Lauren Merkin is looking to increase bag sales on their website with a little help from your friends…

In today’s challenging retail environment, brand marketers are looking for creative ways to engage with their target audience in hopes of getting their products added to more holiday wish lists.  Now, new evidence is driving brands and retailers to embrace social shopping. According to a recent article by eMarketer, nearly a third of social network users regularly share their views on products with their friends. This is creating a significant window of opportunity for brands to become a part of the social conversation.

Lauren Merkin is embracing social media by working with enter:new media to create a branded, custom social shopping experience on their Facebook page.

The new Lauren Merkin shop on Facebook allows users to view items from the Lauren Merkin holiday collection and share their selections with their friends. Unique and customized messaging will accompany the share post and allow users’ friends to provide their opinions and even select their favorites.  For an extra twist, Lauren Merkin even offers a “boyfriend button” designed specifically to show that special someone how to find the perfect gift for you.

According to Lauren Merkin, when approaching social media, the goal was to create a fresh and new online experience. “Shopping for handbags with your friends in a boutique or department store is a fun, social experience. Why shouldn’t that be the case for shopping online? For our Facebook initiative, we wanted to break the grid structure of a typical ecommerce experience, get friends involved, and give it our own unique twist.” The company is even offering an exclusive handbag that can only be accessed through the Facebook page. “We want our fans to feel special,” explains Ms. Merkin.

enter:new media’s work on VH1’s Facebook fan page was recently highlighted by the German blog FacebookMarketing.de as a prime example of multiple best practices including a strong call to action, fan exclusive content, and integrated use of an application.

While we may still rank far behind David Hasselhoff in the hearts and minds of Germans, we still really appreciate the nod.

“We truly believe that everyone working at enter:new media, whether on the communications team, or as a producer or designer, is first and foremost a marketer. We all work together, even when we talk to companies or brands about our services. The clients really love that it is all done collectively together.”

Check out the full interview here.

It wasn’t enough that virtually everything else changed about the business pages this week – they even changed the name. Business “Pages” are now called “Public Profiles.”

Our clients include three main industry segments. We work with teen-focused brands including Kaplan Test Prep and Admissions, Do Something, Virgin Mobile, US Cellular, and the Class Ring Council. Our entertainment clients include VH1, MTV, Nickelodeon, and Luxology. We also work with a growing number of lifestyle brands including Rodale, WeightView, Giftybox, and RealSimple.

For more on how we are helping brands build and grow communities online, become our fan on Facebook! http://bit.ly/enm_facebook