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Winning Internet Integration Strategies for Today's Retailer

 

 

e-RETAILING NEWS & OPINION ARCHIVES

December 2009

For the Archives Index, please click here

 

About Advertising

and Promotion

 

December 31, 2009

From MarketingVOX:

"Repurposing GIFs for Email Marketing"

Technology advances that streamline the conversion of video into highly compressed animated GIFs now keep file size manageable...

http://www.marketingvox.com

 

December 30, 2009

From DM News:

"Four Top Tips for Successful E-Mail Marketing"

Create a custom landing page for each of your e-mails so that readers will find content, imagery and layout that thematically and contextually matches the expectations you set in the e-mail...

http://www.dmnews.com

 

December 28, 2009

From MarketingVOX:

"Email Marketing:  When Is Just as Important as What"

New research finds that the average elapsed time between when messages are first sent to when they are first seen is growing:  from 23.2 hours in January 2009 to 25.9 hours in August...

http://www.marketingvox.com

 

December 28, 2009

From ClickZ.com:

"Seven Ways to Get Your Marketing Back on Track in 2010"

Use offline marketing to support your online efforts.  This includes offline advertising, retail outlets, live events, and your product packaging...

http://www.clickz.com

 

December 24, 2009

From eMarketer:

"How Can Social Media Help Small Biz?"

Lead generation is the biggest benefit of social networking for small businesses...

http://www.emarketer.com

 

December 23, 2009

From E-Commerce Times:

"The Coming of Age of Local Online Advertising"

More than 80 percent of consumers are searching online for local products every day.  They are searching from their homes, but increasingly they are searching on mobile devices...

http://www.ecommercetimes.com

 

December 22, 2009

From Retailer Daily:

"Retailer Email Volume Hits New High"

Top online retailers sent their subscribers an average of 4.1 promotional emails each during the week ending December 18...

http://www.retailerdaily.com

 

December 22, 2009

From DM News:

"E-Mail Marketing for Your E-Commerce Business"

Encourage customer subscriptions with content and advice, rather than the typical promise of a promotion on their next visit.  Keep your customers up to date of what is going on in your industry and how that could affect them...

http://www.dmnews.com

 

December 21, 2009

From MarketingProfs.com:

"Email Trumps Social Media for Sharing"

Email continues to beat out emerging social media channels such as Twitter and Facebook as the favorite way to share information with colleagues and friends...

http://www.marketingprofs.com

 

December 18, 2009

From MarketingProfs.com:

"Chop That Up Even Finer"

Start out segmenting your customers into groups 100% defined by their behavior, and then define these six attributes...

http://www.marketingprofs.com

 

December 17, 2009

From MarketingVOX:

"Online Reviews Deliver Powerful Marketing Punch"

Online customer reviews and ratings hold significant sway over shoppers:  over half of all U.S. consumers and 69% of Millennials say they influence their buying decisions more than any other type of online advertising...

http://www.marketingvox.com

 

December 17, 2009

From DM News:

"Test Your Way to Better E-Mail Response and Targeting"

Subject lines are the main context for which subscribers decide to open the message, and the expectation is the more readers, the higher the conversion should be.  There are essentially three main elements you should test in subject lines...

http://www.dmnews.com

 

December 16, 2009

From ClickZ.com:

"Watch Out, the First Step in Marketing Is Now a Doozy"

Participating in business online today demands attention to channels you control and build but even more so to those areas you have no control over...

http://www.clickz.com

 

December 15, 2009

From ClickZ.com:

"Social Media Checklist for Small and Medium Size Businesses"

Nine questions to ask when developing a social media marketing strategy...

http://www.clickz.com

 

December 15, 2009

From DM News:

"Unleash the Power of Search and Analytics"

Too often marketing programs ignore the search component and end up creating a significant amount of demand which then is not captured...

http://www.dmnews.com

 

December 11, 2009

From MarketingProfs.com::

"Beer Budget, Champagne Style"

Strategies any small retailer can employ to make their email campaign click with their audience...

http://www.mpdailyfix.com

 

December 11, 2009

From MarketingVOX:

"Top 10 Internet Marketing Strategies of 2009"

Credibility is one of the most important things to establish in an online presence, especially in an economically challenging year.  When people are watching their money closely, they will only buy from companies and websites they trust...

http://www.marketingvox.com

 

December 10, 2009

From ClickZ.com:

"Quick Fixes for Your Holiday E-Mail Program"

If you have crucial information, such as a shipping deadline or offer expiration, put it right in the subject line so that your reader doesn't have to open the message or display images to know the deal...

http://www.clickz.com

 

December 9, 2009

From DM News:

"The New Definition of Spam and How to Overcome It"

