How to spotlight customer service for mobile phone shoppers

May 14, 2013 by Leave a Comment

In case you didn’t catch it, MarketLive founder Ken Burke has published an instructive piece in Multichannel Merchant called “” The article notes that while mobile phone sales are forecast to reach $31 billion by 2017, that number represents just 9% of predicted ecommerce sales — a relatively small figure, given that roughly half of U.S. consumers use the Internet on their phones. Burke argues that while part of the challenge is inherent to the small-screen format, merchants can and should rise to the challenge by streamlining the checkout process and earning customer trust.

The latter proposition seems tricky given limited screen real estate, so the series of examples detailing how to integrate customer service links were particularly helpful. Here’s the section in question, along with the relevant screen shots:

“Shoppers on mobile sites should have the same instant access to customer service options that they do on the eCommerce site, including the ability to finish their transaction using the phone built into their devices. Apparel merchant Peruvian Connection puts customer service front and center on its mobile home page, giving shoppers access to live help within the first screenful.”

Mobile customer service example from Peruvian Connection

“As they proceed along the path to purchase, shoppers should have access to relevant customer service information, even on the small screen. Apparel merchant V.I.M. achieves this feat on the mobile product page with tabs featuring information on shipping rates and returns — proactively addressing shoppers’ questions to encourage the add-to-cart.”

Mobile customer service example from V.I.M.

“Finally, in the shopping cart and checkout, access to customer service is especially crucial — so merchants should feature a link to live help prominently, as MarketLive merchant BeachBody does in the shopping cart with a large “Contact Us” button and a click-to-call 800 number in the footer.”

mobile customer service example from Beachbody

for more mobile strategies designed to drive purchases. How do you earn customer trust on the small screen?

Filed under Client Innovations, Mobile Commerce

Two ways to test the international waters

May 3, 2013 by Leave a Comment

As the eCommerce market matures, more and more leading brands are selling online internationally. According to technology researcher Forrester, 75% of merchants said international eCommerce was somewhat or very important to their companies, and for good reason: while Forrester estimates that U.S. eCommerce growth will average 9% from 2012 to 2017, Europe’s growth is forecast to average 11% — and in emerging markets such as China and India, the number soars above 20%. Online commerce revenues in China alone are set to top $200 billion, Forrester predicts — more than all of Europe’s countries combined.

 

But the path to international revenues is strewn with significant hurdles, from site experience basics such as translating copy and converting currency to logistical hurdles such as shipping restrictions and import duties, to subtler issues of understanding local markets and cultures. It’s not surprising, then, that fewer than 10% of merchants that made Internet Retailer’s Top 500 list of the largest online brands offer sites in multiple languages — and only 2.2% of those on the Second 500 list of small- to mid-sized merchants do so.

But the challenges shouldn’t dissuade merchants from sizing up global opportunities and finding ways to serve brand enthusiasts wherever they reside. There are plenty of ways to glean whether brands are attracting international interest, from analytics data to customer service inquiries to social media interactions. And then, once target audiences have been identified, merchants have options other than establishing full-bore international eCommerce sites. Two ways to establish an experimental presence beyond the border:

Sell on local marketplaces. Merchants can take advantage of Amazon and eBay’s extensive regional marketplaces to establish a foothold, even using their fulfillment services to help negotiate international shipping and tariff hurdles. And as Jordan Weinstein of ChannelAdvisor noted in his MarketLive Summit presentation, in the Asia Pacific region, country-specific marketplaces are leading eCommerce hubs that can connect merchants with new audiences.

Even merchants who go on to invest more significantly in overseas markets can piggyback off marketplace services, as Perricone MD does in Japan. The beauty manufacturer has launched a Japanese Web site that includes information about the brand, customer testimonials, and product information; the “buy” buttons take shoppers to Amazon’s Japanese marketplace to complete their orders, which are fulfilled by Amazon.

International example from Perricone MD

International example from Perricone MD

Ship internationally from your U.S. eCommerce site. Before launching a new country-specific Web site or considering whether to open foreign fulfillment centers, merchants can iron out other logistics of international trade by shipping internationally from the U.S. This option is already popular with merchants of all sizes; nearly 60% of merchants in the Internet Retailer Top 500 and more than 45% of merchants in the Second 500 already offer some form of international shipping.  Among the Top 500 merchants, Canada is by far the most popular international option offered, with the U.K. and other European destinations, Japan and Hong Kong, Australia and New Zealand rounding out the top 20.

