A new social shopping site is in beta test and already it looks set to redefine things for Internet retailers. Called Crowdstorm it allows shoppers to find out what is being sold, where, what’s good about it and so on. In other words shoppers can find out the best deals and the best items for specific purposes. The most popular products will get the best “buzz”. For online retailers this is a problem. Up until recently, Internet shops were largely a replica of traditional stores - departments and categories that largely were produced for the convenience of the shop. However, people don’t shop online in the same way as they do in a traditional retail store. Services like Crowdstorm are responding to the online behaviour which is much more social. In the past, the social aspects of shopping were restricted to conversations in the pub or at dinner parties. Now, online social shopping sites are able to extend that. What this means if you sell things online is that you need to start responding to the social behaviour of your shoppers.

---