In today's consumer-controlled marketing landscape, the definition of spam has extended to include any form of irrelevant e-mail or e-mail sent too frequently, even when a sender has full user consent...

http://www.dmnews.com

 

December 8, 2009

From ClickZ.com:

"Specializing Search for the Holiday Season"

Consider employing day-parting techniques to heavy up your budget during key shopping times...

http://www.clickz.com

 

December 7, 2009

From InternetRetailer.com:

"How Social Network Investments Can Boost Natural Search Results"

While social media results currently account for only about 7% of the search engine listings, the percentage will grow in 2010, making social media a significant opportunity for brands seeking to show up more prominently in search results...

http://www.internetretailer.com

 

December 8, 2009

From Marketing Charts:

"Ad Retargeting Most Under-Used Tech; Shows Room for Growth"

Remarketing/retargeting is akin to following up with unsold leads in the brick-and-mortar world...

http://www.marketingcharts.com

 

December 7, 2009

From MarketingProfs.com:

"Geotargeted Ads to Reach $1.9B in 2013"

The locally bought portion of the geotargeted display ad market, which primarily consists of small and medium-sized businesses, will record the highest growth, with a CAGR of 66% during the period...

http://www.marketingprofs.com

 

December 7, 2009

From ClickZ.com:

"Web 3.0 Is Finally Here"

The art and science of e-mail marketing will need to evolve to be conducive to a mobile accessible phenomenon drastically changing the way in which we interact with our messages...

http://www.clickz.com

 

December 4, 2009

From E-Commerce Times:

"Do You Have a Coupon for That?"

A valuable strategy is to leverage one-time-use coupons.  These can be delivered via email or presented to shoppers who have just completed a complementary transaction from another merchant's site...

http://www.ecommercetimes.com

 

December 4, 2009

From MarketingProfs.com:

"Ten Commandments for Effective Online Social Networking"

Social media is another channel to build your brand and market your message.  It's not a panacea, and it's not a replacement for other forms of advertising and marketing...

http://www.marketingprofs.com

 

December 3, 2009

From MarketingProfs.com:

"Irrelevant E-Communications Alienate Consumers"

Due to high levels of impersonal communications, 41% of consumers say they would consider ending a brand relationship entirely as a result of irrelevant email or direct mail communications...

http://www.marketingprofs.com

 

December 3, 2009

From MarketingVOX:

"Linked Landing Pages Deliver Bigger Benefits"

A majority of marketers still do not take the basic step to link their marketing communication with relevant landing pages, and are missing out on a wealth of post-click analytical data, not to mention sales...

http://www.marketingvox.com

 

December 2, 2009

From MarketingProfs.com:

"This Smells Phishy"

As phishers become more sophisticated and your subscribers become more cautious about online commerce, it's important to know how the average customer vets the marketing messages you send...

http://www.marketingprofs.com

 

December 2, 2009

From eMarketer:

"Evaluating E-Tailer Holiday Strategy"

Retailers should design landing pages with appropriate, campaign-related copy - and make sure important marketing messages appear on every page of an e-commerce site, not just the homepage...

http://www.emarketer.com

 

December 1, 2009

From MarketingVOX:

"SMBs Ramp Up, Tailor Email Strategies"

As small and medium-sized businesses rev up their campaign plans and put the final touches on their holiday initiatives, six tips to help boost results even further...

http://www.marketingvox.com

 

About Customer

Service

 

December 29, 2009

From eMarketer:

"Multichannel Retailers Bring Web into Store"

The ability to place online orders while in-store reduces the frustration shoppers feel when items are out of stock or part of an expanded assortment not carried by the store.  Web-enabled devices also give customers access to product information and user reviews that help them make purchase decisions...

http://www.emarketer.com

 

December 27, 2009

From MarketingProfs.com:

"Touch Up Your Touch-Points"

Always test from the customer's perspective.  Does the touch-point allow customers to do what they want as well as what you want them to do?

http://www.marketingprofs.com

 

December 23, 2009

From Search Engine Watch:

"Emotional Motivators in Landing Page Optimization"

Giving up personal information, allowing people to contact us, and paying by credit card all have significant fears associated with them.  We can't expect someone to act unless we first guarantee their safety and security...

http://searchenginewatch.com

 

December 15, 2009

From MarketingVOX:

"Retailers Invest in Site Search"

Nearly three-quarters of retailers expect to add different skins or filters to their search functions, which would enable shoppers to choose multiple attributes like brand, color, price and size to their site search...

http://www.marketingvox.com

 

December 14, 2009

From Search Engine Watch:

"The Demise of SEO Won't Be Caused by Personalization"

To increase your chances of appearing within the personalized results of your target audience, you need to get to know them better than ever before.  You also need to provide content for them, as well as for search engines, which shows that you know them and what they're seeking...

