08-17-2008, 12:27 PM
Quote:Widgets drive a brands reach and are important because they expand the options for maintaining meaningful communication between a brand and its customers...
Now brands can engage the user in places that the user selects and where the user spends time online, Plous says. The ability to move the same branding between diverse environments such as an e-commerce site and a social network profile and a blog with just a few clicks makes widgets unique. This flexibility enables widgets to be shared virally and drive exponential growth in the user base.
While use of web page widgets to deliver content, as Clinique delivers sun-related information, is just beginning to blossom, widgets used specifically to sell products, like Zazzle.coms widget, are starting to take off. These widgets essentially are mini-affiliates that showcase products offered by e-retailers, enable Internet users to shop, and typically link shoppers to an e-retailers site or the widgets host site to complete a purchase...
full article: http://www.internetretailer.com/article.asp?id=27284