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Winning Internet Integration Strategies for Today's Retailer

 

 

e-RETAILING NEWS & OPINION ARCHIVES

September 2009

For the Archives Index, please click here

 

About Advertising

and Promotion

 

September 30, 2009

From MarketingProfs.com:

"E-Coupons Gaining in Popularity"

Consumers who obtain coupons via text messages or email tend to be young, affluent, educated, and female...

http://www.marketingprofs.com

 

September 29, 2009

From DM News:

"Webserts Grow in Popularity"

Think of the websert as an online package insert.  You want to be promotional, but you also need a great headline to get a click-through...

http://www.dmnews.com

 

September 28, 2009

From Search Engine Watch:

"What Is Your R for ROI in Social Media?"

Defining the ROI on a social media activity doesn't always have to be a direct sale.  It's actually rare to see a click-to-purchase from a mention in social media...

http://searchenginewatch.com

 

September 28, 2009

From eMarketer:

"What's in a Retail E-Mail?"

More than three-quarters of Web retailers that had a physical presence include a locator tool in their marketing e-mails...

http://www.emarketer.com

 

September 25, 2009

From The New York Times:

"A Small Business Guide to Text-Message Marketing"

If you're texting your customers more than five times a month, you better have a really great reason...

http://www.nytimes.com

 

September 24, 2009

From Search Engine Watch:

"Improve Your SEM in Time for the Holidays"

If your goal is to make a little more money in the crucial 2009 holiday season, take a close look at these five factors to see how they can make a dramatic impact to your paid and natural campaigns...

http://searchenginewatch.com

 

September 24, 2009

From eMarketer:

"Online Ad Spending Slows But Grabs Market Share"

2009 will be the first year that ad spending online is greater than local and national spot TV, with online expenditures rising from 10.6% of the total in 2008 to 12.2% this year...

http://www.emarketer.com

 

September 23, 2009

From ClickZ.com:

"Holiday E-Mail Planning:

Does Your Content Rule?"

More retailers are abandoning the postcard-design style, which stuffs all the key message content into a single large image, in favor of a design that puts key copy in text...

http://www.clickz.com

 

September 21, 2009

From Search Engine Watch:

"How to Chase the Long Tail"

With 70 percent of available search traffic coming from long tail terms, can you afford not to chase it?

http://searchenginewatch.com

 

September 18, 2009

From MarketingProfs.com:

"WoM Marketing Still Growing, But More Slowly"

Spending on word-of-mouth marketing increased 14.2% in 2008, to $1.54 billion...

http://www.marketingprofs.com

 

September 16, 2009

From MarketingProfs.com:

"Hey!  Is This a Bait-and-Switch?"

If it's in the subject line, it simply must appear on the landing page...

http://www.marketingprofs.com

 

September 14, 2009

From ClickZ.com:

"A Social Media Strategy Checklist"

Ten steps to building a social media strategy that delivers...

http://www.clickz.com

 

September 11, 2009

From MarketingVOX:

"Display Ads Boost Search Site Visits and Click-Throughs"

Display ad campaigns can increase visits from search engines by nearly 14%, and boost paid-search click-throughs by nearly 15%...

http://www.marketingvox.com

 

September 9, 2009

From InternetRetailer.com:

"Free Shipping E-Mails Work Best When Planned and Segmented"

78% of online companies saw increased transaction-to-click rates on e-mails offering free shipping than on other types of marketing e-mails...

http://www.internetretailer.com

 

September 9, 2009

From MarketingProfs.com:

"Measuring What Matters in Email Marketing"

What goals do you want email campaigns to achieve?  Drive more site traffic?  Generate leads?  Result in direct sales?  Create awareness?  Defining expectations is key to measuring what matters...

http://www.marketingprofs.com

 

September 8, 2009

From Search Engine Watch:

"Putting the Search in Research"

Search ads are a great platform for testing marketing messaging across channels.  By testing differences in click-through-rate and, ideally, conversion across multiple messages, you can get relatively cheap feedback on major factors and unique selling points...