Internet Retailer 500 data on international shipping

Usage of international-logistics vendors such as BorderFree has grown more than 50% from 2010 to 2012, according to Forrester; such services can help ease the transition into international operations, and are well worth considering. However they do it, merchants incorporating international shipping should test and re-test checkout flow to streamline as much as possible for both domestic and international audiences. Among the best practices:

  • Promote the availability of international shipping. Merchants should let shoppers know throughout the shopping experience that they service countries outside the U.S., as Toys R Us does with its global banner that highlights free domestic shipping options as well as international delivery.

International example from Toys R Us

  • Offer multiple paths to setting the country. At a minimum, let shoppers set their shipping destination from within the cart as well as in checkout — and integrate international destinations into estimated tax and shipping calculators so shoppers can derive the total order cost up front, regardless of their location, as ThinkGeek does on its shopping cart page.

International example from ThinkGeek
Merchants should also explore allowing shoppers to set their destination earlier on the path to purchase with global elements or promotions that invite interaction. Cooking.com features a flag in its global header that gives shoppers access to the list of shipping destinations. Shoppers selecting a country other than the U.S. see prices in their local currency and automatically see shipping prices factored into the total price in checkout.

International example from Cooking.com

  • Provide plenty of customer service backup. Merchants should proactively address international shippers’ questions about topics specific to overseas delivery, such as how taxes and duties are applied and how returns can be processed, in addition to common concerns such as delivery speed and costs. Saks Fifth Avenue provides extensive international shipping information, including a FAQ and country-by-country delivery timeframes.

International example from Saks Fifth Avenue

Are you selling internationally, and if so, by what method?

Filed under Acquire, Convert & Retain, Client Innovations Tagged with International

Trend watching: the importance of thinking visually

April 5, 2013 by Leave a Comment

Merchants have long known that a picture is worth a thousand words when it comes to online selling. According to Internet Retailer’s database of the top 500 merchants, 72.8% of the largest U.S. eCommerce sites offer multiple product views, 85.8% offer an enlarged view of products, and 53.8% use zoom functionality to let shoppers hone in on specific product features.

While such tools greatly enhance the effectiveness of eCommerce site product pages, they’re no longer enough. A growing number of signs indicate that the Internet is becoming an increasingly visual, rather than textual, medium — which means it’s time for merchants to expand their view, as it were, of how to use images to promote their brands and merchandise. Consider these trends:

New technological capabilities process information visually. Building off the growing ubiquity of cameras built into mobile devices, a slew of new technologies enable consumers to take pictures and then retrieve related information from the Internet. Google’s mobile app, Goggles, rather than keywords, while the company’s and promises to give users instant access to information on whatever they’re seeing, without even having to snap a picture.

Google Glass

QR codes that connect consumers to content via scannable codes are also part of the trend; their usage has grown exponentially; fully one in five U.S. smartphone users scanned a QR code as of a year ago, according to data from comScore.

The fastest-growing social phenomena are image-centric. We’ve commented before on the meteoric rise of Pinterest, the social networking site where users share images and links through visually-oriented “pinboards”. But it’s not the only picture-oriented social site that has taken off. According to data from measurement firm comScore, the visual blogging tool Tumblr and the snapshot-sharing site Instagram have also amassed tens of millions of users since launching, and Instagram shares Pinterest’s blistering 284% year-over-year growth rate. The phenomenon isn’t limited to still images, either, with video-sharing tools such as SocialCam, Viddy and Vine rapidly finding audiences.

visualweb Comscore data

Boundaries between screens are disappearing. Fully 58% of U.S. adults go online while watching TV, according to industry researcher Forrester, with tablet computers providing an essential bridge between computer and television: more than 90% of tablet owners use them at home in the living room or bedroom, according to eMarketer — suggesting they’re used for companion browsing while the TV is on — and at the same time they’re large enough to serve as portable televisions themselves, with more than 1 in 3 tablet owners using them to watch movies and nearly 1 in 4 using them to watch TV shows, eMarketer found. This rich mix of visual content and online connectivity is an increasingly ripe opportunity for brands to engage shoppers during leisure hours when they’re receptive to browsing and buying.

