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Technology: Flexible, bendable, profitable
Description: Now that the Internet has revolutionized how consumers view retailersincreasing customer expectations for service, product selection and interactivityonline merchants are placing more demands on technology, Aberdeen Group Inc. says in its January 2007 report, Clicks to Customers Benchmark Report: The Real ROI in B2C eCommerce. Merchants expect their technology to flex, bend and meet their complex needs and become profitable in short order, Aberdeen says. Following are technology findings from the report. Aberdeen defines best-in-class as retailers that excel in key performance metrics, such as visitor-to-sales conversions from 8% to more than 25%.
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Fast Mode
Description: Web-based transportation management turns truck traffic into a driver of efficiency
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Speed Dialing
Description: Faster, smarter, easier: How the web is boosting call center performance
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The price is right?
Description: Retailers juggle strategies, margins and customer expectations as the Internet changes the rules of product pricing
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More Turmoil
Description: The online video market gets upendedagain
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Training a new generation of search marketing pros
Description: As the popularity of Internet search marketing continues to grow, the number of search marketing pros isnt keeping up. So its back to school for those who want to fill the gap.
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Birds of a Feather
Description: Giving fans a forum can pay off for retailers seeking new ways to build traffic and sales
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Yahoo alters search marketing scene by becoming more relevant
Description: Marketers wondering where their Yahoo paid search ads got off to may have to take a harder look at how they handle search engine marketing. Thats because Yahoo Inc. has joined search engine rivals Google Inc. and Microsoft Corp.s MSN in basing rankings of paid search ads on a marketers overall relevance to keywords.
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Designs on Success
Description: Web site design lives in Internet years, and retailers who dont get regular makeovers risk being left behind
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Youve gotta see this at Moosejaw.comif you can
Description: Youve gotta see this at Moosejaw.comif you can Moosejaw Mountaineering routinely changes special product promotions that are splashed across its home pagescreen-wide and
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Shoppers research big TVs online, but prefer to buy offline
Description: Shoppers research big TVs online, but prefer to buy offline Electronics buyers, especially shoppers for bigger ticket items such as flat screen TVs, use the web to research their
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Size and money dont matter when gauging what shoppers want
Description: Size and money dont matter when gauging what shoppers want When it comes to taking the pulse of customers to ensure their e-commerce site experiences are everything they want
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How Bath & Body Works learns the intent of online shoppers
Description: How Bath & Body Works learns the intent of online shoppers After Bath & Body Works learned how much online customers like to shop for products by fragrance, like cucumber melon
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Gap and Old Navy web traffic slips in January from year earlier
Description: Gap and Old Navy web traffic slips in January from year earlier Of the Top 10 apparel & beauty web sites, Gap.com and OldNavy.com were the only sites to suffer a decline in
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Web-based sales at Coldwater Creek grew 33% in 2006 from 2005
Description: Web-based sales at Coldwater Creek grew 33% in 2006 from 2005 Internet-based sales in 2006 at womens apparel and accessories retailer Coldwater Creek Inc. increased 33% from
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Sharper Image`s sales fall again in February
Description: Sharper Image`s sales fall again in February Internet sales in February at Sharper Image Corp. dropped 35% from February a year ago to $3.5 million from $5.3 million, the company
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Massachusetts bill puts merchants on the security hot seat
Description: Massachusetts bill puts merchants on the security hot seat While credit card companies and consumers exert more pressure on merchants to protect financial records store in
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Web site personalization could be on the rise, thanks to technology
Description: Web site personalization could be on the rise, thanks to technology Web site personalization is gaining momentum again as e-retailers turn to improving technology to help them
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Retailers paying smaller commissions to affiliates, study says
Description: Retailers paying smaller commissions to affiliates, study says 32% of online retailers report paying an affiliate commission of more than $5,000 in a single month, down from 46%
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Stacks and stacks of bricks and mortarbut only one store
Description: Stacks and stacks of bricks and mortarbut only one store In 1984 Mel Ronick opened a six-store chain in the San Francisco Bay Area called Stacks and Stacks Homewares. A little
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Cost per acquisition offering cost option at some comparison shopping sites
Description: Cost per acquisition offering cost option at some comparison shopping sites Online marketers have been grumbling about the rising cost of paid search adverting for a while. But
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Merchants turn to more payment options to support growth
Description: Merchants turn to more payment options to support growth Niche Retail LLC plans to launch up to seven e-commerce sites this year, up from the 18 it already operates, and one way
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Another online-only retailer looks offline to help build web sales
Description: Another online-only retailer looks offline to help build web sales Home Décor Products Inc. isnt the first online retailer to try its luck with a paper catalog, having been
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Top retailers still lag in seamless integration of web site and store
Description: Top retailers still lag in seamless integration of web site and store While nearly three-quarters of the top 100 retailers in the U.S. operate in multiple channels, only 22%
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Fulfillment in e-retailing is off course, Aberdeen study says
Description: Fulfillment in e-retailing is off course, Aberdeen study says One out of every 20 orders shipped by e-retailers is either late, incomplete or both, research and advisory firm
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Paid search and text ads are the best ways to reach affluent online users
Description: Paid search and text ads are the best ways to reach affluent online users Retailers targeting affluent online usersthose with household incomes of $100,000 or moreshould focus
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Talbots reports strong combined 2006 web sales
Description: Talbots reports strong combined 2006 web sales The Talbots Inc., which acquired The J. Jill Group in May, is reporting combined 2006 web sales for both brands of $190.7 million.
