Dealforfriends is a new service for e-tailers (online retailers of goods, usually clothes and accessories) to generate more sales and customers. Soon to change their name to Vouper, the service enables e-retailers to reach a wider audience through the use of discounts that can be shared over Facebook.

“Dealforfriends is a friend-to-friend marketing platform for targeted, performance-based customer acquisition and retention campaigns. It is a new way to generate sales, likes on Facebook, collect e-mail addresses and deliver great engagement for your brand through viral spread and recommendations.”

How does it work?

Dealforfriends provides both e-tailers as well as customers with promotional codes; to be distributed before or directly after purchases. After a purchase is transacted on a company’s website, the customer is prompted with the option to share a promotional code to three of their Facebook friends. A post is published from that person’s account with the discount and the three friends tagged in it. If the code is utilised by their friends, they will also receive a unique code to use on their next purchase.

However, to be able to use the discount, the friends who receive it must like the company’s Facebook page and then “claim” it. Other friends who were not tagged but saw the post may click on it and view the public campaign but will not be offered any discount. On some occasions, they will be presented with the “Like and Get” opportunity i.e, receiving a discount upon liking the company’s Facebook page.

The service is not free-of-charge and will cost e-tailers per every discount which is claimed. Users of Dealforfriends only pay the discount which is given to the consumers; Dealforfriends themselves take a small commission of this.

What is the future?

Dealforfriends will soon begin their first campaign and will be launched on a larger scale in the middle of May. As of right now, the service is only in use by a handful of selected e-tailers: ZooZoo.com, Lensway, Lina’s Grocery, Disney Store, Lighting Design as well as selected customers from Jetshop.

E-tailers taking advantage of Dealforfriends can look forward to seeing the following for their businesses: new customers and new relevant followers on Facebook. Additionally, they could accumulate a collection of new e-mail addresses to be used optionally for following-up or even other marketing like the one presented by a company from Mississauga, Ontario.

Being able to help e-tailers regain control over their campaigns, the length and magnitude of the the discounts and especially expand their customer base will surely help spread Dealforfriends virally.