Mobile phone MySpace app highlights social media e-commerce opportunities

A new application developed for social networking site MySpace that allows users to recharge pre-paid mobile phone credit is becoming a popular new source of e-commerce and advertising funds.

The “Recharge” application, revealed last month, could also gain information about the users who download the application for marketing programs.

“Seventy per cent of Australian mobile (users) are pre-paid,” MySpace business development director Nick Love told The Australian. “One of the fastest growing channels for topping up your phone (credit) is online.

“But just selling pre-paid credit is never going to move the needle in any great way. What is unique is it’s integrated into a telco’s customer relationship marketing.” 

Love says the site receives a commission from sales that are made as a result of the application being installed, and that already 5000 people have installed the application since last month. Love points to the fact that half of those users are Optus customers.

“All of a sudden we have insights into what the Optus pre-paid customer is like. We could start working with brands such as Coke if they wanted to launch a new soft drink targeting 13 to 18-year-old boys, for example,” Love said. 

“It’s also greater value for our users,” he said. “If they’re getting greater value, there’s greater reason to come to MySpace.” 

But Love says the public profile information can only contain information such as gender, age and home town, as well as some other personal favourites such as music styles.