For merchants, these trends suggest an emerging imperative to engage shoppers visually at every stage of the customer lifecycle. Now is the time to re-imagine the shopping experience to take into account what Trendwatching.com calls the “Point-Know-Buy” culture, and to experiment with new strategies for combining products, offers and images. A few starting points:

Use video for more than product demos. When devising video strategy, merchants should create compelling content that supports the brand and the lifestyle, not just individual products. How-to content, footage from the brand’s archives, and behind-the-scenes event videos can all enhance the shopping experience visually. Note that these opportunities aren’t limited to brands with “sexy” product offerings such as high fashion apparel or designer home furnishings; more mundane products can benefit from in-depth video treatment, as demonstrated by Yankee Candle Co., which offers an array of video content about getting the most from their products, including a video on “basic candle care”. Such offerings establish the brand as the leading information resource on candles, boosting the credibility of the brand while simultaneously helping shoppers make purchase decisions.

Video example from Yankee Candle

Experiment with ways to marry products and images. Merchants should seek to meld shopping with visual experiences at every turn. We’ve already touched on the emerging phenomenon of shoppable video, which enables shoppers to browse and select products as they’re featured in video content, but solutions also exist for still images, whether it’s an interactive look book that seamlessly marries a visual narrative with the opportunity to select and buy featured items, or individual images with embedded product information that can be displayed across touchpoints, such as when Levi’s used ThingLink during the 2012 holiday season to create links to product information. Brand followers on social networks could mouse over the image and view product links in a popup window.

Shoppable image from Levi's

Tap into user-generated image potential. Whether or not merchants establish their own brand outposts on Pinterest or capture images using Instagram, they should find ways to tap the creative impulses of their brand followers. Prize contests or community recognition can provide the incentive to participate. The Armani Exchange Dressedfor.com site displays fashion photos uploaded to Instagram by brand followers, with contributions occasionally called out on the brand’s Twitter feed.

Social imagery example from Armani Exchange

Use images to bring online offline. Merchants should seek new ways to draw consumers everywhere into the online experience, whether through QR codes in store displays or via product tie-ins on television shows. During New York Fashion Week early last year, L’Oreal offered free rides in taxis emblazoned with product images and scannable codes so that passengers could shop with their mobile phones en route to their destinations. The campaign reached fashion-obsessed consumers in a location conducive to shopping — what else is there to do in a cab stuck in traffic? One in three riders snapped a product image, according to SpyderLynk, which furnished the scannable tags.

Offline online imagery connection example from L'Oreal

How are you using images and video to enrich the shopping experience?

Filed under Acquire, Convert & Retain, Client Innovations, Connected Commerce, Social Commerce Tagged with Video

Webinar recap: It’s not just the content — it’s what you do with it

March 15, 2013 by Leave a Comment

Tuesday’s “Competing with Amazon” webinar dove deep into the topic of content, exploring how merchants can define and differentiate their brands through .

As MarketLive founder Ken Burke analyzed Amazon’s offerings and identified how merchants can go above and beyond to create unique brand experiences, an important subtext emerged: it’s not just the content itself, but what merchants do with it that matters. “If you build it, they will come” is a fine line for a movie script, but for merchants to maximize their content investments, they need to find creative ways to use content throughout the eCommerce site and across touchpoints. Just a few of the ideas the webinar discussed:

Merchandise product and lifestyle content. On the eCommerce site, merchants should promote content all along the path to purchase — not just on the product page or in siloed content sections. MarketLive merchant Cost Plus World Market showcases an in-depth content section about its Africa Collection not only on product pages, but on the home page and the category page.

Content example from World Market

Similarly, apparel merchant Lilly Pulitzer includes a promotion of the company’s history on a product index page — enabling shoppers easy access to a compelling story that creates a personal connection with the brand.

content example from Lilly Pulitzer

Share your brand value proposition everywhere. Merchants have long known the value of emphasizing their brand’s unique expertise, service and reputation, whether through a logo tagline or a compelling “about us” story. But merchants should find a way to share their brand’s core value statement on every page of the site — or at the very least on every product page, where shoppers can factor in the reputation of the merchant as they make their purchase decision. Auto parts merchant AutoAnything places an easy-to-scan list at the top of product pages, highlighting the expertise and service that back every product.

