We live in a time when startups are springing up left and right, as everyone wants to become the next Facebook or Zynga or Groupon. Because we’re overwhelmed by the onslaught of new businesses that spam our lives each week, it’s easy to write-off the start-up world and simply wait until these red hot ideas trickle down to the mainstream; but, within all of the buzz and hype of startups, there truly are some brilliant ideas that are emerging in real-time and represent the freshest thinking on new behavior and trends. Two startups that headlined this week, Beetailer and ShopSquad, are indicators of how consumer behavior could change within online shopping.

Beetailer’s custom software automates migrating an existing online store to a dedicated Facebook page by importing key settings from existing e-commerce software. Once the store lives on Facebook, brands can take full advantage of being socially connected, not just simplifying the experience of fans, but also reaching fans’ friends. Key features include custom promotions to inspire shoppers to share and embedded analytics tools that track the efficacy of marketing initiatives and overall social activity.

It’s no secret that the purchasing decisions we make are heavily influenced by our social ties. Instead of relying on word-of-mouth recommendations, ShopSquad takes this a few steps further by pairing an online shopper with a formal Advisor. Social groups already have mavens and influencers, but now these individuals can actively help their friends and earn commissions along the way. By increasing incentives and providing a platform for group shopping, sharing happens more often and with an immediate, measurable effect: purchases.

The startup world is extremely high risk and it’s more than likely that both of these two businesses will fail. I’m certainly not going to encourage you to invest in them or partner with them, but the idea of fully integrating social into shopping is undeniably genius. Beetailer and ShopSquad are reminders that there is enormous opportunity to innovate within online shopping and that the role of social in online shopping could be going from the side-show to the main event.