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Faster pages and heavier carts at Golfballs.com
Description: Faster pages and heavier carts at Golfballs.com After rebuilding Golfballs.com on Microsofts .Net 2.0 platform, the golf equipment e-retailers pages can process data faster and
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AutoZone is driving slowly into more e-commerce
Description: AutoZone is driving slowly into more e-commerce AutoZone Inc. continues to invest in the Internet, but still sees its web site primarily as a channel that supports its network of
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Amazon and TiVo conclude their beta test and roll out video service
Description: Amazon and TiVo conclude their beta test and roll out video service The beta test between Amazon.com Inc.s Unbox service and TiVo Inc. is over and the two companies are rolling
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ShoppersChoice.com expects 125% sales growth
Description: ShoppersChoice.com expects 125% sales growth ShoppersChoice.com LLC, which operates BBQGuys.com and ShoppersChoice.com, grew web sales by 39% in 2006 to $8.9 million from $6.4
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The web sparkles as a sales channel for Tiffany
Description: The web sparkles as a sales channel for Tiffany Tiffany & Co. is well on its way to making the web its dominant direct marketing channel. Today, more than 60% of Tiffanys total
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Big web retailers operate on an even keel in February
Description: Big web retailers operate on an even keel in February Web site consistency was fairly even among big web retailers in February with 26 merchants achieving a consistency rating of
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The Internet once more is a good thing for Martha Stewart
Description: The Internet once more is a good thing for Martha Stewart Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia Inc. continues its Internet sales channel growth, but the resurgence is coming more from
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Avenue.com puts web sales in the fast lane
Description: Avenue.com puts web sales in the fast lane United Retail Group Inc., which operates Avenue.com, grew its web sales by 52% in 2006. For the year, Avenue.com, No. 315 in the
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The Hershey Co. outsources online gift and catalog operations to GSI
Description: The Hershey Co. outsources online gift and catalog operations to GSI GSI Commerce has signed an agreement to provide I.T. services for The Hershey Co., including e-commerce and
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AceHardware.com is the place for multi-channel marketing
Description: AceHardware.com is the place for multi-channel marketing Ace Hardware Corp. is making multi-channel marketing a key theme of its 2007 web strategy. A newly redesigned
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Road Runner Sports keeping pace with web marketing
Description: Road Runner Sports keeping pace with web marketing Road Runner Sports Inc.s web sales growth held steady for 2006 at 7%, compared to 7.14% for 2005. But the direct marketer and
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Online advertising grows 30% to $16.8 billion, IAB reports
Description: Online advertising grows 30% to $16.8 billion, IAB reports U.S. Internet advertising revenue in 2006 grew to an estimated $16.8 billion, up 34% from the previous revenue record
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Web-based supply chain system gets fashions earlier to Neiman Marcus
Description: Web-based supply chain system gets fashions earlier to Neiman Marcus Using a web-hosted supply chain management system from TradeBeam Inc., The Neiman Marcus Group Inc. has
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Worldwide Internet growth reached 10% in 2006, comScore reports
Description: Worldwide Internet growth reached 10% in 2006, comScore reports Growth in Internet use in the U.S. may be down to a crawl as most adults are online by now, but worldwide, the
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Wal-Marts new in-store pick-up service might not be fast, but its free
Description: Wal-Marts new in-store pick-up service might not be fast, but its free Wal-Mart Stores Inc. is rolling out a new order online/pick up in store service. Dubbed Site to Store,
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Budgeting at the speed of thought: The new Internet challenge
Description: Budgeting at the speed of thought: The new Internet challenge Internet developments travel in a speedier time frame than do developments in businesses that live offline. To
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Assurz.coms refund guarantee program moves closer to roll out
Description: Assurz.coms refund guarantee program moves closer to roll out Assurz Inc.s program offering 100% refunds to subscribers for returns of any online purchases is one-step closer
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Online retailers follow airlines in best web sites, new study says
Description: Online retailers follow airlines in best web sites, new study says Although retailers represent four out of the top five industry categories in terms of leading web site
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50% of broadband users say the Internet influenced a recent purchase
Description: 50% of broadband users say the Internet influenced a recent purchase Online consumers who connect to the Internet via broadband are turning more to the Internet for product
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Power Equipment Direct fills new presidents position to handle growth
Description: Power Equipment Direct fills new presidents position to handle growth To help manage growth while exploring the launch of new retail web sites, Power Equipment Direct Inc., an
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Internap Network Services completes its acquisition of VitalStream
Description: Internap Network Services completes its acquisition of VitalStream E-commerce and content delivery technology vendor Internap Network Services Corp. has completed its acquisition
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Constant Contact appoints Nancie Freitas as chief marketing officer
Description: Constant Contact appoints Nancie Freitas as chief marketing officer Nancie Freitas, a direct marketing veteran, has been named chief marketing officer of Constant Contact, a
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Barnes & Nobles 2006 web sales slip 1% from prior year
Description: Barnes & Nobles 2006 web sales slip 1% from prior year Full year web-based sales at Barnes & Noble Inc. fell 1.1% from the prior year to $433 million, the company reported
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