Content example from AutoAnything.com

Do double duty with user-contributed content. Merchants should take advantage of tools that enable reviews and “question and answer” content to be cross-posted to Facebook and the eCommerce site — thereby elevating visibility of the features for social followers and encouraging participation across touchpoints. Benefit Cosmetics offers an “Ask and Answer” section on Facebook that allows followers as well as Benefit staff to chime in. Readers can rate contributions as well as submit their own; the questions and answers are displayed on the relevant product page of the eCommerce site as well as on Facebook. A question about a product called Dallas received 11 enthusiastic responses from customers, which were also displayed on the product page alongside nearly 100 reviews and ratings.

content example from Benefit

Give video star status. Given Amazon’s paltry video offerings, merchants would do well to adopt a “video first” strategy when it comes to developing content — and to highlight video content across touchpoints. On the product page, for example, video should be given equal prominence with still images, as on the Brookstone site, where a tabbed format gives product demonstration videos equal prominence with still images. A “Play” icon on the default image further signals that video is available.

Content example from Brookstone

And content that goes beyond product demonstration videos can make for a compelling experience across touchpoints. Buy.com’s weekly “BuyTV” program, spotlighting timely product categories such as Easter, attracts users not only to the main eCommerce site’s video content section, but on YouTube and Facebook as well.

content example from Buy.com

For more winning content strategies and examples, replay the webinar or . How are you using content across touchpoints to increase brand engagement?

Filed under Acquire, Convert & Retain, Client Innovations, Connected Commerce Tagged with , Content

March 11, 2013 by

As discussed in our 2013 trends webinar, the top priority for merchants this year is brand differentiation. The competition for consumers’ dollars is fierce, with top mega-brands attracting the lion’s share of revenues on one end of the spectrum even as the field of small- and mid-sized merchants becomes ever more crowded.

This polarization is so marked that we thought it worthwhile to take a look at the biggest of the big sellers — Amazon.com — and to examine how merchants can successfully position themselves and compete. Amazon’s playbook is certainly worth studying, based on the site’s success: in the past five years, U.S. eCommerce sales grew an average of 14% annually, while , at  an average of 36% per year, according to industry researcher Forrester.

Small- to -mid-sized merchants can gain brand exposure by participating in Amazon’s network of Marketplace sellers, but ultimately, they want to establish a direct relationship with consumers. That’s a difficult proposition when Amazon’s economies of scale enable it to offer the most efficient shipping — and a low free shipping threshold — along with discount prices on nearly every item.

But there’s evidence that consumers recognize value beyond pricing. When asked what factors influence their buying decisions, 77% of shoppers said they consider a brand’s reputation, 79% said they value a broad assortment of items, and 66% said a unique selection is important, according to the MarketLive Consumer Shopping Survey. These statistics suggest that merchants who can articulate their uniqueness as a brand — especially when compared with Amazon’s mega-warehouse identity — can not only survive, but thrive.

On Amazon, nearly everything under the sun is available – but all those items are presented and merchandised identically, without calling attention to unique product attributes or supporting the lifestyle of the potential buyer. In short, Amazon sells products; the rest of us have the opportunity to sell brand experiences.

A key component of creating a brand experience is content, which will be the focus of , the first in a series devoted to competing with Amazon. Previously, we’ve discussed how content can and connect them with consumers across touchpoints. As it turns out, the right combination of text, images, videos and user contributions can also create a wholly unique and irresistible value proposition, one that presents a viable alternative to Amazon.

The webinar will examine and explicitly compare Amazon and successful specialty merchants in four key areas for developing uniquely alluring content:

Unique product pages. Merchants can not only exceed the amount and depth of information presented on Amazon’s product pages, they can break free from the standard format to design and create content that caters to their specific audiences. For example, the specialty merchant eBags helps shoppers match their laptops with appropriately-sized backpacks and satchels — a specialized tool Amazon doesn’t offer.

