IRCE 2008 Session Descriptions

Two elements most crucial to a successful retail web site are design and content. Many small online retailers start with designs they created themselves after buying a book on HTML. Such an approach can get a site going and it can be beneficial for the owner to know the coding and technology behind web sites. But such designs are good only for starting out. The same is true for online content: A retailer may experience initial success by having a site's content manually updated, but once product offerings and customers reach a certain number, the challenges increase dramatically. This session will walk retailers through how to analyze their site design, how to know what needs improving and how to improve it. Our speakers also will discuss the potential cost of a redesign and how to choose a design company. This session will also help online retailers understand the options for product descriptions and images, including creating them inhouse, using standard descriptions and images that manufacturers provide and using descriptions and images that third-party content providers create. This session will also examine how retailers ensure that descriptions and images remain relevant to current offerings and the technology needed to ensure that descriptions and images are applied to the right products. Our speakers will examine real-life examples and provide detailed guidance about how sites can be improved and what results a retailer can expect from making the changes.