'Net Features : holiday marketing

Off-Site Development Tops Holiday Retail Objectives

Mike Phillips — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 21:30:00 GMT

Shop.org's annual eHoliday Study points to a growing trend among merchants this holiday season - off-site Web development. According to the study, retailers are taking social media seriously. They are developing their presence outside of their own websites to help attract consumers. Or - more to the point - to help consumers find their businesses.

Over 60 percent of retailers reported making enhancements to their Facebook presence this year, and over 58 percent have done the same for their Twitter profiles. In addition, more than 65 percent have updated their blogs and RSS feeds.

So what can you do enhance your off-site presence for consumers? Below are five places to develop your brand this holiday (and beyond) and a few pointers to get the most out of your efforts:

Discount sites: Consumers are quite adept at finding discounts online. One trend with staying power is coupon sites. RetailMeNot.com attracts more than 6 million visitors per month and that number will rise sharply over the next 45 days or so, just like it did in 2008. Consumers come here to find coupons to your products - give it to them. Other sites to consider are Groupon.com, FatWallet.com and CouponCabin.com.
Facebook and Twitter: Millions of Facebook users update their statuses with news or offerings from brands. But you can't just announce products on Facebook; you have to give people a reason to share. That means special offers and discounts. Also, make sure your Facebook presence is customized to your brand - with your logo and special sections of the page specific to your brand and industry. Don't limit yourself to your own page - there are plenty of special interest organizations and other "clubs" on Facebook where you can make your presence known. Want to make friends on Facebook? Try a paid ad - they are highly targeted. Search Facebook advertising coupon code and you can likely find a $100 or so voucher.

Twitter is an excellent place to connect with users who are accustomed to spreading messages. This is where you want to "tweet" a special promotion - as long as you can handle a possible influx of interest. One of the nice things about Twitter is the prolific use of small URLs. They are non-descript and people click them without too much thought. So, you can direct them to your Facebook Page, a product page on your website, a YouTube video ... just about anywhere. Like Facebook, make sure your Twitter ID is representative of your brand, your logo is consistent and identifiable and that your messages provide true value. Also, with the recent announcement of Twitter lists, your tweets can extend far, far beyond Twitter itself and onto blogs, websites and other social profiles and networks.
YouTube: Online video is appearing in search results more these days and easily shared through channels like Facebook, Twitter, e-mail and more. And the main stage is YouTube. Create videos for your products and services. They can be video instruction manuals, product feature explanations, or even ways to use your product that might not be immediately apparent to a consumer (how many packs of Mentos and liters of Diet Coke do you think were sold from that one YouTube video?) Make sure to optimize your videos with keywords in the title and links to your website or product page in the video description.
Q&A sites: The Internet provides one of the easiest places to research products or services. Take a hard look at your industry and your products and think about the questions consumers might have before purchasing. Check out Q&A sites like Yahoo! Answers and industry forums. Be sure to include your brand message (tactfully) in answers to your target audiences' questions. Also consider guest-blogging on an industry leader website - it positions you and your brand as a trusted authority figure.
Blogs: A blogger's lifeblood is his or her network. Catch the attention of just a few highly-regarded bloggers and your brand will end up on Facebook, Twitter, Digg, and possibly thousands of other blogs and websites. Identify top bloggers in your industry and send them some free products. Of course, you must follow-up relentlessly (preferably without badgering.)

Your website is the most important touch point for consumers this holiday season and every other season of the year. But more and more, consumers seek out and expect to find your brand at their convenience, wherever they might be spending time online. Be sure they can find you, that you deliver an experience worthy of their attention, and - more importantly - the attention of their friends.

Also read: Get Your Brand on Every Social Network with KnowEm.

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2009 Holiday Shopping Trends: Consumers to Buy Early, Buy Less

Mike Phillips — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 15:07:00 GMT

Performics, a performance marketing solution provider, has released details of a September 2009 consumer survey, “2009 Online Buyer Economic Trends Study.” The results are not shocking - of those surveyed, 29 percent will be shopping earlier than they did last year, and 60 percent plan to spend less. But a look into the details of the study reveal some interesting insights for retailers and marketers.

