Some retailers are quite innovative in the tactics that they utilize to generate shopper enthusiasm through social media. One emerging tactic is known as social gifting.

For example, as reported by Chain Store Age: “Brooklyn, N.Y.-based apparel retailer Brooklyn Industries, which has 12 stores in New York, one in Chicago, and another in Portland, Ore., as well as an E-commerce site, is among the list of merchants embracing social gifting. In April 2012, it partnered with Swedish-based social gifting app Wrapp, which allows users to send free virtual gift certificates to friends on Facebook. Yes, free. But there’s a catch: A friend has to meet the brand’s target demographic criteria. The gift certificates — which are usually valued at $5 to $10 — can be posted on a friend’s Facebook wall or Timeline, along with a personal message such as ‘Happy Birthday!’ (Users can add more money to the card to increase its value). To do so, the Wrapp app must be downloaded to an Android or iOS device.”

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