Widgets 'offer e-commerce advantages'

The "greatest" social media tool available to marketers is the emerging e-commerce widget, an expert has stated.

Kevin Gold, managing partner and co-founder at conversion marketing firm Enhanced Concepts, made his comments through an article on the Practical eCommerce web resource, arguing that widgets offer marketers plenty of opportunity.

Widgets allow marketers to open their services up to online communities and bring products to the attention of relevant groups, he argued.

Mr Gold suggested: "Widgets also present a tremendous opportunity for smaller, niche e-commerce marketers to outflank bigger brands and gain greater exposure."

He explained that for e-commerce purposes, a widget could work in many ways, including a shopping cart, an affiliate marketing tool and a payment device.

Last month, online payment resource PayPal launched its Storefront widget, designed to be used via blogs and social networking websites.

The application could allow bands to sell their music through their MySpace profile or bloggers to request donations, TechCrunch suggested.