News

Circuit City expands social commerce platform

August 11, 2008

RICHMOND, Va. — Circuit City announced renewed and expanded alliances with ConsumerReports.org, Popular Photography and Sound & Vision magazines and the expansion of Circuit City's social commerce platform.

"Empowering consumers with the information to find the right product to fit their needs is at the core of the Circuit City business," said Brian S. Bradley, Circuit City's senior vice president, multi-channel.  "The Internet is our new 'front door.'  More than half of the customers who make purchases in our stores conduct product research beforehand at circuitcity.com."

Circuitcity.com will host an expanded library of Consumer Reports' independent and expert buying advice and a host of new product reports from experts at Popular Photography and Sound & Vision magazines.

In addition to becoming a one-stop destination for research from leading publications, circuitcity.com enables shoppers to share information with each other through the use of blogs, forums, and monthly photo contests.

Using Pluck Corporation's social media platform, CityCenter enables customers to connect with each other and Circuit City associates when considering complex purchases, such as HDTVs, digital cameras, MP3 players and personal computers.

CityCenter has fostered strong examples of deep-rooted community engagement:

• More than 5,000 site-wide user contributions per month over the last 90 days
• Active participation in 35 product category Forums, including regular and frequent interaction with both Circuit City and firedog staff
• Fifteen topical and contest photo galleries, which have attracted more than 2,500 user-submitted photos

"Circuit City's CityCenter is a shining example of how social media technologies can improve the customer experience in a competitive retail environment," said Dave Panos, chief executive officer of Pluck Corp. "By helping its community of customers and staff converse in an informative, interactive setting, Circuit City showcases how retail leaders can tap social media experiences to excel in the race to reach consumers online."