Nearly three-quarters of respondents who said they will spend less report buying fewer items, not necessarily spending less per item.
Two-thirds will not be buying gifts for some people who they bought for last year.
Of those who won't be getting holiday cheer, friends, co-workers and extended family top the list.

There are also significant differences by gender in this year's expected holiday shopping trends.

35 percent of women will start shopping earlier, compared to 19 percent of men.
A full 66 percent of women will spend less, compared to just 48 percent of men.

For retailers, this is a strong reminder to start holiday promotions ASAP. It does not suggest, however, that retailers need to slash prices. While fewer items may be purchased, there is no indication that big-ticket items will fall out of favor. Performics also reported on a recent projection by the National Retail Federation, who says that overall holiday sales will fall one percent this year - an improvement over last year's 3.4 percent drop.

Yet another study by NPD Group, Inc., a leading market research company, shows a less grim picture than the Performics data. NPD's study shows that only 30 percent of shoppers plan to spend less this holiday. Also encouraging is that there is no change in the top five categories for consumer holiday spending. They are:

Apparel - 49%
Toys - 34%
Movies - 29%
Books and Electronics - 28%
Peripherals, Digital & Video Cameras, MP3 Players - 24%

And from those categories, books and electronics; and peripherals, digital & video cameras, MP3 players are the only ones that saw an increase over 2008.

The bad news from all of this is that consumers are undoubtedly planning to spend less this year. The good news? Consumers are still ready to spend money on popular online retail items. And even if they buy fewer items, they are not necessarily going to spend less per item.

Stay up to date on the latest Internet trends:
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the most popular print publication on Web success.

E-Commerce Tips for the Holiday Season

MaureenA — Mon, 20 Jul 2009 20:20:00 GMT

Though it may be the middle of July, e-commerce merchants are getting ready for the upcoming holiday season. Best practices are important year round but they are even more critical during a time of heavy sales. Converting visitors into customers, eliminating shopping cart abandonment, and optimizing sites for search engines are all important but Website Magazine Twitter followers have even more tips. Website Magazine asked its 4,000 Twitter followers for their biggest e-commerce tips for the upcoming season. Here are their responses:

@shawnafennell : TEST TEST TEST. Increasing conversions by half a percent can mean the difference between $0 and $1,000 in profit.

@NancyBurban : Setup your online store by September the for the holiday season. Re-write all URLs to optimize for Google. Spend marketing $

@bebizzy : Schedule a review with your merchant processor, preferably with professional assistance, to ensure not spending extra $.

@meldunford : An issue with e-commerce that is often unmentioned: Monitor your site! If the site is down, no marketing or SEO will help

@Miva_Merchant : Have someone who's never seen your site before sit down at your home page, find, research and complete checkout while you watch the process (DO NOT HELP THEM). You might be amazed at what you learn about usability (or lack thereof).

@Roxyyo : Biggest ecommerce tip for holiday...bid on holiday terms in search engines! Details + keywords http://tr.im/search09

@ColetteMarshall : Plan now what products you want to sell for the holidays tell your supplier. Your supplier will then be able to plan enough orders or tell you if they will have enough in stock

@simonrodrigue : Focus on performance of the overall site / key features, this greatly reduces frustration in upcoming record traffic season.

@BVSNChris : Best Tip is to Ensure that You Don't Lose Customers from Completing Transactions with Irrelevant Product Recommendations.

@conticreative Name your product images with the product SKU

What are your e-commerce tips for the holiday season? Comment below.

Velaro Live Help Webinar

Pete Prestipino — Tue, 09 Sep 2008 15:57:00 GMT

Mark your calendars - live help service provider Velaro is hosting a free webinar, "Take Back Your Customers this Holiday Season" on September 23. As consumers shift their spending online, it's increasingly important for merchants to be proactive and interact with customers during critical conversion points.

The Webinar will provide tips on increasing cross-sell and up-sell rates by enabling sales teams to push relevant, timely and personalized offers to the right customer at the right time.

"Our webinar will show online retailers how to interact with customers at critical times in the sales process," Alex Bloom, President of Velaro, continues, "From initiating a chat session with idle customers, to enabling rules based coupon offers for high-value visitors at critical purchase points. Online retailers must have well thought out engagement processes to compete in today's marketplace."