http://searchenginewatch.com

 

September 8, 2009

From DM News:

"Search Optimization Tips to Put Your Brand Front and Center"

Tracking success at the keyword level can provide information on trouble areas of campaigns and allow for quick correction for those that are not performing...

http://www.dmnews.com

 

September 7, 2009

From Search Engine Watch:

"Integrating PPC with SEO"

Even if your Web site only has 10 pages, search engine optimization can be a daunting task.  Use pay-per-click to determine where you can get the biggest impact, and start there...

http://searchenginewatch.com

 

September 4, 2009

From eMarketer:

"SMBs More Likely to Use Digital than Traditional Media"

77% of SMBs used online for advertising in August 2009, compared with just 69% that used traditional media.  Spending on Websites and online profile pages was up more than 26%...

http://www.emarketer.com

 

September 4, 2009

From DM News:

"Use Data to Time Your Web Marketing"

Four key shopping patterns online retailers can watch to learn when to reach customers and prospects more profitably...

http://www.dmnews.com

 

September 3, 2009

From DM News:

"Watch that Unsub Rate:  Reduce Irrelevancy and Avoid Unsubscribes"

If direct marketers increase the frequency of their messaging without increasing the relevancy of their messages, then they amplify message irrelevancy by the increase in frequency...

http://www.dmnews.com

 

September 2, 2009

From MarketingProfs.com:

"Your Keywords:  The PPC and SEO Gold Mine in Your Own Backyard"

Put a system in place for continually monitoring the performance of your keywords, so you're always aware of the words and phrases customers are using to describe and discover your offering...

http://www.marketingprofs.com

 

September 2, 2009

From Search Engine Watch:

"Landing Page Optimization Pitfall - Not Collecting Enough Data"

All online marketing campaigns and programs should be run by the numbers.  The difficult part is in knowing which numbers to use and when...

http://searchenginewatch.com

 

 

About Customer

Service

 

September 30, 2009

From CNET:

"Two-Thirds of Americans Object to Online Tracking"

About two-thirds of Americans object to online tracking by advertisers - and that number rises once they learn the different ways marketers are following their online movements...

http://news.cnet.com

 

September 30, 2009

From DM News:

"Four Ways to Get More Value from Your Site Search"

A well performing site search improves your customers' online experience and helps them find products and information more quickly.  The more data you include in the search results, the easier you make the visitor's purchasing decision...

http://www.dmnews.com

 

September 25, 2009

From InternetRetailer.com:

"Online Shoppers Can't Be Dumped into Categories"

As the web provides more choices in how to shop, online shoppers are increasingly showing independence in how they like to shop across multiple categories of product and price...

http://www.internetretailer.com

 

September 24, 2009

From E-Commerce Times:

"How to Build a Web Site Without Borders"

To the outside observer, internationalization remains a hidden and often unknown attribute, but it is critical to leveraging your success from market to market...

http://www.ecommercetimes.com

 

September 22, 2009

From MarketingProfs.com:

"It's Not You, It's Them"

Customers don't appreciate having to hit skip-intro every time they visit, or sitting through elaborate zooms or fades when all they want are some close-up shots of a certain product...

http://www.marketingprofs.com

 

September 18, 2009

From DM News:

"13 Tips for Successful E-Commerce"

Navigation is one of the greatest assets a retailer can offer a customer who has just landed on an e-commerce site.  As in bricks-and-mortar stores, customers need clear paths toward what they are looking for and internal search to take them to desired product pages quickly and easily...

http://www.dmnews.com

 

September 15, 2009

From E-Commerce Times:

"E-Commerce Innovations -

What's Now and What's Next"

An effective online customer service campaign can drastically change the face of online shopping by infusing features into sites that are not easily replicated in a real-world setting...

http://www.ecommercetimes.com

 

September 14, 2009

From DM News:

"E-Commerce an Easy Sell"

From Web-enabled in-store kiosks that give shoppers access to a wider selection of merchandise to the ability to chat with a customer service representative directly from the Web site, retailers are investing in a variety of digital strategies to make it easy for consumers to browse, do research, make a purchase or return a product...

