Drugstore.com Sets up Shop on Facebook

Drugstore.com has joined other brands that have tied their e-commerce initiatives about as closely to Facebook as possible. The online pharmacy and its subsidiary Beauty.com launched a "Shop!" tab on their Facebook pages today.

Viewers who click on the tab will see the following copy: "Shop our Facebook store and get FREE SHIPPING on your order of $20 or more." Using technology firm Adgregate's "ShopFans" app, they can then browse a virtual catalog while adding items to their shopping bag without leaving Facebook. When done shopping, the viewers can hit a "Checkout" button and the order is transferred to Drugstore.com's database before a transaction takes place. To be clear, data such as credit card information is not stored on Facebook's server.

Colin Veach, Internet marketing director for the Bellevue, WA-based Drugstore.com, commented in a prepared release: "Social commerce on Facebook is a natural complement to our trusted store, online, and print networks," he said. "Many of our customers are already engaging with us on Facebook, and we know they're going to enjoy the benefits of shopping securely with ShopFans. We're looking forward to venturing into and gaining from this next phase in online commerce and customer engagement."

Meanwhile, other notable names that have sought to intertwine Facebook and e-commerce in the last year include Proctor & Gamble, Delta, and Nine West. Though, few e-commerce standalones like Drugstore.com have taken the same step.