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Strategies and Profiles: Page 194
Description: FreshDirect CEO SideStep CEO FreshDirect TV FAST
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Former Payless executive named senior vice president at i2 technologies
Description: Former Payless executive named senior vice president at i2 technologies Chuck Kramer has been named senior vice president of i2 Technologies Inc.s retail industry group. Prior
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AMR Research hires three retail tech veterans
Description: AMR Research hires three retail tech veterans AMR Research has hired Andy Sanfilippo, formerly of Oracle Retail and Williams-Sonoma, as research director, covering processes and
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American Greetings adds a third kind of online card
Description: American Greetings adds a third kind of online card American Greetings has added a third kind of online greeting card to its web site. American Greetings is hosting a tab from
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Siebel eRetail 7 Delivers World-Class Customer Service
Description: Article from Internet Retailer
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Priceline Inks Marketing Pact
Description: Priceline Inks Marketing Pact Priceline.com's WebHouse Club, whose members name their own price for retail goods and shop for them at a discount at local stores, says it has
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Webvan extends Ashford.com promotion
Description: Webvan extends Ashford.com promotion Webvan Group Inc. is extending its holiday promotion with luxury online retailer Ashford.com, started on Nov. 1. Customers in San Francisco,
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Online retail sales to grow at least 25% in 2003, Forrester says
Description: Online retail sales to grow at least 25% in 2003, Forrester says Online retails growth rate is expected to continue charging ahead of retail at large in 2003. Forrester Research
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Online auction fraud shows steady growth since 1999, FTC says
Description: Online auction fraud shows steady growth since 1999, FTC says The number of complaints regarding online auction fraud compiled by the Federal Trade Commission has more than
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The North Face Climbs to New Heights of Supply Chain Visibility With Web-Enabled Geac Solution
Description: o Geac solution provides "power, flexibility and freedom" to drive corporate growth, competitive advantage and enhanced customer service for leading apparel brand
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Q1 gross merchandise sales at eBay rise 32% to $10.6 billion
Description: Q1 gross merchandise sales at eBay rise 32% to $10.6 billion Gross merchandise sales at eBay Inc. rose 32% in the first quarter ended March 31, to $10.6 billion from $8 billion
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CNET RANKS AS TOP CONVERTING SEARCH ENGINE AT CONSUMER ELECTRONICS SITES
Description: Unique Study Reflects Quality of Traffic from Major Search Engines, According to WebSideStorys StatMarket
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Strategies and Profiles: Page 51
Description: iTunes iPhones AAFES VistaPrint DVD
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Getting personal helps boost web sales
Description: 45% of online shoppers are more likely to shop at e-commerce sites that offer personalized shopping recommendations than they are at sites without recommendations, according to the 2007 ChoiceStream Personalization Survey from ChoiceStream Inc., a provider of personalization technology for the Internet and other channels. The survey, conducted via e-mail by MarketTools Inc., polled 811 U.S. Internet users age 18 and up. It found the more a consumer spends online, the more he or she likes to see personalized recommendations. Big spenders also are more likely to return to personalized sites. While 56% of consumers who have visited sites with personalized recommendations are more likely to return to such sites, 71% of those who spent $1,000 or more online in the trailing six months say they`re more likely to return.
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Supply Chain: Page 5
Description: IPO RFID Wal-Mart RFID Wal-Mart IPO GNX WWRE JDA DollarDays CEO TradeStone TradeStone
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Fashions online faux pas
Description: Sleek, colorful images and basic functionality are present on most top fashion brand web sites, but many web sites still lack a key ingredient: knowledge of exactly what the brand represents to consumers. Until that factor is understood and cranked into web site design, fashion retailers are missing an opportunity and, worse, risking damage to their brand in their online offerings, according to a recent survey from Brand Keys Inc.
