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e-RETAILING NEWS & OPINION ARCHIVES

January 2009

For the Archives Index, please click here

 

About Advertising

and Promotion

 

January 29, 2009

From iMarketing News:

"Social Media Can Boost Customer Loyalty"

Rather than launching marketing messages at an increasingly indifferent audience, today we're seeing marketers cultivating a brand's loyal following of friends...

http://www.dmnews.com

 

January 28, 2009

From DM News:

"Five Inconvenient Truths about the State of E-mail Marketing"

Consumers largely care what the e-mail is about, not who sent it.  A consumer is likely more loyal to the product than to a retailer who markets it...

http://www.dmnews.com

 

January 27, 2009

From ClickZ.com:

"Questioning the Future of Search"

Let your customers have their say.  Keyword-driven marketing is all about understanding the language of the customer and creating marketing messages in that language...

http://www.clickz.com

 

January 26, 2009

From ClickZ.com:

"Special Sauce, Silver Bullets, and E-mail Marketing"

E-mail is a direct response marketing channel and the key to direct response is being able to directly quantify the results of your efforts.  Sometimes clicks are the goal, but more often you're looking for conversions of some type...

http://www.clickz.com

 

January 23, 2009

From MarketingProfs.com:

"Tips on Avoiding Deliverability Disaster"

If you're announcing a specific event, send the email early, not at the last minute...

http://www.marketingprofs.com

 

January 22, 2009

From MarketingVOX:

"Personalized Ads Draw Spendy, and Frequent, Shoppers"

Advertisers that are spending premiums to target the biggest spenders and the most frequent shoppers should take note that those shoppers want intelligent ads that speak to their specific needs and shopping intent...

http://www.marketingvox.com

 

January 16, 2009

From MarketingProfs.com:

"If Marketing Is About ROI,

Email Fits the Bill"

Despite its low cost and high ROI, email marketing still accounts for a small fraction of most marketing budgets and sometimes is not used at all as a marketing medium...

http://www.marketingprofs.com

 

January 15, 2009

From ClickZ.com:

"Beyond Targeting in the Age of the Modern Consumer"

Missing- link marketing means delivering the right bit of information to the right person at the right time - when they're searching for it...

http://www.clickz.com

 

January 15, 2009

From ClickZ.com:

"How Hard Is It to Brand Your E-mail?"

Always brand your message copy high up in text so that people will see it no matter where or how they view it...

http://www.clickz.com

 

January 14, 2009

From MarketingProfs.com:

"Top 10 for Online Marketing Success in 2009"

Ask your customers what they are interested in, what they'd like to hear more about, and how often; then segment audiences and build campaigns around this information...

http://www.marketingprofs.com

 

January 13, 2009

From iMarketing News:

"Can Digital Marketing Save Retail?"

More multichannel retailers are signaling that they're planning to shift more of their overall marketing budgets to search in 2009...

http://www.dmnews.com

 

January 12, 2009

From DM News:

"How Can You Stretch a Tight Pay-Per-Click Marketing Budget?"

Analyze the time of day for each conversion.  Stop showing ads during time periods when conversions are in the lowest 25% and ensure ads are 100% live when conversion rates are in the top 25%...

http://www.dmnews.com

 

January 12, 2009

From ClickZ.com:

"Seven Top Online Marketing Trends for 2009"

Increase customer retention efforts.  Marketing to your existing customer base is cheaper and more effective because you know who they are and understand their behavior...

http://www.clickz.com

 

January 9, 2009

From InternetRetailer.com:

"Subject Length a Key to E-mail Success - But Not the Only One"

Subject line word order and word choice also play key roles...

http://www.internetretailer.com

 

January 9, 2009

From ClickZ.com:

"Commit to E-Mail This Year"

While the vulgar definition of spam has thankfully been dealt with in large part, what remains is the spam of irrelevance.  Make sure you watch those

open and click rates; they are your leading indicators of whether what you're doing actually works...

http://www.clickz.com

 

January 8, 2009

From ClickZ.com:

"Forget Predictions; Get Actionable Tactics"

Understand, then plan; don't plan to understand as you go.  E-mail marketing, Web site usability, and search marketing are the three tried-and-true pillars of digital marketing in terms of sustainable ROI...

http://www.clickz.com

 

January 7, 2009

From ClickZ.com:

"Four Guidelines for Behavioral Marketing Newbies"

Behavioral marketing allows you to reach higher into the funnel, where your messages can attract those who are earlier in their buying process...

http://www.clickz.com

 

January 6, 2009

From eMarketer:

"Will Search Ad Gains Get Lost in Bad Economic Numbers?"

