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Why would I want to use this? It will result in Facebook tracking more of my (or the benefactor of my gift's) movements, and then selling that info (or letting

Why would I want to use this? It will result in Facebook tracking more of my (or the benefactor of my gift's) movements, and then selling that info (or letting it leak out via sleazy apps that steal all my info) Is this solving any problem or filling any hole in the market? Of course it's filling facebook's data hole in that they can't currently track what I buy. I'll keep that between myself, the retailer, and my bank. Thanks anyway.

stephengillie 14y ago
Example: If you have a friend who likes Jamba Juice, and you wanted to get the person a gift card. Are you going to spend the time to actually find a Jamba Juice and go there to buy a gift card? Or are you going to just click "buy as a gift for Friend" on Facebook? Another option is to buy the gift card at another store, but then you're just filling Safeway's data hole or Target's data hole instead of Facebook's. Is that better?
- stephenr 14y ago
  Seriously who buys gift cards for a shop that sells drinks? More importantly - a gift card in a shop can be bought with cash if you choose, and even if I used a credit card, my bank doesn't show me ads because I shopped somewhere
  - j_s 14y ago
    > Seriously who buys gift cards for a shop that sells drinks? I had to re-read that several times, trying to decide if your 'Seriously' was seriously serious or not... http://www.statisticbrain.com/starbucks-company-statistics/ http://www.statisticbrain.com/starbucks-company-statistics/ > Starbucks Company Statistics > Year Value of Gift Card Activations > 2011 $820,500,000
    - stephenr 14y ago
      Oh of course I forgot we're talking about Americans. I should have asked what sane person buys a gift card for a shop that sells drinks.
      - coryl 14y ago
        Maybe they're normal, and you're insane. Data sure supports that idea :)
      - horv 14y ago
        I find they're actually quite good gifts for smaller or more casual situations - as a thank you for someone who did you a favor, or when you don't know someone all that well. Or even for people who just like coffee.
      - mnicole 14y ago
        Jamba Juice is one thing because it isn't on every street corner, whereas buying Starbucks cards for people you know spend money on coffee every morning is not a bad investment. Furthermore, with Starbucks' cards, it allows you to start redeeming points for more drinks and gives you incentive to keep re-upping the value to earn those points. I get a free drink/food item every two weeks from what started as a gift card that turned into a gold card. Do I have a consumption problem? Sure. But it was a benefit to my already-shitty lifestyle and I can't complain.
neilk 14y ago
The benefits of a gift card program (to the retailer) are more than just info. The two big wins are float and unredeemed value. Float: while money is in the system, Facebook can use it for their own purposes or on Wall Street. Unredeemed value: about 10-20% of gift cards are never redeemed. In the USA this amounts to $10-$20 billion that consumers just hand over to retailers for nothing. Add that to FB's ravenous desire for your personal info, and even if a small fraction of FB's users adopt this, it's a big win for them. P.S. Um, as for benefits to the consumer? Well, maybe centralizing in-store gift cards has some benefit. And sometimes I've wanted a way to buy someone a beer over the internet. There only really good thing about gift cards, for consumers, is that you can urge someone to consume an indulgence they wouldn't get for themselves, and show that you understand their tastes, while also allowing them some choice about when, where, and what to spend it on.

stephengillie 14y ago

Example: If you have a friend who likes Jamba Juice, and you wanted to get the person a gift card. Are you going to spend the time to actually find a Jamba Juice and go there to buy a gift card? Or are you going to just click "buy as a gift for Friend" on Facebook? Another option is to buy the gift card at another store, but then you're just filling Safeway's data hole or Target's data hole instead of Facebook's. Is that better?

stephenr 14y ago
Seriously who buys gift cards for a shop that sells drinks? More importantly - a gift card in a shop can be bought with cash if you choose, and even if I used a credit card, my bank doesn't show me ads because I shopped somewhere
- j_s 14y ago
  > Seriously who buys gift cards for a shop that sells drinks? I had to re-read that several times, trying to decide if your 'Seriously' was seriously serious or not... http://www.statisticbrain.com/starbucks-company-statistics/ http://www.statisticbrain.com/starbucks-company-statistics/ > Starbucks Company Statistics > Year Value of Gift Card Activations > 2011 $820,500,000
  - stephenr 14y ago
    Oh of course I forgot we're talking about Americans. I should have asked what sane person buys a gift card for a shop that sells drinks.
    - coryl 14y ago
      Maybe they're normal, and you're insane. Data sure supports that idea :)
    - horv 14y ago
      I find they're actually quite good gifts for smaller or more casual situations - as a thank you for someone who did you a favor, or when you don't know someone all that well. Or even for people who just like coffee.
    - mnicole 14y ago
      Jamba Juice is one thing because it isn't on every street corner, whereas buying Starbucks cards for people you know spend money on coffee every morning is not a bad investment. Furthermore, with Starbucks' cards, it allows you to start redeeming points for more drinks and gives you incentive to keep re-upping the value to earn those points. I get a free drink/food item every two weeks from what started as a gift card that turned into a gold card. Do I have a consumption problem? Sure. But it was a benefit to my already-shitty lifestyle and I can't complain.

neilk 14y ago

The benefits of a gift card program (to the retailer) are more than just info. The two big wins are float and unredeemed value. Float: while money is in the system, Facebook can use it for their own purposes or on Wall Street. Unredeemed value: about 10-20% of gift cards are never redeemed. In the USA this amounts to $10-$20 billion that consumers just hand over to retailers for nothing. Add that to FB's ravenous desire for your personal info, and even if a small fraction of FB's users adopt this, it's a big win for them. P.S. Um, as for benefits to the consumer? Well, maybe centralizing in-store gift cards has some benefit. And sometimes I've wanted a way to buy someone a beer over the internet. There only really good thing about gift cards, for consumers, is that you can urge someone to consume an indulgence they wouldn't get for themselves, and show that you understand their tastes, while also allowing them some choice about when, where, and what to spend it on.