Social selling – your commerce, your...

A coworker recently forwarded a link to an article about ToldYa, an eCommerce widget focused on enabling anyone to sell products in social settings (Facebook, MySpace, Hi5, blogs, etc.) online.  I’ve looked at a few of these in the past, but wasn’t all that compelled by them. Tonight I gave ToldYa a quick test drive to see what it was all about.

First, what’s ToldYa’s pitch?

ToldYa is a web based software platform for creating, hosting, and managing widget-based Portable Stores. Our Portable Stores enable everyday consumers and businesses to sell their goods and services through the most advanced widget technology available anywhere.

So far so good.  A bit more specific:

The ToldYa eStore™ lets you buy and sell among friends on social networks, blogs and web sites. You can create and copy your store directly to your profiles (such as MySpace, Facebook and others) as well as your own blog or website. And you also get a custom store page here at toldya.com to link to. Your customizable ToldYa eStore widget features an integrated secure checkout system that lets you accept major credit cards for purchases. And you can personalize and promote your store to help you sell your stuff fast. You can even earn money by telling your friends. And best of all, it doesn’t cost you a penny until your item sells!

Commerce in social context, huh?  I’ve heard this line before and been disappointed when I’ve surveyed the experience from the perspective of the buyer, the seller, or both.  Before we get much farther, here’s what the eStore widget looks like embedded into this post:

My verdict on ToldYa? I like it.  Here’s why:

1. Seller setup was was easy. I grabbed an item off my bookshelf that I could part with, went to the ToldYa site, and had my product listing on my Facebook page in less than ten minutes.  That included creating my ToldYa account.  The ToldYa seller user experience was anticipatory, straightforward and thoughtful.
2. It was simple to distribute the eStore widget (and would be for a novice).  ToldYa provides cut-and-paste code and click integration to quickly get the eStore onto social sites like Facebook or a personal blog.
3. The pricing model is fair.  Selling requires no up-front payment, and ToldYa has a flat-rate structure ($.99/sale and a 5% transation fee on credit card sales).  There are obvious limitations in that pricing structure, but their overall pricing model is fair.
4. The eStore looks good.  I’m not 100% on the look of the base eStore widget (the dark blue-black with the super-gel buttons), but this is something that ToldYa can easily overcome (templates).  What was a pleasant surprise was how the eStore looked when placed on my Facebook profile and/or Wall.  The eStore looks like it belongs (they dropped the dark blue-black scheme and kept it simple).
5. Buyers can buy the product right on your site.  There’s not linking out to complete the transaction elsewhere.  Checkout occurs right in the widget.

Take a look at my eStore on ToldYa.