Littlewoods claims to have become the first retailer to monetise Facebook as it debuts a new interactive shopping tool.

The online retailer will be the first brand to use SeeItShopIt, a tool developed by digital agency Isobar, to showcase collections of products within a single post.

Facebook users will be able browse through brand collections, share individual items and directly purchase through SeeItShopIt.

Retailers have struggled to harness Facebook’s power and convert it into sales. Fashion retailers Oasis and Gap are amongst those which have launched then closed transactional sites on the social network.

Littlewoods, owned by Shop Direct, will initially use the tool on its Facebook page to launch Myleene Klass’s new swimwear collection. The retailer will bring 10 new collections to its 162,000 Facebook fans throughout May and June.

Littlewoods retail director Gary Kibble said: “Littlewoods always looks to be leading customer experiences, whether online or offline. The SeeItShopIt tool gives us the ability to deliver a new way for our Facebook fans to connect with our products.”

Isobar chief technology officer Rick Williams added: “We created SeeItShopIt to deliver an interactive shopping experience directly within Facebook’s news feed, where users spend most of their time.

“The tool will allow any brand with a broad product portfolio to monetise their Facebook fan base by providing a seamless shopping experience.”

Littlewoods has been a great advocate of trialling innovative ways to harness the power of Facebook. It has run a series of interactive Facebook TV programmes, hosted by its celebrity faces including Laurence Llewelyn-Bowen and Myleene Klass. The live lifestyle shows, which feature products from the retailer, has stimulate a sales jump.

Its debut show, which aired last June, drove a traffic surge to the homeware range launched on air, with views up almost 300% compared to the first week of similar ranges.

Check out the video below:

Via RetailWeek