Archive for August, 2008
August 26, 2008 by Carolyn Gardner
As holiday selling strategies are in full swing, conversations around e-coupons surface. Coupons - whether they are online (via email or a website) or traditional (like those in the Sunday paper which are also referred to as free-standing inserts or FSIs) - are a great sales incentive, margins permitting of course. In reviewing MarketingSherpa’s 2008 Email Marketing Benchmark Guide, I came across some interesting numbers in terms of average redemption rates. I suppose it shouldn’t come as any huge surprise that traditional coupons account for 84% of all coupons used by US shoppers. But the average redemption rate is just 1.2%. I know for a fact that I’ll occasionally put these types of coupons in my purse…only to have them sit past the date of expiry because I forget to use them. You see there’s a gap of time between the time you get the coupon and the time it takes to get to the store to purchase.
On the flip side, you’ve got online coupons that have reported average redemption rates of 5-20%. And I think the rationale is simple. When we’re online - either on a website or reading email - we’re just a few clicks away from making a potential purchase. There’s no major gap in time like the previous scenario with traditional coupons. Therefore the e-coupon sets the shopper up for immediate savings and gratification.
According to Sherpa, most agree that online coupons have a higher redemption rate than traditional coupons because online coupons are directly sought out by consumers and not received passively in the Sunday paper.
But for e-commerce marketers who take targeting and personalization seriously, these online consumers don’t have to be sourcing online coupons on their own. They can also be served or presented with very specificly targeted online coupons. Why wait for them to find your incentive when you can serve it to them on a silver platter?
At Sitebrand, we have several clients using our personalization platform to recognize and respond to various shopping segments. For the segment that might be searching for bargains, an online coupon / 10% discount type campaign makes a ton of sense. But other segments that might be looking for things like “what’s new”, perhaps you don’t want or need to offer an online coupon. Instead it probably makes more sense to present a campaign that features “See our new fall line-up…” or “Check out these top-rated products”. You get my point. Just because you can offer an e-coupon with special savings doesn’t mean you should. Understanding your buyers. This is what it all comes back to. Using web personalization technology to help you create the online dialog. This is a competitive advantage.
To see some innovative uses of web personalization - discount coupons included - check out the full line-up of Sitebrand case studies…
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2 Comments | Posted in Alok Ahuja, Conversion, Customer Experience, Email marketing, Optimization, Personalization, Sitebrand, eCommerce
August 25, 2008 by Jim Cain
There has been a bit of concern recently in the analytics community about the new version of Internet Explorer and its potential ability to significantly increase the number of Internet users who delete or block 
cookies from their browser.
I read this and had a moment of panic.
For those of you who don’t know, it is just about impossible for any web analytics or optimization product to collect historical data without the use of a cookie. Without the cookie, you lose recency, frequency, and historical behavior and conversion information. For any web tool that generates reports, this is a significant loss of data and customer value. For more info on what cookies are, click here.
Why would Microsoft help people to delete information that a multi-billion dollar industry (eCommerce) needs to survive? The answer is a bit too long for this blog, but has to do visitor (and legislator) concern over abuse of personal information, as well as unfounded fears about viruses and spyware.
About a year and a half ago we had a similar fear about IE7, which would set off security alerts for every website which runs third party cookies (advertising cookies). We had to completely change the way we deploy our product to make sure that our cookie would be served as a first party one by each customer. Suffice it to say, it was not a fun transition.
So I started emailing the CTO at Sitebrand, talking to colleagues and reading the WA forum to see what other people think about the potential impact of massive increases in cookie blocking and deletion. Most of the feedback was resoundingly grim…..
Enter Jim Sterne, one of the founders of the WAA. I am going to print his thoughts on the WA forum in their entirely below. I can’t say it any better than he can, and it made me have a ‘eureka moment’: There is nothing creepy about cookies, as long as you earn the right to use them. If your visitors are deleting or blocking your cookies, you have bigger things to worry about than data accuracy.
So worst case scenario, the new version of Internet Explorer increases cookie block and deletion rates from 3% to 30% for your average website. Your cookie deletion rate becomes less of a data accuracy issue and more of a KPI on site value to visitors. It can be monitored, marketed and managed like your bounce rates.