http://www.dmnews.com

 

September 10, 2009

From MarketingProfs.com:

"Think of It as Home Improvement"

Focused landing pages match your visitor's intent more closely with your site content, thus boosting the alignment of your goals and theirs...

http://www.marketingprofs.com

 

September 4, 2009

From InternetRetailer.com:

"Product Recommendations Supercharge Online Conversion Rates"

The shopping cart is an especially effective page on which to display recommendations, because it showcases other products next to what a customer already has chosen to buy and because it is the perfect place for impulse buys...

http://www.internetretailer.com

 

September 4, 2009

From Search Engine Watch:

"Internet Marketing Is Like Talking to Children"

Your home page and your main category pages should always have varying levels of information, so visitors can enjoy the conversation level of their choice...

http://searchenginewatch.com

 

September 3, 2009

From E-Commerce Times:

"Checkout Line Anxiety"

Online shoppers are scrutinizing extra charges that wouldn't have slowed them down in a better economy, right up to clicking the place-order button...

http://www.ecommercetimes.com

 

September 1, 2009

From eMarketer:

"Online Shoppers Want Human Helping Hand"

77% of Internet users who made an online purchase in the past six months would be interested in help from a real person before buying certain things on the Web...

http://www.emarketer.com

About Webstore

Management

 

September 30, 2009

From InternetRetailer.com:

"42% of E-Retailers Increased Their Conversion Rates this Year"

Online retailers increased their online visitor-to-order conversion rates to an average conversion rate of 3.4%...

http://www.internetretailer.com

 

September 29, 2009

From ClickZ.com:

"Your Web Analytics Checklist"

Are conversion events well defined?  Are all the important conversion events on your site being tracked?

http://www.clickz.com

 

September 29. 2009

From CNN Money:

"Even Bad Reviews Boost Sales"

Consumers are becoming used to searching for reviews when they shop online.  If they leave your site to look for reviews, they most likely won't come back...

http://money.cnn.com

 

September 26, 2009

From Nielsen:

"17% of Time Spent on Internet Devoted to Social Networking and Blog Sites, Up from 6% Year Ago"

Year-over-year, online advertising spend on the top social network and blogging sites increased 119 percent...

http://en-us.nielsen.com

 

September 25, 2009

From MarketingProfs.com:

"Seven Questions Local Businesses Should Answer Before Investing in SEO"

Does your page do a good job of converting visitors to sales?  Does your site give people a good reason to come back?

http://www.marketingprofs.com

 

September 25, 2009

From ClickZ.com:

"Social Media and Local Search 101"

Social media can help you to monitor and manage your online reputation by replying to customers who are less than satisfied and thanking those who speak well of you...

http://www.clickz.com

 

September 24, 2009

From ClickZ.com:

"Deduping Duplicate Content"

How do you know if duplicate content is an issue for your site?  Simply run one or more of these four quick tests...

http://www.clickz.com

 

September 22, 2009

From InternetRetailer.com:

"More Than a Third of U.S. Households Inclined to Shop Online"

While there is a strong correlation between higher income and likelihood of shopping online, income is not a definitive predictor of shopping behavior.  For instance, singles, 30-45, living in suburbs or towns, are more likely to shop online than established elites that have 42% more income on average...

http://www.internetretailer.com

 

September 17, 2009

From E-Commerce Times:

"How to Keep Online Shopping Carts On Target"

How can you persuade shoppers after they've changed their mind about an item?  Although some reasons might be uncontrollable, the majority are manageable and can be reduced by incorporating these eight simple tactics on your Web site and into your checkout process...

http://www.ecommercetimes.com

 

September 17, 2009

From DM News:

"Online Shopping Cart Deserters Today May Be Buyers Tomorrow"

65% of all shoppers will wait a day or more to complete a purchase...

http://www.dmnews.com

 

September 17, 2009

From InternetRetailer.com:

