E-Commerce

TOOLBOX: E-commerce, CRM, e-mail, database

November 09, 2009

In this week's Toolbox, experts discuss how to personalize your e-commerce site before the holidays, online data exchanges, managing customer experience and sending highly personalized e-mails.
 

Brand marketers rethink e-commerce

Chantal Todé November 06, 2009

Manufacturers and brand marketers overhaul Web presence to reinforce digital presence, provide superior customer experiences, and drive additional sales.
 

Online retailers to see increased sales, but more work for them, says Forrester

Cara Wood November 03, 2009

Online holiday sales will increase this year, but marketers will have to work harder for each buyer than last year, according to the 2009 US Online Holiday Retail Forecast, released by Forrester Research on November 2. The research company's report, based on an online survey fielded in August of 4,723 US adults, projects an 8% growth rate for November and December US online retail sales.
 

Mattel launches e-commerce portal for various brands

Mary Elizabeth Hurn October 22, 2009

Toy manufacturer Mattel has launched MattelShop.com, which has, in addition to traditional e-commerce features, social shopping tools and real-time updated content. Previously, Mattel brands like American Girl, Fisher-Price and Barbie Collector had their own e-commerce portals. This is the first time all of Mattel's brands are sold on one e-commerce site.
 

Top Tips: Planning a successful e-mail campaign for the holidays

Dianna Dilworth October 07, 2009

Holiday sales are more important than ever this year, as retailers gear up for the final quarter of this recession year. As marketers begin to plan their strategy for the holiday season, five seasoned e-mail marketing veterans share their tips on the best way to reach consumers through the inbox during the busy shopping season.
 

Amazon debuts mobile payment option

Dianna Dilworth October 07, 2009

Amazon Payments LLC, an Amazon.com company, released a mobile payment system on October 5. Amazon Mobile Payments Service lets the company's merchants process transactions via mobile phone and allows consumers to check out using Amazon's 1-Click.
 

1-800-Flowers blooms with Facebook transactions

Dianna Dilworth October 02, 2009

Retailer 1-800-Flowers is increasingly finding social media an ideal place to connect with customers.
 

Student Advantage increases e-mail click-through rate with Lyris partnership

Dianna Dilworth September 29, 2009

Student Advantage, a discount loyalty program aimed at college students, has directly increased clickthroughs by 10% by testing its e-mail campaigns. The wholly owned subsidiary of The CBORD Group began regularly testing its e-mails in January after it transitioned from using an in-house e-mail product to working with e-mail services firm Lyris.
 

DRTV clicks for sales

Mary Elizabeth Hurn September 28, 2009

Direct response TV (DRTV), long used by marketers to drive immediate results, has typically been punctuated by phone operators who are standing by to take orders.
 

Find pieds-à-terre online

September 28, 2009

Second Porch, a Web site for vacation housing rentals, is using social media for lead generation. The new Facebook app, called "Rent & Trade Vacation Homes," calls on consumers to "find a home" directly from the Facebook app. Consumers can then save housing finds to their "My Second Porch" pages. They can also share any of the houses they find to their Facebook walls.
 

Zappos.com names Mullen creative AOR; online DM to stay in house

Chantal Todé September 25, 2009

As it strives to create a more holistic marketing plan for next year, Zappos.com has named Mullen its creative AOR, with responsibility for brand development, media buying and creative, including digital advertising. The agency will work closely with King Fish Media, Zappos.com's partner for offline direct marketing.
 

We did the mash, against our will

Nathan Golia September 24, 2009

The Oriental Trading Company, a catalog and e-commerce seller of party and novelty products, has launched a microsite, MonsterMashUp.com.
 

Expedia debuts StorePoint Expandables rich media ad units

Dianna Dilworth September 23, 2009

Expedia Media Solutions, the advertising sales division of Expedia, broadened its display ad unit offering this week to include rich media units called StorePoint Expandables. This is Expedia's third release of ad unit offerings since 2008, when the e-commerce company began to grow its business model to include display advertising.
 

Dos and Don'ts: Webserts

Nathan Golia September 20, 2009

Webserts — banner ads placed in confirmation e-mails sent after an e-commerce purchase — have grown in popularity as e-commerce expands and list brokers look for new sources of income. Experts share their "Dos and Don'ts" for marketers looking for opportunities in this emerging channel.
 

Consumers spend twice as much time online with content than with social networks

Carol Krol September 18, 2009

Internet users spend the majority of their online time on content sites, according to the Online Publishers Association.
 