Content example from eBags

User-generated content beyond ratings and reviews. At first glance, it seems like small- to mid-sized merchants can’t compete with Amazon when it comes to user-generated content, as Amazon’s massive audience almost guarantees that it will have the largest number of ratings and reviews. But sheer volume isn’t everything. Specialty merchants have the ability to go beyond reviews on the product page to tap a wide range of user-generated content that conveys brand identity – from social media contributions to customer service support. For example, the brand testimonials offered by fitness program creator Beachbody go beyond simple ratings and reviews or even the before-and-after pictures offered for their products on Amazon. Testimonials such as this one from Robert R., who describes gaining “happy weight” in the first years of his marriage, identify situations prospective buyers can identify with.

Content example from Beachbody

Deep value-added content. To create a truly superlative brand experience, merchants should supply still another category of content: authoritative value-added content that demonstrates the brand’s in-depth knowledge of the customer’s lifestyle. Buying guides with personality, behind-the-scenes content, expert advice and blogs all give merchants the opportunity to distinguish their brands. The founder of apparel brand Lilly Pulitzer originally ran a juice stand and made her first fashion creations with bold prints to cover up the juice stains; a section of the eCommerce site on the company’s history is presented with bold graphics in the same vivid colors as the company’s now-famous prints. The history serves to ground the brand in a personal story and add meaning to the products on offer.

Content example from Lilly Pulitzer

Video. More than 50% of the nation’s population watched an online video in January of 2013, according to measurement firm comScore — but it’s a format that’s conspicuously absent from Amazon.com. Apart from scattered video reviews submitted by customers and a handful of online video tutorials for its own branded Kindle e-reader products, Amazon has no video content to speak of. This lack presents a huge opportunity for other merchants to provide shoppers with a compelling brand experience they can find nowhere else. By developing video content to support products and lifesyle, and encouraging consumers to submit their own, merchants can win a definite advantage over Amazon.

Tune in to the webinar tomorrow at 10 a.m. PDT — and meantime, let us know: what content has proven compelling for your brand?

Filed under Acquire, Convert & Retain, Client Innovations, Connected Commerce Tagged with , Content

Why to adopt a “mobile first” strategy for email

March 6, 2013 by Leave a Comment

Most merchants are aware that mobile commerce is a top priority for their businesses. But with more and more research indicating a massive shift is underway in how shoppers connect with brands, merchants need to go beyond merely developing a set of mobile-friendly templates for the eCommerce site and embrace a mobile-first philosophy for every aspect of their online strategy. The shift is especially important when it comes to the tried-and-true channel of email marketing, which has been an outstanding performer for merchants over the years — and which merchants must optimize in order to maintain the ROI they currently enjoy.

By some estimates, mobile is poised to take over as the default Internet touchpoint as early as this year. According to data from venture firm KPCB, the global installed base of smartphones and tablets is estimated to edge above desktop and notebook computers this year, and then widen the gap in 2014 and 2015. In the U.S., 29% of consumers own a tablet or e-reader, up from less than 20% last year, according to KPCB, while 48% of cell phone users have a smartphone — a jump of 50% from a year ago.

Data on mobile adoption from KPCD



This year is also when the majority of marketing email opens are predicted to occur on mobile devices, according to marketing firm Knotice. Already, 77% of smartphone owners use their devices to read email once a month or more, according to industry researcher Forrester.

And lest merchants think that consumers merely scan Subject: lines on mobile devices, deleting the chaff and saving emails of interest to read later on desktop PCs, Knotice’s data reveals that subscribers only interact with messages once — regardless of device — with fewer than 3% viewing email content on multiple screens.

Data on email usage from Knotice

With the percentage of desktop computer interactions dropping in the course of 2012 and the percentage of mobile and tablet opens rising — in the case of tablets, by more than 80% — it’s high time for merchants to think “mobile first” when it comes to email campaigns. It’s crucial to deliver different versions of campaigns depending on a shopper’s browser and device type. Mobile versions should:

  • Have shorter Subject: lines. Mobile email clients truncate long Subject: lines, so aim for 30 characters or fewer, compared with 50 characters for emails opened in desktop browsers or email clients.
  • Accommodate “fat fingers.” Nothing is more frustrating when using mobile devices than aiming for one link and hitting the adjacent one by mistake. Mobile email design should incorporate more white space than the desktop version – around 45 pixels – so that smartphone users can select desired links with ease.
  • Present a streamlined view. Cut the navigation clutter and spotlight a few select products to avoid forcing mobile recipients to scroll endlessly through a barrage of information. Not only will the content be more digestible, but a streamlined version will load more quickly – an essential consideration.
  • Include device-targeted content.  Message specifically to mobile users with content that connects them to physical store locations, enabling cross-channel shopping. Additionally, put the spotlight on social sharing, since from their devices, according to Google.