"Online Merchants Missing the Mark with In-Store Pickup"

Many multichannel retailers that offer in-store pickup of online orders are turning the service into a form of free shipping without taking full advantage of its potential to generate more sales...

http://www.internetretailer.com

 

September 16, 2009

From InternetRetailer.com:

"The New Page-Loading Threshold:  2 Seconds"

40% of consumers will wait no more than three seconds for a web page to render before they abandon a site...

http://www.internetretailer.com

 

September 16, 2009

From Search Engine Watch:

"Granularity in Landing Page Optimization"

The advantage of fine granularity changes is that they're quick and easy to implement.  For example, you may want to consider different headlines for your page.  It wouldn't take long to come up with some reasonable alternatives, set up a test, and start collecting data...

http://searchenginewatch.com

 

September 15, 2009

From ClickZ.com:

"Building Analytics Into Your Business Processes"

Often organizations spend money on new campaigns or large-scale product development on their sites without being explicitly clear about how they will measure the effectiveness of the campaign or the new piece of functionality.  So how do they know that they have done a good job?

http://www.clickz.com/3634955

 

September 15, 2009

From InternetRetailer.com:

"Natural Search Still Doesn't Come Naturally"

Some retailers are doing a better job than others of gaining visibility in natural search results, often by tapping site analytics to identify words and phrases their customers are searching for or clicking on and making sure a site has lots of content relevant to those terms...

http://www.internetretailer.com

 

September 15, 2009

From Search Engine Watch:

"Redesigning Your Web Site?

Don't Neglect SEO"

Make sure you 301 redirect every page of the old site to the new URL structure...

http://searchenginewatch.com

 

September 11, 2009

From InternetRetailer.com:

"Shoppers Spend More When They Shop Multiple Channels at Once"

Multichannel shoppers that shop multiple channels at once spend 15-30% more than their multichannel counterparts who shop one channel at a time...

http://www.internetretailer.com

 

September 11, 2009

From ClickZ.com:

"What Is Your True Conversion Rate?"

Your conversion rate is the sum of the thousands of efforts and paths that prospects take through your site.  There is no such thing as an average person.  That is why your average conversion rate is a rough indicator but virtually worthless as a way to focus your conversion optimization...

http://www.clickz.com

 

September 10, 2009

From ClickZ.com:

"Get Started in Local Search Without a Web Site"

Many local search platforms allow you to create a local business profile on a page on their sites.  Think of each of these profile pages as a mini Web site about your business...

http://www.clickz.com

 

September 10, 2009

From Marketing Charts:

"Three-Fourths of Women Uninfluenced by Brands on SocNets"

Though women are exceptionally active in online social networking activities, they are overwhelmingly uninfluenced - and often turned off - by brands hawking products and services in the social-media space...

http://www.marketingcharts.com

 

September 9, 2009

From ClickZ.com:

"The Opportunity Cost of a Safe Online Strategy"

The Internet is a collection of niche populations overlaid by broader, shared characteristics.  If you only address your audiences at the level of least differentiation, you're missing the best opportunity to demonstrate relevance.  Relevance is what drives results...

http://www.clickz.com

 

September 9, 2009

From E-Commerce Times:

"Speaking the Right Language Online"

Understand that the lengths of words and phrases will vary considerably in translations and that the Web site design layout needs to take this into account...

http://www.ecommercetimes.com

 

September 8, 2009

From InternetRetailer.com:

"Content Is King"

This year $757.4 billion of in-store sales - 28% of total retail sales - will be directly influenced by the web as consumers research products online and purchase them offline...

http://www.internetretailer.com

 

September 3, 2009

From MarketingProfs.com:

"Top 10 Online Retail Categories"

The top online-retail category by average order size in July was computer hardware, followed by the automotive category and consumer electronics...

http://www.marketingprofs.com

 

September 1, 2009

From E-Commerce News:

"The E-Coupon Generation"

Use of electronic discounts and coupons more than doubled in the first half of 2009 compared with the same period last year...

http://www.ecommercetimes.com

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