While Marshalls and TJ Maxx may be known for their deals on name brand merchandise, what they may soon be known for is the community that they have going on their website. From chiming in on the latest pair of designer jeans you got, to what what’s in and what’s out, parent company TJX Companies , is utilizing social media as not only a community tool, but as a way to generate interest in their products.

To most, Marshalls and TJ Maxx means going to the store to see what ‘bargains’ they just got in. Still, TJX Companies hopes to change this by getting the customer interested in their products even before they step into the store.

Add A Comment

If you have recently checked out the TJ Maxx or Marshalls website, the biggest change you will notice is that they allow you to be part of the conversation through comments and sharing options. While comments on products is nothing new, rarely do you see it being used as effectively as TJX Companies has.

Playing off the consumers natural behavior of sharing what they like with others, TJX Companies makes it simple and easy for you to share with your friends what you just bought and what others are saying.

Sharing is Caring

Finding the right amount of social media seems to be the hardest part for some companies, but for TJX Companies they seem to have found the right blend. On both the Marshalls and TJ Maxx sites, you will notice that they have a areas geared toward customers sharing their experiences. Not only do they give you an area to share your thoughts and comments, but by integrating both Twitter and Facebook into their site, sharing it with your network on both platforms is simple and quick.

You Can’t Buy Anything

Additionally, while being able to share and comment are great on their own, what makes them even more unique is that if you look on the TJ Maxx and Marshalls website, you can’t buy anything. Yes, they show you the prices and reviews on these products, but you can’t purchase them. For a company that is strongly identified with discount products and consumer spending, it is amazing that the number of people who visit the website is enormous considering that you can’t buy anything on the site.

In the graph above, in just one month, TJX Companies Marshalls and TJ Maxx saw an increase of about 200,000 visitors to their sites respectively. Again, stressing the point that you can’t buy anything from their sites, it is impressive to the say the least.

Why?

While it’s difficult to pin point consumers exact reasons for their increased interest in TJX Companies, we can make sense of it through why users are attracted to Twitter and Facebook . Because of the ease in sharing information as well as the sense of community, users on social media gain the trust of their peers. Trust in any relationship is the core of success. Without trust, there is no business. In the same sense, by TJX Companies allowing a community to grow on their own sites, they have not only built trust in their products, but more importantly in their brand.

Joseph is the Director of Marketing at Viralogy.com & works in social media & sports consulting. Read more about him at http://JosephAYi.com

Tags: E-Commerce, Marshalls, Shopping, Strategy, TJ Maxx, TJX Companies