Recreational apparel merchant Title Nine puts it all together, serving a streamlined version of its Mothers’ Day promotion for mobile phones. The mobile version uses the same theme and  look and feel of the full-fledged message for viewing on desktop email clients, but features links to products from just one of the featured ensembles. The mobile version also elevates links for social sharing on Facebook and Twitter, and prominently invites viewers to share their “favorite MOMism” on Facebook.

t9_mobileversion

Email example from Title Nine

How have you adapted your email strategy to incorporate mobile?

Filed under Client Innovations, Email Marketing, Mobile Commerce

Keeping holiday shoppers engaged: social selling beyond the “buy” button

January 22, 2013 by Leave a Comment

As we reported last week, MarketLive Index merchants saw holiday sales soar, thanks partly to a growth in visits of more than 25%. Now that the peak season is over, one challenge for merchants will be to keep engaging those shoppers who first acquainted themselves with their brands during the holiday frenzy.

One critical touchpoint for engaging new brand followers is social media. As of August 2011, – more than half of the total U.S. population, according to the Pew Internet & American Life Project, making social networking third only to search and email as the top online activity. And during the holidays, social media networks were abuzz with shopping-related posts: “holiday shopping” received more than 14.8 million mentions on social networks, and Black Friday social media ad campaigns were up 40% over last year, according to SAP.

Maddeningly, though, while brands attract followers by the thousands, in most cases sales and revenue have yet to follow: less than 1% of online purchases from either new or returning customers can be directly credited to social networks, according to industry researcher Forrester. Efforts to replicate eCommerce functionality using Facebook store applications have produced mixed results, causing some merchants to write off social media as a tool for motivating shoppers to buy.

But there are ways to engage brand followers and stimulate sales beyond adding a “buy now” button. For merchants to capture the attention of social media users, they should adapt tried-and-true techniques from their eCommerce sites to the social environment. Of course, that doesn’t mean simply copying eCommerce products and content into a Facebook app; they should take advantage of the unique properties of the social medium to create new experiences that appeal to new brand followers and long-time advocates alike. Just three examples:

Top rated products. Merchants have long used customer reviews as a means of categorizing and promoting products, from offering shoppers the ability to sort on-site search results by product rating to featuring the text of product reviews in email and banner campaigns. Now, on social media, merchants can showcase products that receive the most endorsements — “likes”, tweets or pins — and encourage brand followers to add their own picks. Merchants should go beyond simply displaying items to incorporate users’ comments, giving social media users a means to learn about products from others who share their needs and interests, in their own words. In its collection of “Pinners’ Top Picks” from Diapers.com on Pinterest, the descriptions include personal feedback, such as a note on a toy saying, “I can’t even count how many times this has flown off the high chair and smashed off our tile floor. Love this toy – it is INDESTRUCTIBLE!”

Social media example from Diapers.com

Collection selling. By presenting product ensembles for purchase on their eCommerce sites with a single “add to cart” click, merchants have the opportunity to not only encourage buying multiple items, but to express the personality of the brand and appeal to several target audience types. On social networks, the concept can make even more of an impact if merchants give shoppers the means to share and post ensembles users themselves create. Babies R Us created an interactive shopping environment for debuting its Heidi Klum Truly Scrumptious collection. Brand followers could not only view, click to buy or share individual items, but they could save  and share outfits with friends.