Thinking of cookies this way, as a indicator of visitor engagement rather than a pure technical component of web analytics, is a major departure from current thinking. It is also the right way to view cookies as we migrate towards analytics/web 2.0
Thanks to Jim for the concise (and funny) reminder that website visitors SHOULD have control, and that we as online marketers create a forum for the best application of that control, i.e. to engage MY website and business instead of my competitors.
Cheers,
Jim
(Jim Sterne Post to WA Forum, Thursday August 21st)
Giving control to customers (visitors) is always the right move. It then places the responsibility on the marketer to offer sufficiently significant value that the customer is willing to exchange personal data.
Level 0 - Cloaking device engaged
View all of our marketing materials
Level 1 - Cloaking turned off - cookies enabled - javascript tags accepted
Configure products
Stock-on-hand viewable
Use of shopping cart
Access to blog
Latest white papers available
Level 2 - Email address
Download screen savers
White paper archive
Ability to comment on blogs
Newsletter
Notification of special deals
Webinars
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Level 3 - Postal address & preferences
Product discounts
Special event invitations
Access to local call center
Member-only webinars
Level 4 - Answer surveys, participate in Advisory Council
Negotiated pricing
Client conferences in Aruba
Level 5 - Reveal most intimate personal details and predilections
Marriage proposal
Level 6 - Vulcan mind-meld
Resistance is futile
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2 Comments | Posted in Conversion, Customer Experience, Jim Cain, Optimization, Personalization, Sitebrand, Web Analytics, eCommerce
August 22, 2008 by Dan Auns
People always seem to talk about their dog’s age in ‘dog years’ which I am told works out to be about 7:1. Rover may be only 3 people years old, but pooch is now slightly older than our industry. Don’t forget that online retail is only creeping up on 20 people years of age. ……….I am lead to believe that 20 people years should have some sort of accelerator ratio as well - because the emerging eCom 2.0 feels generations removed from the 1.0 world we all will soon miss.
Swimming in the choppy eCommerce oceans with us, are business that used to rely solely on catalogs to drive sales. Good old fashioned Sears Wishbook style print catalogs (I think we all have fond memories of racing to the back of that phone book thick glossy to find the latest toys). Now, I don’t think that I am playing the role of the spoiler here saying that the catalog model is in decline. Retail has changed and finding a single channel print cataloger today is almost as impossible as finding a current phone book thick glossy catalogs, they just don’t exist any more. Case in point, the Wishbook lives on. Online that is.
In talking to many of these online catalogers out here amongst us, I never know what to expect. Some of the most savvy, connected people in our space today work at shops who still drop catalogs. I have also bumped into some folks who seem to operate on the opposite end of the savvy spectrum, who seem to be holding onto something, stuck in the same old print cycles.
I find the lack of middle ground fascinating. There does not seem to be any eCommerce fence sitters left in cataloging. Either you have embraced and invest in your online channel …….or you have a ‘webmaster’ who simply keeps the site alive, sku’s active.
My take; Being a multi channel merchant is powerful. Beyond using your website for simple order fulfillment, your website can be used to drive new sales, acquire new customers. There are millions of folks out here who have never thumbed through one of your catalogs, who are looking to buy your stuff.
In less than 3 dog years, the catalog only business model has been turned on it’s head. I wonder what this channel will look in just a few more people years?
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1 Comment | Posted in Dan Auns, eCommerce
August 15, 2008 by Alok Ahuja
Before I get into this ongoing trend of keeping you all up to date on the most effective method of using web personalization I would just like to quickly introduce myself. As a Senior Account Manager here at Sitebrand for over 2 years I’ve had the opportunity to deal with several IR500 accounts. Being able to interact with these accounts has allowed me to expand my skills as a marketer and adviser within’ the field of analytics and overall optimization strategies. Throughout this experience I have had the opportunity to meet some very outgoing customers who like to think outside the box and have helped take Sitebrand to the next level……and to be quite honest , isn’t that what it’s all about?
When seasons change or a certain holiday begins to approach, customers usually come to me looking for a new optimization cycle. This normally gets me quite intrigued until I hear; “So what do you think we should do?” Instead of running for dear life when I hear the flood gates open, I like to stand right in the middle with a big smile on my face because this is when you get a chance to really think outside the box and take your new optimizations cycle to the next level.
