The intense interest in social and mobile commerce is predicated on this simple fact: where the eyeballs go, so do the potential shoppers. The fast rise of social media and mobile devices is well-documented. 
BlackBerry, through devices such as our popular new BlackBerry Passport and media services such as the BBM Channels portion of our 91-million-member-strong BBM service, is a leading player in both areas. Publishers and brands can not only market to potential and existing customers via BBM Channels, but through social commerce integration, effectively set up storefronts that sell to customers.
Coca-Cola, Garuda Airlines (Indonesia) and other brands are already reaching customers through their own BBM Channels. But the most successful brand to date has to be Qoo10. Qoo10’s parent company, Giosis, is a Singapore-based joint-venture with eBay that has set up 7 localized online marketplaces in 5 Asian countries, including Japan, Indonesia, China, Malaysia and Singapore.
We’d like to congratulate Qoo10 for reaching one million followers on its BBM Channel. It’s reached that milestone faster than any other BBM Channel to date.
Qoo10 is not only benefiting from a powerful new way to reach and sell to consumers, it’s also gaining a social edge, as BBM Channels’ tight integration with BBM makes it easy for buyers or even browsers to share information about their purchases, potential purchases or desired gifts with friends and family. Social platforms grease the communications wheel in ways that mainstream retail Web sites cannot, at least not easily. Because in a world of information overload and not-sure-if-we-can-trust-them reviews, we still rely heavily on the word-of-mouth of our close confidants.
Moreover, with BBM Money in Indonesia, we are also looking to enable one-click payments for your purchases, taking even more friction out of social/mobile commerce.
If you’re a retailer or a marketer, come take a look at BBM Channels and see if it can help you efficiently reach your potential customers. Or if you’re on the other side, check out BBM Channels to see if your favorite brands are online and offering you attractive deals and coupons. You won’t regret it.