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Homeruns.com selling its site software and backend systems
Description: Homeruns.com selling its site software and backend systems Failed online grocery site HomeRuns.com is preparing to sell off its assets. It has chosen the Website Recycling Co. to
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Media bucks generate blog buzz, survey says
Description: Media bucks generate blog buzz, survey says Retailers that separate advertising from word-of-mouth tactics, such as web blogs, do so at their sales peril, says a report from The
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VictoriasSecret.com hikes sales 10-30% by merchandising outfits
Description: VictoriasSecret.com hikes sales 10-30% by merchandising outfits To help boost sales for this holiday season, VictoriasSecret.com has modified its product merchandising in recent
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AKAMAI AND Gómez align to enhance web performance measurement
Description: Article from Internet Retailer
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Drs. Foster and Smith unleash dog products on Target
Description: Drs. Foster and Smith unleash dog products on Target Web and catalog pet products retailer Drs. Foster and Smith Inc. is moving into retail stores on July 15 with the launch of
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Hundreds of retailers spend $50K-plus a month on paid search, SEM firm says
Description: Hundreds of retailers spend $50K-plus a month on paid search, SEM firm says Paid search just keeps getting more popular with online marketers. Approximately 350 to 500 U.S.
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NEW YORK KNICKERBOCKERS AND FANBUZZ ENTER INTO E-COMMERCE AGREEMENT
Description: Knicks Become Fifth NBA Team to Partner with FanBuzz
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Commerce stats show that retail buying is shifting to the Net
Description: rend spotters take note: e-retailing is steadily growing, if you believe the Department of Commerce. And that agencys numbers contrast with what has been grabbing industry headlines for the past 12 months. A year ago, Internet retail stock was the hottest thing going, Six months ago, many of those same stocks cooled off, ala Siberia. Perhaps the value of Internet retailing is a term still seeking a definition. But outside the swaying opinions and bouncing projections, are some cold, hard numbers. Beginning about a year ago, the U.S. Department of Commerce began tracking e-retail sales in its survey of 12,000 retailers. Whats emerging is a pattern of slow, steady movement toward Internet shopping. Although it accounts for less than 1% of overall retail sales, its percentage is climbing (up 15.3% in Q3 compared with a decrease of 0.04% for overall retail). This means consumers are spending the same on retail, but shifting more of that buying online. And while the percentage is low, the sheer dollars are nothing to shake a stick at: $6.37 billion for Q3 and $22.3 billion for the past four quarters.
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A look at whos up and down among the 2007 Top 500
Description: A look at whos up and down among the 2007 Top 500 2006 will be remembered as a boom year for many online specialty retailers, but several web merchants in the personal computer
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Web Site Trends: Page 177
Description: BlueLight.com thePit.com JCPenney.com webHancers
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AUTO-WARES to standardize merchandising and DEMAND chain processes on Evant software
Description: 27-Year Old Auto Parts Company Purchases Scientific Demand Planning and Replenishment Software to Reduce Inventory and Increase Service Levels
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Worldwide IT spending wont recover until Q2, Gartner predicts
Description: Worldwide IT spending wont recover until Q2, Gartner predicts Worldwide IT spending will climb 3.4% in 2002, with revenue totaling $2.3 trillion, Dataquest Inc., a unit of
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GroceryWorks.com gets financing, web expertise from U.K.s Tesco
Description: GroceryWorks.com gets financing, web expertise from U.K.s Tesco Tesco PLC, a leading European grocery store chain, has invested $22 million in GroceryWorks.com, Safeway Inc.`s
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Target partners with Shutterfly to provide more photo options
Description: Target partners with Shutterfly to provide more photo options Retail chain Target Corp. and web-only photo and publishing service Shutterfly Inc. are combining efforts to create
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Whos at the top of their game
Description: Article from Internet Retailer
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Innotrac Corporation Announces 2003 First Quarter Results
Description: Article from Internet Retailer
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USERS OF E.PIPHANY® SERVICE APPLICATIONS TAKE CUSTOMER SERVICE TO NEW LEVELS
Description: Article from Internet Retailer
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Deadbeat bids affecting as many as one-quarter of all online auctions
Description: Deadbeat bids affecting as many as one-quarter of all online auctions Online auction services provider ChannelAdvisor Corp. has released a product aimed at reducing online
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Retailers vary widely in dial-up performance
Description: Retailers vary widely in dial-up performance Though more web surfers and shoppers are swapping out their dial-up connections for broadband, vast change will not happen overnight.
