Facebook Offers Test Bodes Well for Upscale Retailer

Bonobos’ Facebook Offers campaign for Memorial Day is providing a glimpse into how the deals platform, which rolled out nationally three weeks ago, might perform for e-commerce marketers. The upscale men’s clothier launched a 30 percent off deal at noon ET yesterday, and 12,100 Facebook users have claimed the deal so far.

The New York-based company wasn’t available for comment, but it appears to be the retailer’s first Facebook Offer. The deal – good for swimsuits, casual shirts, and polos – has to be redeemed at Bobobos.com by end-of-day Memorial Day. If users tap the “Claim” button, they see a message stating that they’ll receive an email with redemption instructions.

Unlike Groupon, LivingSocial, and Google Offers, Facebook doesn’t take a sales cut for redeemed vouchers. The deals are distributed to an advertiser’s likes/fans in the news feed on the social site. When a Facebook user claims an Offer, his or her friends will see an ad in their news feed. The action will also post to a user’s Timeline.

Businesses have to pay to create greater distribution via Facebook Marketplace and Premium Ads or Sponsored Stories. The deals platform is also live in Turkey, Australia, New Zealand, Japan, and Singapore.