In order to survive, companies have to maintain an online presence.  Search is an essential tool for driving traffic to the company's site...

http://www.emarketer.com

 

January 6, 2009

From MarketingProfs.com:

"Managing Email Frequency:

Focus on the Subscriber"

Ten message options that boost frequency without sacrificing the customer relationship...

http://www.marketingprofs.com

 

January 6, 2009

From ClickZ.com:

"2009:  The Year of the Subject Line"

How can you make sure your e-mail subject line will drive the most impact in 2009?  Three tips for simple, innovative, and fun ways to increase your impact...

http://www.clickz.com

 

January 5, 2009

From ClickZ.com:

"SEO and PPC Cannibalization"

If your organic listings are identical or similar to your paid search listings, there may not be any added value in undertaking paid search...

http://www.clickz.com

 

About Customer

Service

 

January 30, 2009

From MarketingProfs.com:

"Five Small-Business Email Customer Lifecycle Tactics for the New Year"

Being able to identify the attributes of your most-engaged customers will allow you to leverage those attributes on a growing customer database...

http://www.marketingprofs.com

 

January 29, 2009

From Marketing Charts:

"Increasingly Sophisticated Online Shoppers Seek Freshness, Innovation"

Among experience-related features, shoppers priorities are ease of browsing and finding what they're looking for; clear, accessible product information; and an easy-to-use checkout process...

http://www.marketingcharts.com

 

January 20, 2009

From DM News:

"Improve E-Mail Deliverability by Giving Consumers Power"

Want to improve your e-mail deliverability?  Improve it subscriber by subscriber by asking them what they want, when and through which channel...

http://www.dmnews.com

 

January 19, 2009

From InternetRetailer.com:

"The Value of Free Shipping"

Three out of five online customers said the availability of free shipping greatly influenced their choice to shop at one e-retailer instead of another...

http://www.internetretailer.com

 

January 15, 2009

From InternetRetailer.com:

"Web Retailers Ignore Senior Online Shoppers At Their Own Peril"

50% of North American consumers over the age of 64 go on the Internet at least once per month and 35% access the web daily...

http://www.internetretailer.com

 

January 14, 2009

From eMarketer:

"How Do Online Buyers Pay?"

Online buyers pay mostly by credit card, but other payment methods are gaining ground...

http://www.emarketer.com

 

January 14, 2009

From InternetRetailer.com:

"Online Customer Service Slips"

Excellent online customer service features range from having a toll-free phone number on the site to being able to deliver packages in four days or less to offering real-time inventory availability...

http://www.internetretailer.com

 

January 8, 2009

From InternetRetailer.com:

"Web Shoppers Care More about Payment Security than Pricing"

In the list of top features consumers look for before transacting with a retail web site, trusting the site came out on top - beating out both pricing and ease of use...

http://www.internetretailer.com

 

January 7, 2009

From InternetRetailer.com:

"One-Third of Online Shoppers Encountered Web Site Glitches over the Holidays"

21% of online shoppers said they abandoned a very slow web site when attempting to shop, 13% said a site froze or crashed, and 12% reported they could not complete a purchase on the first attempt...

http://www.internetretailer.com

 

January 7, 2009

From DM News:

"To Get Online Leads, What Beats Web Forms?"

You will get better results if you allow prospects to engage with your content before you ask them for any personal data...

http://www.dmnews.com

 

January 2, 2009

From ClickZ.com:

"The Sciences and Disciplines of Web Site Optimization"

The ability to use a Web site to accomplish a task valuable to a business goal is both a usability issue and a conversion optimization issues.  But that doesn't mean every experience the visitor encounters on a site is a usability issue...

http://www.clickz.com

About Webstore

Management

 

January 30, 2009

From CNN Money:

"My Online Store Gets Just One Sale a Month!"

Experts help a bricks-and-mortar retailer make the transition online...

http://money.cnn.com

 

January 30, 2009

From The New York Times:

"Who's Online and What Are They Doing There?"

Generation X (ages 33-44) remains the leader when it comes to online shopping with 80% using the Internet to buy products online...

http://www.nytimes.com

 

January 30, 2009

From ClickZ.com:

"The Power of RFM"

What do high-scoring customers buy more of?  Are there any patterns?  Can you make them an offer to sell them again?

http://www.clickz.com

 

January 29, 2009

From E-Commerce Times:

"Six Neglected SEO Tips That Can Save Your Business Big Bucks"

Page title tags are still one of the most important elements of most search engines' algorithms.  Keep the title tag under 128 characters and keep any branding to the end...

http://www.ecommercetimes.com

 

January 29, 2009

From ClickZ.com:

"Why Should I Buy From You?"

