July saw both Amazon and eBay experience significant growth in the social media sphere, according to the latest UK Facebook Commerce Index from Channel Advisor.
The company revealed that more than 1.2 million Facebook fans were added to the top 25 companies in the index last month, with the success of Amazon and eBay causing "dramatic movement" in the rankings.
Amazon and eBay moved up to seventh and 13th places respectively based on the overall number of Facebook followers in July, after experiencing increases of 58 per cent and 47 per cent.
Channel Advisor said it is "well worth pointing out" the scale of growth achieved by these companies, with Amazon adding the equivalent of nearly 11,000 fans per day over the course of the month.
The company added: "We simply cannot deny Amazon's growing retail dominance, which seems to be spilling over into the social space."
Online shoppers and users of eBay delivery services have been showing increasing interest in the brand's Facebook account, partly to provide feedback and offer personal opinions.
Channel Advisor noted that the online retailer has taken the unusual move of allowing comments to be posted freely, unlike many companies that choose to keep their walls private.
"Unlike so many of the brands who don't manage this channel effectively from a customer service standpoint, eBay is very effective at answering questions and responding to comments," the e-commerce software solutions provider said.
"If on occasion there is negative feedback, eBay responds graciously, in a positive way and with humour."
While all brands experienced growth on the UK Facebook Commerce Index in July, Amazon and eBay were two of only three companies that moved up the rankings in terms of overall fan numbers, with Argos progressing from 19th to 18th place after winning nearly 54,000 new followers.
Topshop remains the leading name in Facebook commerce with more than 2.4 million fans, ahead of fellow fashion retailers ASOS, New Look, River Island and Urban Outfitters.
Author: Adrian Medland
