Social media giant Facebook is extending its recent online "pop-up shop" initiative to Canada, providing local retailer Roots Canada the opportunity to sell its products to the millions of Canadians currently using the world's most popular social network.
Facebook "pop-up" stores work much the same way as real world pop-up shops, in that they provide small businesses with the chance to increase brand awareness through access to prime retail spots for a limited time.
"If you're already on Facebook and you're spending hours there, you don't have to leave the site to shop," Tanja Zelko, Roots manager of online marketing and customer experience, told the Toronto Star.
While it is true that the return on investment from social media marketing has been notoriously difficult to measure, especially among small companies, businesses worldwide are hopping aboard sites such as Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and Tumblr to connect with prospects and customers.
"Social media is definitely very big for us," Emily Scarlett, public relations manager for H&M Canada, told the Star. "We have a lot of teens with very high disposable incomes. They love Twitter, they love Facebook and they love YouTube. We're definitely starting to use social media for advertising."