On your Web site, it is sometimes best to express different why-you-should-buy-from-me ideas on different areas of the site, depending upon what you are trying to sell...

http://www.clickz.com

 

January 28, 2009

From MarketingProfs.com:

"Too Much of a Good Thing"

Web site owners should focus on relevant, not repetitive, copy.  Every Web page should contain unique, useful, and credible content independent of a site's primary and secondary navigational elements...

http://www.marketingprofs.com

 

January 28, 2009

From Search Engine Watch:

"Track Those Alternate Conversions"

It's natural to think about revenue-generating events such as sales, leads generated, or ads clicked on when we think about conversions.  However, in the complex world of the Web, we're shortchanging ourselves when we look at it this way...

http://searchenginewatch.com

 

January 27, 2009

From ClickZ.com:

"Using Segmentation to Improve Site Conversions"

One basic way to segment your audience is to key off of login cookies...

http://www.clickz.com

 

January 27, 2009

From eMarketer:

"How Important Is Search to Users?"

Internet users at home and at work used search in the same proportions - 95% of each group...

http://www.emarketer.com

 

January 26, 2009

From Oneupweb:

"The 2008 U.S. Online Shopping Report"

With more consumers engaging in online window - shopping and price comparisons, it's important to keep the conversation going - and to make it easy.  Stay top of mind through the strategic use of initiatives like email, search, and social media...

http://www.oneupweb.com

 

January 26, 2009

From E-Commerce Times:

"How to Build a Small-Business Web Site:  Web 2.0 Tools"

Web master wannabes with businesses to run often go overboard with the plethora of social networking tools at their disposal and end up wasting a lot of time and effort on frivolous undertakings...

http://www.ecommercetimes.com

 

January 23, 2009

From MarketingProfs.com:

"Usability and Findability:

Getting the Synergy Right"

Breadcrumb navigation is a useful technique both for users and for search engines...

http://www.marketingprofs.com

 

January 23, 2009

From Search Engine Watch:

"A Linking Strategy Is About More Than Just Quality Content"

Some strategies for inbound linking plans, and some exercises to help increase the value and relevance of the links being targeted for acquisition...

http://searchenginewatch.com

 

January 22, 2009

From Search Engine Watch:

"Writing Sales Copy For Conversions:  Tone and Style"

People don't read the Web, so the format of your writing should support their opportunistic scanning behavior.  Eleven guidelines to help you write

scannable text...

http://searchenginewatch.com

 

January 22, 2009

From MarketingVOX:

"Great Divide Separates Small Biz, Online Consumers"

Though 63% of consumers and small business owners turn to the internet first for information about local companies and 82% use search engines to do so, only 44% of small businesses have a website...

http://www.marketingvox.com

 

January 21, 2009

From MarketingProfs.com:

"Is Your Web Site as Good as Your Favorite Bistro?

A Post-Holiday Recipe for Online Success"

Just as in the restaurant, your Web site is either clean or cluttered.  It is welcoming or not, packed with everything you can think to throw up there or laid out with just the right information - an appealing appetizer of possibility...

http://www.marketingprofs.com

 

January 21, 2009

From InternetRetailer.com:

"How Small Merchants Can Build Mighty Retail Web Sites"

It's a better idea for retailers to build a site for their current business rather than create one with unnecessary bells and whistles and hope to grow into it...

http://www.internetretailer.com

 

January 21, 2009

From Search Engine Watch:

"Testing Your Online Business Plan"

Monetizing a Web site is so much more than slapping some ads on a page and waiting for the checks to roll in.  Whether you sell products or services, realizing a positive ROI doesn't just take hard work - it takes a solid plan...

http://searchenginewatch.com

 

January 21, 2009

From ClickZ.com:

"Updated Techniques for Launching a Redesigned Site"

Assuming most of your pages are complete and ready for prime time, expediting the crawling and indexing of your new pages is the most important SEM-related issue to execute efficiently...

http://www.clickz.com

 

January 20, 2009

From ClickZ.com:

"Analytic Basics:  Visitor Surveys"

Web analytics can tell you what happened in terms of visitor behavior and when it happened, but they aren't necessarily the best tools for telling you who did what and why they did it.  Survey data can provide this different perspective...

http://www.clickz.com

 

January 20, 2009

From eMarketer:

"Online Fraud Rate Stable as Losses Climb"

Falling rejection rates accompanied by steady fraud rates meant merchants were better in 2008 at fighting fraud...

http://www.emarketer.com

 

January 19, 2009

From MarketingProfs.com:

"That's Definitely Worth the Price!"