Online shopping cart deserters today may be buyers tomorrow, study says

Cara Wood September 17, 2009

A McAfee study, Digital Window Shopping: The Long Journey to Buy, of 163 million online shopping transactions found that 65% of all shoppers will wait a day or more to complete a purchase.
 

New pay options for underbanked

Cara Wood September 14, 2009

Thirteen percent of consumers lived below the poverty line last year, according to recent data from the US Census Bureau. Meanwhile, the unemployment rate is at nearly 10%.
 

Editorial: Don't lose e-commerce success in translation

Cara Wood September 14, 2009

Last week, Sultan Munadi, an Afghan interpreter, was killed during a conflict in northern Afghanistan that resulted in the release of New York Times reporter Stephan Farrell from Taliban captivity. Munadi had tried to express his and Farrell's neutrality when they were initially detained by the Taliban months ago. Following this tragedy, I paused this week to think about the role of an interpreter in a much less extreme example — namely, how it relates to e-commerce.
 

How to design a good shopper program

William Young, VP of sales and marketing, Concept Shopping September 14, 2009

Executing an efficient and effective shopper marketing program requires three direct marketing tactics: relevance, reach and reward. Understanding the unique preferences of each shopper is the only way to create and deliver truly relevant offers. Shopper preferences can be found in the purchase history of your better shoppers. These shoppers are also the most efficient to reach and influence.
 

Mail can still drive b-to-b e-commerce

David Broughton, principal, BRC Marketing September 14, 2009

Based on the buzz these days, I get the impression many in our business think "multichannel marketing" means including social media with your paid search campaign. For those of us working in business-to-business marketing before "friend" became a verb, direct mail was usually the centerpiece of most multi-channel campaigns. However, the astronomical growth of the Web — and a concurrent shift in marketing budgets — has left the once-venerable workhorse of direct mail languishing in the barn.
 

Retailers now accepting cash payments for e-commerce goods

Cara Wood September 04, 2009

At a time when retailers are struggling to find new buyers in the poor economy, online payment service provider eBillme.com has launched a "walk-in" payment option for Web shoppers who do not have online banking or credit cards. The effort could enable an additional 72 million people in the US to become online buyers, according to the company.
 

Four ways to use data to time your Web marketing

Dave King, CEO, Fulcrum September 03, 2009

One positive aspect of challenging times is that it makes us more open to change, to new ways of doing things. As marketers look to fight this economy by maximizing ROI, online retailers, in particular, have an opportunity to tap into potentially lucrative customer segments they may have overlooked. Instead of just spending their efforts and budget to reach customers with the most recent transactions, they can also focus on when customers are most likely to buy next.
 

Social shopping is poised for growth

Chantal Todé August 24, 2009

As Internet retailers continue to look for ways to enhance the online shopping experience, a small number are adopting tools that enable two or more consumers in different locations to view the same products on an e-commerce site while trading comments back and forth. Initial feedback indicates these social shopping tools may have broader applications than simply mimicking the in-store shopping experience and wider appeal than among cutting-edge youth looking for a new experience.
 
 

EBay to promote top-rated sellers

Carol Krol July 27, 2009

EBay announced it will launch a program to promote its top rated sellers this October. The e-commerce giant is planning the launch to coincide with the upcoming holiday shopping season. EBay sellers who deliver the highest level of customer service, as rated by buyers, will be promoted with a special "eBay Top-Rated Seller" badge, receive 20% discounts on their final value fees, and be elevated in search, eBay said. Buyers will be able to more easily identify sellers that consistently deliver the highest level of customer satisfaction.
 

Network Solutions starts healing process after data breach

Lauren Bell July 27, 2009

Network Solutions, a provider of Web-related services for small and medium businesses, has started reaching out to customers about a data breach that was discovered in early June. Credit card information on 573,928 individual consumers may have been compromised in the breach, which Network Solutions publicly reported at the end of the day on July 24.
 

Digital River eliminates 120 positions, outsources customer service

Chantal Todé July 16, 2009

E-commerce service provider Digital River is eliminating 120 positions globally as part of a realignment that will see the outsourcing of its customer service operations and growth in its product development and sales areas. "This is not a downsizing," said Ed Merritt, VP, investor relations at Digital River. By contracting with outsourcing provider Sitel to manage its customer e-mail and phone inquiries beginning September, "the level of service provided to customers will be better than we can provide," said Merritt.
 

Online shopping security has a new gold standard

Alex Kehayias, product manager, Comodo July 06, 2009

People know to look for the gold padlock when transacting online. E-commerce stores know they need an SSL certificate to get the gold padlock. It's something consumers have been told numerous times whether it was from a pre-holiday news special about protecting yourself online or from the family member that thinks they know everything about technology.
 
 
 

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