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Enlighten Hires John P. Gray to be Director of Interactive Marketing
Description: Article from Internet Retailer
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European web retailing set to explode
Description: European web retailing set to explode European consumer retail sales via the Internet will explode in the next four years, says a new report from New York Internet market
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Pro Golf International / ProGolf.com & Global Sports Enter E-commerce Agreement
Description: Article from Internet Retailer
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Squeezing profits out of retail apparel markdowns
Description: Squeezing profits out of retail apparel markdowns In an effort to maximize profits while moving merchandise, Canadian retail company Northern Group Retail Ltd. will use
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E-mails Q2 performance improves slightly over last year, says DoubleClick
Description: E-mails Q2 performance improves slightly over last year, says DoubleClick E-mail metrics for the second quarter improved slightly over a year ago, with bounce rates dropping
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Build-A-Bear Workshop, Inc. to Locate Company-Owned Distribution Center in Columbus, Ohio
Description: Article from Internet Retailer
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EQUILIBRIUM AND WAYTECH JOIN FORCES TO PROVIDE DYNAMIC MEDIA GENERATION WITH ACCURATE ONLINE COLOR
Description: Article from Internet Retailer
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Visa and Internets Top Industry Players Aggressively Promote Global Adoption of Authenticated Payment
Description: Article from Internet Retailer
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IRI study says consumer goods manufacturers overspend on web sites
Description: IRI study says consumer goods manufacturers overspend on web sites A new study from Information Resources Inc. reports that consumer packaged goods manufacturers are meeting
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Seeing is believing: How e-retailers are boosting conversion rates with automated demonstrations of web sites
Description: Web sites are designed by technology developers--and the prospect of working on a web site often attracts the smartest of technologists. But it`s one of the truths of the Internet that tech developers don`t often come into contact with real users of web sites. They look at moving through a site as a logical progression from cyber point A to cyber point Z and design sites that other developers quickly grasp. But the reality is that even the most sophisticated users sometimes can`t make out how to call up a product description, choose a size, check availability, place in shopping cart, then return to shopping to buy something else. And the problem of befuddled users at web sites becomes even more acute as the market moves beyond the enthusiastic, early adopters to mainstream users whose mission is to find what they want, buy it and move on. Thus many users look for online guidance. But a guide is often difficult to find and many users just don`t know where to turn. "The web is complex, it`s new and the user has total control, which is a wonderful thing," says JC Stites, CEO and founder of Autodemo LLC, which creates flash demonstrations of web sites. But total control often separates users from others who might help them figure out a way around an obstacle, Stites points out. "As you sit in your bubble in front of your computer and click away, you`re not seeing how anybody else is doing it," he says. "You`re not getting a broader understanding of how anybody is navigating the particular site you`re on." That insight into the isolation of the web user, coupled with a background in software-demonstration CDs, led Stites to establish Autodemo in 1998. In 2001, Autodemo landed its first client who wanted to escort customers around its web site: Amazon.com Inc. Amazon, which has invested millions in improving the shopping experience at its site, saw the opportunity right away. Amazon had recently established its one-click ordering process. It saw the ease of checking out with only one click as a competitive advantage, but also saw that, because no other web site was offering that sort of checkout, customers might not understand how to use it or what a great convenience it offered. "They saw right away a need related to one-click ordering," Stites says. Amazon found almost immediate success with the Autodemo. Almost 5,500 customers a day click on the demo. Amazon and Autodemo solicit feedback from users and 91% say they find the demonstration useful, 87% say it increases their likelihood of using the one-click feature. But more importantly, to Autodemo, is that 87% say they would view online demonstrations of other topics. "Customer feedback has been extremely favorable," says Jessica Scheibach, group program manager at Amazon. Think strategically Creating an Autodemo demonstration typically costs about $10,000, Stites says, and most retail sites are good examples of the kind of site that can benefit from Autodemo. "You have to think strategically about why people come to your site," he says. "It makes sense to create a demo if your goal is to convert browsers to buyers or if you host a lot of people who have never been to your site before." Autdeomo reports that a major customer, who paid $10,000 for a demo, gets 150,000 clicks a month on the demo. "In the first year, this client paid less than a penny a click to increase conversions, enhance usability and reduce call center costs," Stites