them a gift. Finals week? Here’s a Starbucks card. This could be a huge revenue stream for the faltering social network.

This could also be a huge sales driver for Facebook’s gift partners. Businesses looking to offer products as gifts can fill out a form to apply.

Gifts will be rolling out soon, but only to those located in the U.S. Once gifts are live, users can take the following actions to give a gift:

  1. Go to a friend’s timeline
  2. Click 355005117917334 1026013883 Gift at the top and pick out an item
  3. Select a card and add a personal message
  4. Review your order and then click Give Gift

For more information, see the official Facebook Gifts page.


Opinions expressed in this article are those of the guest author and not necessarily MarTech. Staff authors are listed here.


About the author

Greg Finn
Contributor
Greg Finn is the Director of Marketing for Cypress North, a company that provides world-class social media and search marketing services and web & application development. He has been in the Internet marketing industry for 10+ years and specializes in Digital Marketing. You can also find Greg on Twitter (@gregfinn) or LinkedIn.

Get the must-read newsletter for marketers.