The order confirmation page. Bearer of a simple ‘thank you’ message and signifier of a completed transaction. From here, customers toddle off into the internet ether and that’s that.

Now though, Oxygen Accelerator start-up Owned it has found a way to boost revenue for retailers by turning the otherwise redundant page into a springboard for the social sharing of offers and incentives.

While retailers traditionally focus on converting customers up to the point of purchase, Owned it’s platform turns shoppers into ‘brand advocates’ by presenting them with tailored incentives to share information on recently-purchased items with friends and family. In a nutshell, the retailer gains exposure to new visitors from the shopper’s social circle which potentially leads to more sales, and the friends and family get a reward in the form of discount codes, free delivery or cash back.

The platform also includes a helpful social listening feature, so when offers are shared on social channels retailers can tap in to the conversations consumers are having about their brand.

Owned it has been in stealth mode since its inception, but is working with retailers across the world in a variety of sectors.

Costas Damianou, the owner of online retailer MagicTao, has high praise for the platform: “In less than five minutes we set up our first Facebook campaign using Owned it. By running a simple campaign more than 20% of our customers became fans of MagicTao’s Facebook page. Now that we have new followers, we can engage and communicate with additional customers and their social circles very easily.

“A pre-Christmas product promotion also demonstrated the value of Owned it – substantial sales were generated from a Facebook marketing campaign targeting the new fans that liked us as a result of our first Owned it campaign.”

Co-founder and Managing Director of Owned it Manoj Krishnapillai explains why the platform works so well: “Lots of opportunities exist for retailers to generate additional sales by engaging more with their customers via social media, but retailers are merely thanking their customers for a purchase on the order confirmation page and not using this opportunity to drive loyalty and sales. At the order confirmation stage, customers are usually excited about their purchases and are more inclined to share details with their friends and family.”

Owned it is available as a plugin/add-on for major ecommerce platforms including Magento, Opencart, Zencart, Ubercart and osCommerce.