Facebook Likes Displayed on Brazilian Fashion Retailer’s Racks

When you purchased that all-white leisure suit last spring in hopes of impressing the ladies during your fun-filled summer adventures overseas, don’t you wish you could have seen what other people thought of the outfit beforehand? Apparently that’s exactly what Brazilian fashion retailer C&A hopes to achieve with Fashion Like, a service which displays what Facebook users think about the items currently taking up space on their sales floor.

Here’s how it works: Select articles of clothing are listed on their Facebook page, which people can choose to “like” if they decide this is something they would spend money on. These likes are then collected, processed, and sent to a digital counter on the item’s hanger in-store, allowing customers to see what everyone else thinks of the clothing in question. Of course, why anyone would listen to what the social networking site’s general population thinks about such things is beyond me. If you base all of your retail purchases on Facebook popularity, chances are you’re probably wearing something that will get you lots of unwanted attention at Wal-Mart.

I could see this system growing legs in other markets. For instance, it would be rather interesting to see Facebook responses beneath movie posters at the local cineplex, or, perhaps, a counter that displays how many people really liked Burger King’s new menu items. For now, I guess we’ll just have to see how well the Fashion Like service goes down in Brazil. Should the overall response prove positive, look for other fashion retailers to follow suit in the very near future.

If you want to toss your two cents into the virtual mix, take a trip to C&A’s official Facebook page. Of course, you won’t be able to see the process in action unless you live in Brazil. Still, you could, in theory, like an article of clothing that may end up on someone’s shapely backside, and that in and of itself should make you feel extremely proud to be alive in this day and age.

Check out some of the Twitter feedback to this latest marvel of technology. Apparently a lot of folks think it’s as silly and useless as it sounds on paper. Time will tell if this system actually turns out to be something worthwhile. And by worthwhile, of course, I mean useful to me.