One piece of advice I always like to pass along to my customers is to stay current and have some fun with your messaging. It’s important to realize that your shoppers aren’t all 60 year old librarians, they are normal people just like you and I!! Which is why it begins to get real boring when you continue to encounter the same messaging over and over….”Welcome Texas Visitor. Click here to save.” I don’t reside from Texas but I do know that messaging like that definitely won’t spark interest from any shopper loyal or not. Instead of using generic messages try to keep it fresh with something like; “Howdy to all Texans!! The only thing bigger than Texas is our massive selection. Click here to catch a glimpse!!” Your message should connect to your shoppers and getting them to crack a smile can’t hurt. Be creative, but more importantly have fun with it because your enthusiasm will be passed along to your shoppers and lighten their mood making for a more enjoyable shopping experience. There’s a lot to be said for increasing your customers ‘happiness conversion rate’.
One customer, Kiyonna Clothing, took this advice and really impressed me with one of their recent campaigns. We were looking for a new message to present to all California shoppers who came to the site. We began brainstorming trying to figure out what Californian’s are into, and some of the local news that’s been affecting them when we came up with this;
There was a new law in California that people could not talk on their cell phones while driving, unless they had a hands free phone. The issue was that paparazzi was snapping shots all day long of celebrities driving around L.A. and other areas while talking on their cell phones, and the police were using these pictures to hand out tickets to the unsuspecting stars. With this campaign Kiyonna was able to relate to California shoppers and take a small jab at Hollywood celebrities, but more importantly it helped increase their conversion rate for this under performing segment.
Thinking outside the box and speaking to the people will always pay dividends.
‘The Road Less Traveled’
Alok Ahuja
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1 Comment | Posted in Alok Ahuja
August 14, 2008 by Carolyn Gardner
We all know that with summer comes lots of holiday times and schedule juggling…
But as marketers, we can’t stop marketing! So thought leadership and lead generation remain a top priority 12 months a year. So here’s a tip I’ll share with you and it’s something I wish I had thought of earlier.
It’s with respect to our beloved webinars. All too often, I hear people tell me that they didn’t register for a webinar because they were going to be away on holidays or they had a conflicting meeting or this or that. But here’s the thing. Juggling schedules and conflicts is not an issue when you use webinar technology like GoToWebinar or WebEx. You see these guys make it easy to archive the webinars once the live recording is done. Then they make it even nicer because they allow you to set up a trigger email notifying all registrants - even the no-shows - that they can now view the webinar online at their convenience. Of course a link is provided and all is good. The prospect or customer can view the webinar when they want. The marketer boosts registrations and lead generation.
So here’s my tip - let people know about this option to view later! I’ll even share the copy I included right below the date and time of our upcoming webinar in a reminder email that went out today. It reads:
“Got a scheduling conflict? Register anyhow so you are notified when the webinar is archived for on-demand viewing at your convenience…”
Such a simple message, but doesn’t it make so much sense! In all fairness, it’s too early to tell whether this will get more people registered for our August 21 webinar, but time will tell. All I know is it certainly wont’ hurt the numbers!
Speaking of which, have you registered for our webinar yet? Don’t let a scheduling conflict stop you! It’s going to be a fun one - Web Personalization | What it’s NOT and why you should care. Register today…
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1 Comment | Posted in Carolyn Gardner, Conversion, Customer Experience, Email marketing, Optimization, Personalization, Sitebrand, eCommerce, webinars
August 12, 2008 by Jim Cain
Like just about every term in digital marketing (marketing in general to be honest), branding can be a little confusing to explain and apply. Our good friends at Wikipedia describe Brand as “a symbolic embodiment of all the information connected to a company, product or service.”
This is helpful information if you have a ridiculous marketing budget or a Fortune 1000 business, but it tends to be dismissed by many SMB companies, especially those who are pure play online firms.
I’m not even going to try to talk about how to build your brand online. That’s not a blog, it’s a book……a big book.
What I do want to do is run through a few basic things you can examine right now about brands and your business which you can immediately turn into money.
The only thing you need to know about branding to put this post to use is the following: Visitors who are looking for a brand are worth more than visitors who are looking for a ‘thing’.
Pretty straightforward stuff. “I am looking into buying a car”. Not bad. “I am looking into buying a Porsche.” Awesome (unless you don’t sell Porsches). A ‘branded’ visitor is already on the sales path as they have bought into and chosen to trust either your brand, or one you carry. Their conversion rate should be substantially higher than a commoditized search visitor, or someone who is looking for a generic category or product/service type.