Social media example from Babies R Us

Personalization. Increasingly, merchants’ eCommerce sites are able to deliver individualized recommendations based on visitors’ past purchases and preferences. In the social environment, merchants have a built-in opportunity to personalize by incorporating information from brand followers’ social profiles. Building social shopping experiences that factor in gender, age and location, at a minimum, can help connect users with the most relevant possible projects — and keep them engaged with the brand. Party City’s “Brew Your Costume” Halloween game asked shoppers to allow access to their Facebook profile information and then suggested costume ideas based on gender, age and interests; alternatively, picks could be generated based on responses to a brief quiz with playful questions such as “you find a friend’s diary. What do you do?” The results page includes several costume options, as well as buttons for sharing the picks and links to top categories on the eCommerce site.

Social media example from Party City

Social media example from Party City

Did your brand’s social media outposts see an uptick in followers over the holiday season? How are you keeping them engaged?

Filed under Acquire, Convert & Retain, Client Innovations, Social Commerce

Getting fresh to boost SEO relevance

January 9, 2013 by Leave a Comment

While most merchants are now well-schooled in the mantra “content is king” when it comes to search engine optimization, another catchphrase is becoming equally as important: “it’s all about timing.”

In particular, “freshness” or recency is a key consideration for relevance. Google released a “freshness update” in 2011, rewarding content likely to be more recent, based on factors such as when a page was first indexed, how old it is relative to the other potential search results, and how much of a document has been updated.

A stream of frequently-updated content on a merchant site can not only contribute outright to higher rankings, but more content means more fodder for social media, which is growing in importance as a ranking factor. In 2011, page-level social media mentions were thought to make up 7.22% of the search algorithm, compared with 5.30% in 2009, according to SEOMoz’s survey of ranking factors. And the majority of SEO experts polled for the survey said social media signals would grow to be a top ranking factor in the future.

While not many merchants can modify the selection of actual products on offer on a weekly or even monthly basis, there’s a range of related content that can be continually modified to not only boost freshness for SEO, but keep shoppers engaged. Consider:

Spotlighting the latest user-generated content. Recent product reviews or posts to a question-and-answer support forum demonstrate that the site is an active hub for existing and potential customers.Beauty merchant Sephora features its “Beauty Talk” section prominently, linking to its thousands of bulletin board posts from the global navigation via the “advice” link. Posts are displayed with the most recent at the top, and are simultaneously displayed on the eCommerce site and the merchant’s Facebook page.

Content example from Sephora

Showcasing expert content. Blog posts, seasonal buying guides, FAQs and educational articles all give merchants the opportunity to provide fresh content that’s not only keyword-rich for search engines, but a potent reason for shoppers to engage repeatedly with the site. Beauty manufacturer Perricone MD’s blog, “The Daily Perricone,” features brief beauty, fitness and nutrition tips along with guests posts by other beauty bloggers – a steady stream of engaging content that gives searchers another entry point into the Perricone MD product line.

Content example from Perricone MD

Be the first to post what content is available. Just as it rewards freshness, Google penalizes duplicate content that has already appeared elsewhere. Merchants can win the race by posting what original content they produce first, before sharing it with affiliates or other retailers. And it behooves merchants who rely on manufacturer content to tailor the information to their audience – not only creating original material for search engines, but a better experience for shoppers.  Bedding manufacturer Cuddledown’s product descriptions are partially replicated on Amazon.com — but the original listing is more extensive and includes a certification logo and the ability to select firmness levels not offered by the mass merchant. Further product details are available on a second tab, in addition to videos and a “how to choose” guide.

Content example from Cuddledown

Content example from Amazon

How are you freshening up content for the New Year?

Filed under Client Innovations, Search Engine Marketing Tagged with Content

Holiday results: finishing strong in the final stretch

December 20, 2012 by Leave a Comment

With Christmas just days away, data from the MarketLive Performance Index shows continued gains compared with last year’s results. As shoppers rushed to complete purchases for on-time delivery, performance across the board rebounded: whereas for the prior week conversion lagged the same time period in 2011, for December 10 – December 16 conversion was higher by more than 25%, engagement was up more than 6% and even cart abandonment dipped slightly — signalling that merchants are successfully executing sophisticated strategies.

Bolstered by the week’s strong performance, the overall numbers for the season continue to show marked gains. Both revenue and traffic are up more than 27%, while conversion is up more than 8% and engagement is up 3%. Meanwhile, the cart abandonment rate has now risen less than 0.5%, indicating that merchants have stemmed the tide of lost sales by successfully convincing shoppers to complete purchases. And average order value has dipped by less than a percent, suggesting merchants have avoided resorting to bargain-basement pricing as a lure.

