Pluck and IBM Collaborate to Drive Merchant Growth by Integrating Social with Online Shopping

Austin TX (PRWEB) January 15, 2014

Pluck, a division of Demand Media (DMD: NYSE), today announced a partnership with International Business Machines (IBM), joining its Smarter Commerce community of partners to provide enhanced social capabilities to the online shopping experience. The Pluck community platform has been designated an IBM WebSphere Commerce validated technology partner solution and has been added to IBM’s selective list of innovative and relevant e-commerce services and solutions.

“Shoppers today expect an engaging and interactive online experience, and they will seek out brands that can deliver on that expectation,” said John Mesberg, Vice President, IBM B2B &Commerce Solutions. “Together, Pluck and IBM give online merchants the ability to deliver a trustworthy, content-rich experience that helps shoppers make purchase decisions and fosters enduring brand engagement, while giving merchants valuable, actionable customer data and insights.”

The influence that customer communities exert on the shopper’s path to purchase is well understood. For example:

•     Forrester concludes that fully 53% of retail sales are influenced by consumers’ Web-based product research.
•     IBM’s own research indicates that half of consumers rated friends and families as their most trusted source of product information.
•     According to Internet Retailer, 62% of shoppers say they are more likely to return to a brand site that offers social community.
•     Internet Retailer also reports that 74% of online shoppers’ purchase decisions are influenced by the opinions of participants in those communities.

The Pluck community platform helps merchants capitalize on these trends, with social features that can be directly integrated into existing website pages. These features, which include Ratings and Reviews, Social Discovery, Forums, Blogs, Profiles, Groups, Comments, Photo and Video Galleries, and Gamification, can add conversation and interaction to any part of the digital customer journey.

WebSphere Commerce customers such as SHOP.CA, Mattel, Fast Retailing and Argos are already using Pluck to ensure that their website delivers an interactive and engaging experience to all visitors, whether they are early stage shoppers evaluating product features, brand enthusiasts, intent-driven shoppers, or product owners with issues.

Admission into the WebSphere Commerce Validated Technology Partner program reflects Pluck’s deep integration with IBM’s platform and simplifies the task of deploying Pluck within a WebSphere Commerce-powered environment. Now, Pluck and IBM clients are more easily able to capture and acknowledge their customers’ on-site social activities and contributions, and incorporate them into their store front.

“We are delighted that IBM has validated Pluck as a WebSphere Commerce Validated Technology Partner Solution,” said Ben Schneider, vice president and general manager for Pluck. “We already have numerous shared clients who have created unique and compelling customer experiences. This deeper collaboration with IBM acknowledges the integration of two world-class products, but it is fueled by a shared vision of an immersive ecommerce experience.”

Pluck’s solutions are now fully integrated with IBM WebSphere Commerce and generally available. Those seeking a better understanding of Pluck Social Commerce integration with IBM Smarter Commerce should visit the resource library available at http://www.pluck.com/IBM/, or call +1 (512) 519-3232 to speak to Pluck’s IBM partner manager.

About Pluck

Pluck is the preferred Social Commerce platform for the largest and most innovative brands and retailers running IBM WebSphere Commerce. These and more than 650 other market leaders rely on Pluck to make their entire online customer experience more interactive and social. To learn more, please visit http://www.pluck.com.

PDF Print