The social web's meagre promise for retail marketing

Online retailers looking to push sales through popular social networking sites like MySpace and Facebook shouldn't set their hopes very high. If retailers want to take advantage of the social aspects of the Web, they should do so at their own Internet outlets, according to a recent report. Niche retailers stand to gain the most from social and community sites.

Social and community networks may be great hangouts for Web surfers who shop but not so great for retailers looking for virtual "ka-chings."

That was one of the findings in a report released Saturday by JupiterResearch of New York, based on a survey conducted in March of more than 2,000 online consumers.

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