says. The demo is still in use 30 months later. But not only is the demo a good way to help shoppers use a site and capture more sales, it`s also a way to improve customer service while reducing costs, Stites says. "Retailers must identify the pain points of a site," he says. "A lot of call center issues and returns problems can be addressed this way." For instance, he notes, a retailer who e-mails order confirmations could include a link in the e-mail to a demonstration of how to track an order online. Or in e-mails that welcome customers who register, a retailer could include a demo on using the site and the benefits of various features of the site. In addition, demos could be used throughout a site to help shoppers along and forestall calls to customer service. "They`re not just for showing people around," Stites says. "They`re also for offering customers a helping hand. A retailer could have 30 of these. When someone appears to be having a problem on a page, a message could pop up with something like, `Have you thought of doing this?`" But just offering the demo is not good enough, Stites notes. Customers must have a good reason to click on the demo link. "The title must be correct and the content needs to be compelling," he says. Small footprints In spite of the high degree of content that demos contain, bandwidth is not an issue, Stites says. "We create files with very small footprints," he says. "It`s a real craft and you have to understand the nuances to be able to build demos that way." In addition, it`s a real craft to make sure the demos provide enough information but not so much that people will grasp the concept and move on while the narrator is still talking. For instance, he says, writers make sure there are no extraneous words in the script. "Our writers will take a sentence that is eight words long and tune it so the customer isn`t tempted to click the button before the end of the sentence," he says. Today, Autodemo provides site demos for a coterie of well-known brands, including Nordstrom.com, eBay, Yahoo, NYTimes.com, Bank of America, Forbes.com, FedEx and HotJobs.com. The Autodemo company was an outgrowth of Stites` background as a multimedia producer for high-tech clients. He realized he could use his experience in educating consumers about how to use technology to develop a business that demonstrated how to use certain types of software. The company went on to create software demos for such major technology developers as Microsoft Corp., Citrix Systems, 3M Corp., Intel Corp. and others. From that, the company branched into Autodemo for web sites. "We recognized that the solution that we had created for software companies to demonstrate their product was a really good fit for web companies also," Stites says. "We saw that it could improve usability and reduce customer service costs." Today, Autodemo specializes in web site and software demos only and has created 500+ demos for more than 100 clients. It`s been profitable since 1999, when the company created 22 demos for Microsoft Windows 2000. Keep it simple The company has learned a lot since its founding, Stites says. "Those projects were very elaborate," Stites says. They incorporated original music and creative treatment and employed a large navigation hierarchy, he recounts. "We quickly found it was too difficult for users," he says. "The interface took a lot of commitment from the user to learn." Today, the user interface is simplified to the point where all a shopper at Amazon, for instance, need do is click a "Click here to learn about searching, browsing, and shopping at Amazon.com" link. It launches the demo screen, detects the user`s Internet connection, displays a message that says "This demo includes audio" to cue users to turn their speakers on, then starts the demo. The shopper can control the demo with a small dashboard, but the demo proceeds automatically. "It`s a really efficient way of opening a user`s eyes and visually expressing the value of a web site to a potential customer," Stites says. A large part of Autodemo`s success is the result of the fact that users don`t need high bandwidth Internet access to view the demos. "The fact that Flash has allowed for this kind of communication even with a dial-up connection has opened up great possibilities," Stites says. "It`s created a new way to interact with customers."
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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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Seller ratings policy and fee hikes are under review at eBay
Description: Seller ratings policy and fee hikes are under review at eBay Close on the heels of a late January announcement of price cuts and hikes aimed at online auctioneer eBay Inc.s
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When too much site search tweaking is not enough
Description: When too much site search tweaking is not enough Northern Tool and Equipment Co. has been working with Endeca Technologies Inc. since summer to enhance search and navigation for
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Alaska Airlines goes online with a store for logo merchandise
Description: Alaska Airlines goes online with a store for logo merchandise Alaska Airlines, the nations ninth largest airline, has launched an e-commerce site at
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Sharper Image launches new division to license its brand to other retailers
Description: Sharper Image launches new division to license its brand to other retailers In a move to turn around its declining revenue, Sharper Image Corp. is talking with several retailers
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