Holiday data from the MarketLive Performance Index

Now that the holidays are entering the home stretch, merchants must make transition messaging from pre-holiday gift-buying to post-holiday promotions. While steep discounts typically lure shoppers to return to stores after Christmas, merchants should also message:

Self-gifting. With 74% of consumers planning to make non-gift purchases for themselves or their families, according to the MarketLive Consumer Shopping Survey, merchants should put the spotlight on indulgences for shoppers to buy themselves. Last year, glassware maker Simon Pearce urged shoppers to treat themselves with New Year’s-themed creative showcasing sought-after items and a flat-rate shipping offer.

simonpearce_treatyourself



Stocking up. To offset steep discounts and keep average order sizes high, merchants should urge shoppers to buy multiples of popular items and replenishment products. Apparel company Eddie Bauer last year offered a “stock up event” featuring low prices on essentials such as T-shirts and jeans.

eddiebauer_stockup

Accessorizing gifts. Merchants should showcase items that complement popular gifts to encourage shoppers to further outfit themselves and maximize the enjoyment of what they received. Last year, Wayfair promoted “gifts for your gifts” in an email featuring items such as tablet covers and TV stands. The message promised to help make “holiday gifts feel at home.”

wayfair_gifts4gifts

What creative messaging are you planning to boost post-Christmas sales?

Filed under Client Innovations, Seasonal Selling Tagged with 2012 Holidays, MarketLive Performance Index

Using holiday content to build brand value

December 18, 2012 by Leave a Comment

As we’ve reported for the past three weeks, results from the holiday season so far give merchants cause to be optimistic, with double-digit growth in revenue. Even better, success isn’t limited to national brands and mega-merchants; small and mid-sized retailers are holding their own, thanks to well-orchestrated campaigns and communications.

One strategy we’re highlighting as a means of competing with Amazon and other big brands is to communicate value — a concept that goes beyond prices to include service, brand reputation and uniqueness of products. Value topped the list of product and price factors that influence purchases, according to October’s MarketLive Consumer Shopping Survey, with 87% of survey participants saying it’s important — just ahead of product price alone, which 85% of participants said was a priority.

Now that the season is underway, merchants are successfully communicating value — and one key way they’re doing so is through the use of custom-created content. Specifically, this holiday season merchants are using content to:

Underscore the uniqueness of product offerings. In addition to providing comprehensive content on function, fit and usage, merchants are creating product stories to showcase unique attributes such as one-of-a-kind materials and craftsmanship. MarketLive merchant Cost Plus World Market showcases a section called “Global Holiday Treats & Traditions” that explains the history behind favorite holiday foods, such as the tidbit that fruitcake was once “outlawed throughout Europe for being ‘sinfully rich.’” (Who knew?) Links to related products beneath the descriptions make the connection from content to commerce.

Holiday example from World Market

Help shoppers find gifts attuned to their lifestyle. Buying guides authored by brand experts are nothing new, but this year merchants are going beyond the standard offerings of “shop by price” and “shop by recipient” to offer increasingly targeted and selective gift suggestions. These collections are part look book, part buying guide, and are often curated by an authoritative, and opinionated, personality. Outdoor merchant Moosejaw features a gift guide for “the eclectic and outdoorsy girl” on its blog, featuring picks from a staffer named Margo. The seven items are presented in a magazine-style layout, with callouts such as “love the faux fur and tribal pattern.”

Holiday example from Moosejaw

Promote stellar service. Brands that offer personalized, responsive customer service stand out from the pack — and for the holidays, savvy merchants are showcasing service-oriented content alongside products and promotions. In addition to must-have information about shipping cutoff dates and return policies, merchants are promoting services such as gift wrap and personal shoppers. Apparel merchant J. Crew is promoting its “very personal stylist” service as part of its holiday gift guide, letting shoppers know free round-the-clock consultations are available via email and phone as well as in stores.

Holiday example from J. Crew

For more content ideas to implement now and in 2013, our content webinar from earlier this year and download the related whitepaper. What content are you featuring this holiday season?

Filed under Client Innovations, Seasonal Selling Tagged with 2012 Holidays, Content

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