'Fashion Like': Business Applies Real-Time Facebook Likes To Clothing Items

When shopping for clothing, people often find themselves in the throes of indecisiveness, debating the right color or style for any given item. Now European fashion retailer C&A is rolling out a new initiative in Brazil, using strangers' opinions on Facebook to pique people's interest for their products as they're shopping in the store.

The project, called “Fashion Like,” allows shoppers to see in real-time how many Facebook likes an item has. The total likes number will be viewable on the corresponding hanger or clothes rack. The idea is to persuade prospective buyers of an item’s popularity with a somewhat objective, quantifiable measurement through social media.

Though some customers will inevitably be convinced of a piece of clothing's quality by a fluctuating number of Facebook likes, others may be more cautious to accept the advice of self-appointed fashionistas whom they’ve never met. Others may debate the value of a popular item vs. an under the radar item that has fewer likes.

“Fashion Like” is part of a growing trend in which Facebook is integrated with fashion consumerism, increasing involvement. Stussy Amsterdam recently garnered some controversy for its “strip for likes” campaign on Facebook, an advertisement in which the more likes the photo received, the more clothes a model would remove.