Fab.com has nailed a lot of industry “firsts.”  It was the first flash sale site to focus on modern “hipster” products, and it was the first to successfully implement a social strategy.  Their social integration started with their own activity feed, which shows popular items viewed and purchased by others.  And their Facebook Timeline integration worked quite well.  The key step Fab took in their social strategy was incentivizing users with free credits, rewarding their sharing activity.

And the strategy paid off well.  Fab reports 15% of all visits to the Live Feed result in a purchase, and that’s an amazing conversion rate for any online retailer.  It’s no surprise Fab’s upping the ante on their social features.  There’s four important new updates to the Live Feed: you can now purchase directly from the feed, post to Pinterest straight from the feed, view your Facebook friends’ likes and purchases in real time, and see what’s trending overall in real time.

The most notable of the new features are the first two–direct purchases and Pinning.  Similar to Amazon’s one-click button, direct-from-feed purchases on Fab are sure to increase their sales.  One thing Fab wants to ensure on the site is the excitement of discovery is maintained without overwhelming the user.  That’s a tough balance for any flash sale site, and many have lost my attention by trying to incorporate new features that don’t add value or interest, or by merely adding more categories to an already saturated site.

The interesting thing about the new Pin It button is that it’s essentially replaced the Google+ button that was once present on every product page.  Fab reports 2% of referred traffic from Pinterest, even before they added the Pin It button.  If Fab wants to stay serious about their social network integration, they’ll continue to follow the users.

“What’s great about Pinterest is it’s similar to Fab in that it’s an individual’s own curation of images,” says Melissa Klein, VP of Communications at Fab.  “We have to follow the member.  They indicate on which platforms they want to share.”

In many ways, Fab is looking to become a platform for retail, layering social, search and commerce for an inclusive experience that thrives on its built-in broadcasting tools.  This is what’s helped Fab really stand out, especially in an emerging culture of curation.  We see this trend developing on Pinterest, of course, but also newbie sites like Threadflip.  Fab’s finding ways to expand the user experience beyond just purchases, building loyalty around brands and designers as well.

Another notable update to Fab is the new Smile pages, which highlight the stories behind the designers featured on the site.  “Every designer has a story, and we really wanted to shine a spotlight on that,” Klein continues.  “We’re looking at ways we can help our designers…we’re more than just a place for business, and the designers are part of our family.”