We were all consumers before we were marketers.  So ask yourself, If I was looking for this product or information about this topic online, what would I type into the search field?  Then brainstorm a list of words...

http://www.marketingprofs.com

 

January 16, 2009

From Search Engine Watch:

"Training Your Content Developers on SEO Copywriting"

Too many people get SEO in their mind and lose sight of the other, more important goal: creating a good user experience...

http://searchenginewatch.com

 

January 16, 2009

From ClickZ.com:

"When to Take the Low Road"

People weren't holiday-shopping this year.  They were bargain-hunting.  The two biggest traffic days for retailer's Web sites for 2008 were Black Friday (November 28) and December 26, when bargain-basement pricing was the norm...

http://www.clickz.com

 

January 14, 2009

From ClickZ.com:

"E-Tailers Selling Ad Space"

One difference between most ordinary publishers and e-commerce ones is their discrimination when it comes to the types of advertisers they allow on their sites...

http://www.clickz.com

 

January 13, 2009

From InternetRetailer.com:

"Reshaping Web Site Design"

To improve their designs, merchants are sifting through myriad information, including traffic logs, web analytics reports, customer service tapes, surveys, and other data that help them better understand web site traffic patterns and buyer behavior...

http://www.internetretailer.com

 

January 13, 2009

From ClickZ.com:

"Site Optimization:  No More Guesses"

Are you reducing the number of guesses your company makes about changes on your site?  Are you helping your company make smarter, proven decisions?

http://www.clickz.com

 

January 12, 2009

From E-Commerce Times:

"How to Build a Small-Business Web Site:  Advanced Design"

Beyond the basics, when it comes to the subtleties of Web design, planning is everything - from getting a handle on user needs and behavior to figuring out the right tools to make your site deliver on its intended promise...

http://www.ecommercetimes.com

 

January 9, 2009

From ClickZ.com:

"Budgets Slashed?  Get Back to Guerrilla Basics"

The copy on your site needs to be more than just the facts.  You must sell products with your copy, not only report on their specifications.  Stress the value of the product versus the price...

http://www.clickz.com

 

January 8, 2009

From Search Engine Watch:

"Writing Sales Copy for Conversions:  Structure"

Keep your pages short.  This will allow them to be digested in small, bite-sized chunks that correspond to a Web user's attention span...

http://searchenginewatch.com

 

January 8, 2009

From MarketingVOX:

"26% of Small Biz Raises Ad Spend, Precipitating Online Growth"

83% of small business owners expect 2009 sales to be up or about the same as 2008...

http://www.marketingvox.com

 

January 7, 2009

From InternetRetailer.com:

"Online Shoppers Read Reviews, But Make Up Their Own Minds"

About half of online shoppers say they have purchased a product despite reading a negative review...

http://www.internetretailer.com

 

January 6, 2009

From Internet News:

"E-Commerce Silver Lining Despite Holiday Dip"

While consumers cut back in spending, more shopped online which boosted sales in several ecommerce segments...

http://www.internetnews.com

 

January 5, 2009

From Search Engine Watch:

"Use Caution When Growing Your Site"

Don't just throw up a bunch of new pages in the search for long tail search traffic.  Devise a strategy that will lead to pages that have something to offer users...

http://searchenginewatch.com

 

January 5, 2009

From Nielsen Online:

"81 Percent of Online Holiday Shoppers Read Online Customer Reviews"

63 percent of online shoppers indicated that it was important to have multiple reviews for each product; 14 percent looked for reviews from an established source; and just three percent sought out reviews by people they knew personally...

http://www.nielsen-online.com

 

January 2, 2009

From InternetRetailer.com:

"63% of Retailers Reported Rise in Holiday Sales"

The average online growth rate was 9.8% during the period November 1 through December 21, and the best performance was among mid-size and multi-channel retailers...

http://www.internetretailer.com

 

January 2, 2009

From ClickZ.com:

"Five Items for Your New Year's To-Do List"

Five items to consider as you kick off 2009:  Working closely with operations, connecting your objectives to your customers, measuring results, integrating across channels, and most importantly, participating in the social Web...

http://www.clickz.com

For the Archives Index, please click here

 

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