Let’s prove it. Open up your analytics and get the answers to the following questions:
My Corporate Brand
- What percentage/how many of my visitors so far this year were direct type ins or book marks? What was their conversion rate?
- How many visitors found my site in natural search by looking for my company’s name, or a variation thereof? What was their conversion rate?
Brands I represent
- Are there any brands I carry that generate significant natural search traffic? (i.e. 5.4% of our visitors are looking for Coach purses) What is their conversion rate?
You now have some hard data to show how brands are currently making you money, and like any good dive into analytics, probably have 100 new questions to go along with your answers. Do brand oriented visitors convert better from the home page or a landing page? Do visitors looking for a brand I carry also buy other products? Does this change based on Geography or Multi-channel marketing? Etcetera etcetera…
Taking this branded vs unbranded approach to visitor source also adds significant value to any optimization or personalization initiative. Visitors who typed your name into Google do not need to be educated on your unique value proposition, whereas visitors who found you in Google will need to create trust through proper communication and messaging.
In offline marketing branding tends to be a highbrow, high budget affair. Leveraging brands online however, can be worth significant revenue to any firm, large or small.
Cheers,
Jim
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No Comments | Posted in Conversion, Customer Experience, Jim Cain, Optimization, Personalization, Search Marketing, eCommerce
August 11, 2008 by Carolyn Gardner
This is the theme of our
August 21 webinar and it’s a nice spin on our usual format. That’s right, you’re not just signing up for the perspectives of two presenters this month. Oh no. This time you’ll be treated to the perspectives of four presenters! And even though each presenter wears a Sitebrand hat, there will be guaranteed controversy thanks to old school versus new school perspectives. This on top of four distinct personality types…if you know what I mean.
I know we’re in the thick of summer holidays, but don’t let that stop you. Sign up anyhow and watch for a post webinar email that will include a link to view it online at your leisure.
Joining me for this roundtable panel will be 3 more of Sitebrand’s own. We’ve got Darryl Praill, VP Marketing - he always makes discussions interesting thanks to his highly, shall I say, opinionated thoughts on all things marketing. We would be the “over 40″ side of the equation so our world hasn’t always been about the web.
And then to round things out, we’ve got the ”under 40″ pair of this panel who I daresay have almost always lived in world with the web. These would be Mr. Jim Cain, a Senior Analyst here who is very plugged in to all things analytics…especially as it relates to actioning those analytics which is a big part of why web personalization should matter to you. And then there’s Alok Ahuja, one of our senior account managers and possibly one of the most adored this side of the moon. His clients love him and I think it’s because Alok is always testing the boundaries…not just geo-boundaries, but boundaries in general!!!
So the essence of our webinar will revolve around the mixed messaging on the meaning of web personalization. We’ll talk about what it’s NOT - ie.
- A/B testing
- Recommendation engines
- User registration and personalized greetings
- Analytics
- ‘One-to-one’ emails mentioning first names
And we’ll talk about why it matters - ie. how it really does present an opportunity to dramatically increase revenue and conversion with segment and serve functionality that creates highly relevant online experiences.
So what’s holding you back? We typically hear comments like:
- I’m already using Google analytics, isn’t that enough?
- I’ve already optimized my content.
- My marketing dollars are limited and already committed.
In just 29 minutes, Sitebrand promises to break myths, educate, inform and convince you that personalization should be your #1 priority…and that it doesn’t have to cost a thing if you do it right.
So go ahead and register today…unless of course you’re happy doing the same old, same old.
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No Comments | Posted in Alok Ahuja, Carolyn Gardner, Conversion, Customer Experience, Darryl Praill, Jim Cain, Optimization, Personalization, Sitebrand, eCommerce, webinars
As holiday selling strategies are in full swing, conversations around e-coupons surface. Coupons - whether they are online (via email or a website) or traditional (like those in the Sunday paper which are also referred to as free-standing inserts or FSIs) - are a great sales incentive, margins permitting of course. In reviewing MarketingSherpa’s 2008 Email Marketing Benchmark Guide, I came across some interesting numbers in terms of average redemption rates. I suppose it shouldn’t come as any huge surprise that traditional coupons account for 84% of all coupons used by US shoppers. But the average redemption rate is just 1.2%. I know for a fact that I’ll occasionally put these types of coupons in my purse…only to have them sit past the date of expiry because I forget to use them. You see there’s a gap of time between the time you get the coupon and the time it takes to get to the store to purchase.