Not sure why the media, and some “pundits,” are so ga-ga over this. Seems to me to simply be another place to sell stuff and nothing unique about it… think “click to buy here” or about shops offered in the past from Yahoo, etc. Shoppers tend to buy most in dedicated ecommerce environments where they are comfortable and in a buying frame of mind.
This is nothing more than an additional storefront in a place that someone is less likely to make a purchase. IMHO will not add significant sales to a retailer, but worth trying if available and cost effective. Even Facebook is not expecting much in sales or they would be asking for a rev share/affiliate fee… instead they want to simply sell more ads which they know will be profitable for them.
Ted Rubin