http://searchenginewatch.com

 

December 11, 2009

From ClickZ.com:

"Top 10 Campaign Optimization Checklist"

The best landing page may not be the one that has the exact thing the searcher was looking for - sometimes users want relevant, but related options listed as well...

http://www.clickz.com

 

December 9, 2009

From MarketingProfs.com:

"Mobile Content Access Issues Eclipse Experience"

Nearly eight out of ten mobile content users have difficulty trying to access content due to slow page loads, phone/interface issues, and irrelevant content...

http://www.marketingprofs.com

 

December 3, 2009

From DM News:

"Building Loyalty with Clients Via E-Mail"

There are three mandatory stages when interacting with clients via e-mail:  attract, serve, and engage...

http://www.dmnews.com

 

December 1, 2009

From MarketingProfs.com:

"Give It to Me Straight"

Implementing product review functionality on your site can help seal the deal and convince customers to click the add-to-cart button...

http://www.marketingprofs.com

About Webstore

Management

 

December 31, 2009

From CNET:

"Online Holiday Sales Hit $27 Billion"

Online sales growth this year was driven by a continued increase in the number of people buying online, but consumers' economic challenges resulted in a slight decline versus last year in the amount spent per buyer...

http://news.cnet.com

 

December 31, 2009

From InternetRetailer.com:

"Necessity Breeds Innovation"

10 ways this year's best online merchants kept sales flowing during the downturn...

http://www.internetretailer.com

 

December 30, 2009

From InternetRetailer.com:

"Department Store Web Sites See Large Traffic Increases"

Nearly four out of five consumers who went online in November visited an online retail site, and the web sites of department stores and toy stores saw the biggest traffic increases from October...

http://www.internetretailer.com

 

December 29, 2009

From The Wall Street Journal:

"Web Sales Show Big Rise Throughout Holiday Buying Season"

Online retail sales rose 13.6% from Black Friday to Christmas Eve, as retailers took major steps to make the Internet a prime shopping destination...

http://online.wsj.com

 

December 29, 2009

From Search Engine Watch:

"Choose the Right SEO Project Goals"

The SEO strategy to drive relevant long tail traffic isn't the same as it is to drive a single term to the number one position...

http://searchenginewatch.com

 

December 24, 2009

From The New York Times:

"Late-Coming Shipping Promotions Drive Online Shopping"

Retailers might not be losing money on all this free shipping, because it seems to encourage people to spend more.  For the week ending December 6, the average order for transactions including free shipping was $134, and the average order on sites without free shipping was $103...

http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com

 

December 24, 2009

From InternetRetailer.com:

"Wealthy Are Shopping for a Range of Goods Online"

Online retail sites are the second-most visited web site category among wealthy consumers, behind only search web sites, and ahead of categories such as social networks, general news, and entertainment sites...

http://www.internetretailer.com

 

December 23, 2009

From MarketingProfs.com:

"Picture Yourself at the Top"

Optimizing your site for image search may well move your company or product to a top position in Web search results...

http://www.marketingprofs.com

 

December 22, 2009

From InternetRetailer.com:

"Online Retail Sales Set Single-Day Record"

E-retail sales totaled $913 million on December 15, making it the first day ever to top the $900 million mark...

http://www.internetretailer.com

 

December 22, 2009

From MarketingProfs.com:

"Embracing Cross-Channel Analytics to Create a Competitive Advantage"

Cross-channel analytics enables you to measure the interaction of various channels, such as websites, customer service, phone support, and print media, to understand how those channels relate to one another and affect customer behavior...

http://www.marketingprofs.com

 

December 21, 2009

From eMarketer:

"Small Businesses Step Up Online"

Not only are online options like email marketing, local search and unique websites cost efficient, especially in a recession, but the Internet is where potential small business customers are moving...

http://www.emarketer.com

 

December 18, 2009

From MarketingVOX:

"Online Shoppers:  Bigger Budgets, Most Discounts"

Active online buyers plan to spend twice as much throughout this holiday season as other consumers...

http://www.marketingvox.com

 

December 18, 2009

From Search Engine Watch:

"Link Building Basics:  3 Great Tips"

Being aware of the changes in your industry and your competitors can help you pick up potential link building opportunities...

http://searchenginewatch.com

 

December 17, 2009

From E-Commerce Times:

"Reeling In Mobile Web Shoppers With a Better Hook"

Nearly one in five consumers will use a mobile device to assist in their holiday shopping this year.  Shoppers will use their mobile devices to find store locations, research prices, find product information, get coupons, read reviews and more...

http://www.ecommercetimes.com

 

December 17, 2009

From ClickZ.com:

"SEO Best Practices When Moving a Web Site"

