The Power of Social Buying

By PYMNTS | December 21, 2010

Name: Richard Skeen

Title: CMO/Business Development for getta!

What I’m working on…We are creating a social buying platform that allows merchants to turn their fan pages into group buying opportunities. Our application, getta!, is a self contained, PCI-compliant commerce platform that powers direct group buying of physical merchandise on merchant facebook fan page with a simple check-out process and e-wallet (when the app is installed). getta! aggregates orders until a deal threshold is met, then passes transactions to merchants where transactions are integrated with existing merchant management systems, transactions become an extension to e-commerce workflows. By offering retailers the ability to sell products to groups through their social media presence, getta! enables merchants to tap the expanding buying potential of facebook’s 130 million monthly unique users in the US by offering an instant sales channel from their social media presence.

Crowning Achievement… From a career perspective, I helped create, patent and sell the first video game ad network, Massive, that Microsoft bought for $220MM a few years ago. Of course nothing tops being a good dad for my three kids.

Industry Awards… I led a pair of magazines (GQ and The New Yorker) to Ad Week’s “Hot List” awards, have won a variety of sales awards and helped create an ad campaign for inside.com that won awards from both Brand Week and Ad Age. However, creating a successful product is far more gratifying than any award.

Education… University of Oregon, School of Journalism (with a lot of Economics). Have also studied at the Hartman Institute in Jerusalem, and Brigham Young University.

When I’m not working I like to… I love to race sailboats, hike and kayak, especially with my kids and wife. I also love college football, usually without kids or wife…

My favorite payment factor is… Buying things with ease and security on facebook fan pages of course!

The next big thing… With the explosive growth of social media among both consumers and marketers, companies like getta! that allow quick, secure transaction opportunities will do very well.

Cash is… Kind of cool, in a retro way (especially non-U.S. colorful paper)…

Check are…The things I love to put next to items on my to do list

NFC is/will… Not really an issue for me.

P2P is/will… Mobile hone solutions for P2P seem to have huge upside.

My mentor is/ I’ve learned from my mentor… While I’ve worked for some amazing people (including the real guy the “Mr. Big” character on HBO’s Sex in the City was based on, I’ve honestly learned the most from many of the young people I’ve had work for me. Their enthusiasm, fresh ideas, resourcefulness and views toward new media are amazing.