Facebook Credits Get Really Real, with Target Gift Cards
Target stores announced that they would be the first retailers to sell Facebook credits as gift cards. These cards would be available starting September 5th, in $15, $25 and $50 increments. The gift cards can be redeemed in Target’s brick and mortar locations, as well as its online store. Facebook credits can buy you access to interesting applications and games as well. Looks like the perfect gift for your Facebook addict gamer friend has just arrived, just in time for back-to-school, and the onset of the holiday shopping season. Cnet sees this as a wonderful step forward for Facebook games.Facebook Credits is quickly gaining ground as an alternative payment option on the social network. It’s currently supported by wildly popular Zynga titles, FarmVille and Mafia Wars, as well as Bejeweled Blitz and the recently announced Madden NFL Superstars. Most titles still allow gamers to pay with credit cards, but it’s Facebook’s hope that eventually, users will buy all virtual goods with Credits.
Offering Facebook Credits gift cards in Target stores should help it get closer to achieving that goal. But Target is just one piece of the puzzle for getting Credits out into the wild. Target was careful to say it would be the first–not the exclusive–provider of Credits gift cards. It also pointed out that the $15 Credits card is available exclusively to Target, further indicating that Credits gift cards–at other price points, at least–will be coming to other retailers.
This news should be a heads up for freelance application and game developers. As the Facebooker community is ever-increasing and the trend of social gaming is on the rise, this can be a fantastic opportunity to take up an innovative idea and launch a new product. Developing games and applications for Facebook is not the only lucrative option. Many more opportunities are out there including the Google Chrome Webstore launch and acquisition of SocialDeck by Google.
The timing of Target’s launch is important to note, as we saw an increase in virtual goods used as branding investments for retailers last fall. We’re sure to see plenty of other marketers taking advantage of Facebook Credits, especially now that a precedent has been set by Target. Facebook will similarly gain plenty of advertising interest as it builds out its virtual goods economy.
A message from John Furrier, co-founder of SiliconANGLE:
Support our mission to keep content open and free by engaging with theCUBE community. Join theCUBE’s Alumni Trust Network, where technology leaders connect, share intelligence and create opportunities.
- 15M+ viewers of theCUBE videos, powering conversations across AI, cloud, cybersecurity and more
- 11.4k+ theCUBE alumni — Connect with more than 11,400 tech and business leaders shaping the future through a unique trusted-based network.
About SiliconANGLE Media
SiliconANGLE Media is a recognized leader in digital media innovation, uniting breakthrough technology, strategic insights and real-time audience engagement. As the parent company of SiliconANGLE, theCUBE Network, theCUBE Research, CUBE365, theCUBE AI and theCUBE SuperStudios — with flagship locations in Silicon Valley and the New York Stock Exchange — SiliconANGLE Media operates at the intersection of media, technology and AI.
Founded by tech visionaries John Furrier and Dave Vellante, SiliconANGLE Media has built a dynamic ecosystem of industry-leading digital media brands that reach 15+ million elite tech professionals. Our new proprietary theCUBE AI Video Cloud is breaking ground in audience interaction, leveraging theCUBEai.com neural network to help technology companies make data-driven decisions and stay at the forefront of industry conversations.
