Facebook and Amazon make shopping social

This article was originally on a blog post platform and may be missing photos, graphics or links. See About archive blog posts.

Now shoppers can take their friends with them on Amazon.com.

The Internet retail giant took steps to make shopping more social Tuesday by letting Amazon shoppers connect their Amazon and Facebook accounts.

The move makes sense for Amazon, which got into the game early with recommendations based on purchases and searches and with reviews from other customers. But customers are much more likely to solicit advice from friends. Plus they can keep track of their friends’ birthdays and get gift suggestions based on what their friends have said they like on Facebook.

Social shopping is a pervasive trend this year as BeachMint, Polyvore, Blippy, Swipely and others look to make the experience more interactive. But not too interactive. What you buy on Amazon will stay on Amazon and won’t be shared on Facebook (unless you want to).

-- Jessica Guynn