It's not in your best interest to just do a blanket redirect of all old URLs to the home page of the new site.  You really want to avoid producing any volume of 404 errors that could produce a poor user experience and signal the engines that your site isn't healthy or cared for...

http://www.clickz.com

 

December 16, 2009

From InternetRetailer.com:

"Time Is Running Out for Online Christmas Shopping"

Most e-retailers list December 18 or before as the deadline for placing online orders for delivery by Christmas...

http://www.internetretailer.com

 

December 16, 2009

From CBC:

"What's Next in E-Commerce"

Businesses now can't do without an internet presence, even if they don't actually transact online...

http://www.cbc.ca

 

December 16, 2009

From Search Engine Watch:

"Measuring SEO Results"

While traffic and engagement can be a factor in measuring the success of an SEO project, measuring conversions from organic search traffic is a must...

http://searchenginewatch.com

 

December 15, 2009

From MarketingProfs.com:

"Add Some Local Flavor"

Using links to landing pages in local search campaigns is surprisingly more effective than directing consumers to the brand's website...

http://www.marketingprofs.com

 

December 14, 2009

From CNET:

"2009 Holiday Sales Online:

$19.9 Billion and Counting"

Monday, December 14, has the potential to produce the best day of this year's holiday-shopping season, surpassing the elusive $900 million spending threshold...

http://news.cnet.com

 

December 14, 2009

From Search Engine Watch:

"Web Accessibility and SEO"

Search crawlers can easily access sites that have been enhanced with site accessibility...

http://searchenginewatch.com

 

December 13, 2009

From Marketing Charts:

"Majority of Online Retailers Not Confident with Analytics"

68% of online retailers are uncertain if they are using all of the data gleaned through on-site applications to its best advantage...

http://www.marketingcharts.com

 

December 11, 2009

From Retailer Daily:

"Female Consumers Increase Social Networking"

50% of female social media users say they have purchased products because of information on social networking sites, and 40% report they have used coupon codes found on social networks...

http://www.retailerdaily.com

 

December 10, 2009

From Search Engine Watch:

"Rethinking your Link Marketing Strategies"

Search engine algorithms are always changing.  To maintain your rankings over time, it's important to have a wide variety of links.  This will help to insulate your site as updates take place...

http://searchenginewatch.com

 

December 10, 2009

From DM News:

"Cataloging to Multichannel Retailing"

What is unique about the Internet is just how similar it is to cataloging.  Both are communications channels.  Once an order comes in, an Internet company is exactly like a catalog company...

http://www.dmnews.com

 

December 10, 2009

From eMarketer:

"Integrating E-Mail and Social Media"

While an unprecedented number of companies look to integrate email and social media in 2010, the data shows that companies need to adopt new tools and strategies to properly measure and monetize their efforts...

http://www.emarketer.com

 

December 9, 2009

From Search Engine Watch:

"How to Lead Your Customers to Conversion"

Visitors are only as valuable as the Web site that converts them.  If the Web site doesn't convert, then the visitors are worth nothing...

http://searchenginewatch.com

 

December 9, 2009

From ClickZ.com:

"Interactive Application vs.

Social Campaign"

Being social means that something is happening between people, not just objects...

http://www.clickz.com

 

December 8, 2009

From PPC Hero:

"A Gazillion Ways to Test Landing Pages to Increase Conversions"

There is almost no limit to the things you can test on your landing pages.  Test one element at a time.  Or set up multiple multivariate tests so you can test one change on your landing page but have multiple of those tests running...

http://www.ppchero.com

 

December 4, 2009

From InternetRetailer.com:

"When E-Retailers Add Video to Their Sites, Few Tune In"

Only 16% of online shoppers say they watch videos on retailers' web sites...

http://www.internetretailer.com

 

December 2, 2009

From E-Commerce Times:

"Shoppers Mean Business on Cyber Monday"

Online sales were up 13.7 percent year over year on Cyber Monday.  Shoppers spent 38.2 percent more per order and bought roughly 10 percent more items per order this year than on Cyber Monday 2008...

http://www.ecommercetimes.com

 

December 2, 2009

From ClickZ.com:

"Site Redesign SEO Considerations for 2010"

The title tag of every page should begin with a uniquely optimal keyword phrase and end with a consistent branding construct...

http://www.clickz.com

 

December 1, 2009

From Search Engine Watch:

"Four New Signals in Search"

If you create a Web site that is useful to users, it's likely your site will emit many signals that tell the search engines that your site is a good result for users...

http://searchenginewatch.com

 

December 1, 2009

From eMarketer:

"Consumers Free to Speak Their Mind Online"

The more interactions happen online, with no direct offline contact, the more likely they are to tilt toward extreme behavior.  It's important to blend both online and offline elements...

http://www.emarketer.com

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