Retail surgery: Will the integration of social media into our website drive traffic?

Integrating your website with a social media or email identity provider allows customers to sign into your site using only their social media username and password. Normally offered alongside traditional register and sign-in links, this can replace the many registration pages that may get in the way of a purchase with a one-click sign-in via Facebook, Twitter or other similar social media site.

Deloitte partner and identity expert Paul Boichat says for the customer there is added convenience of not having numerous usernames and passwords. “As a customer’s social media presence is often seen as the centre of their internet experience, it may become natural to associate this online identity with everything they do online,” he says.

For a retailer, removing barriers to the use of their sites can only be positive. It can reduce administrative and security burdens of managing their own user and password authentication. “Users increasingly see their favourite social media site as the homepage to their life,” says Boichat. “Linking your site to this identity may develop a deeper attachment and brand awareness.”

However, he adds: “Depending on the value of the transaction and the nature of the site, it may not always be appropriate to outsource authentication to another party outside of your control.”

Will integration with customers’ social media identity drive traffic to your website? Boichat believes it’s unlikely to be a draw in itself, but anything that makes it easier for customers to use a retailer’s website is sure to grow in popularity.