Knowing What Your Customers Want

One of the most reliable methods for retailers to gain an understanding of consumer tastes is tracking the spending habits of customers. This is especially true of online retailers, many of whom are able to directly follow exactly how visitors interact with their sites. They can see when visits took place, what was clicked, what was purchased, how much time and money was spent, and much more. They also record the choices that indicate the particular preferences of each customer, which enables them to make customized product recommendations. Many... 

The Value of Email Marketing

There is currently a shift happening in the way companies view email as a tool for merchandise marketing campaigns. Fast, responsive and measurable, email marketing allows for the same targeting at a significantly lower cost than using traditional mail. Email encourages quick response, and helps build loyalty and trust in a brand. Buyers also appreciate how it allows them some control over the frequency and content. As with any kind of marketing, targeting the right people at the right time is essential, and email makes it easier to strategize... 

Online Storefront Solutions

The Intersoft Group helps independent retailers and distributors avoid the pitfalls that can befall so many when trying to go online with sales. As an alternative to companies without the experience, using software that the client can control, the Intersoft Group provides them with a seasoned partner, and has been doing so since the 1990s. Intersoft does all the work–but the clients also get to own the license to their own online store. “You’re going to invest a tremendous amount of time and effort into this system, so rather... 

Brands Jump on Facebook’s Upcoming Location Feature

Marketers are excited by the recent announcement by social networking giant Facebook of an upcoming location-based feature. The new feature would allow users to include their location as part of their status updates, and it is already being investigated by corporations and independent retailers alike as a means to increase brand awareness and drive offline sales. Many companies are already planning location-based campaigns to possibly be built around the new Facebook functionality, including most notably the fast food titan McDonald’s. Marketing... 

Twitter Introduces “Promoted Tweets”

Marketing via the popular social networking service Twitter comes with a bit of a caveat. The problem has been that the very nature of Twitter’s ongoing feed means that any individual tweet only remains at or near the top of a user’s page for a relatively brief amount of time, depending on how many other users they follow. Twitter may be a great tool for short-term and last-minute marketing, but so far it’s been a challenge to create any sense of permanence to the messaging. But that may be changing now, with the announcement... 

Ten Website Tips

You have a website, but you would like it to be more successful. What can you do to make it more of what you need it to be? According to www.socialbusinessbank.com, Houston, TX, a company that furnishes credit card services and terminals, there are at least ten things you can do: Your Website Goals. Define the goals of your website. Make sure you have a clear understanding of the website’s purpose. If you don’t have a clear picture of what your website is about, how could your customers? Do you want to sell products, provide information,... 

Online Chat a Useful Retail Tool, According to New Survey

A new survey conducted by e-commerce technology provider Bold Software has provided some interesting points to ponder regarding the usefulness of online chat to e-tailers. As part of the findings, 82% of respondents indicated that a live chat session had a positive effect their opinion of that merchant. Additionally, a full 68% said they were more likely to purchase from that retailer again in the future. Bold Software surveyed more than 1,000 American Internet shoppers last January. The company release the following five conclusions as part of... 

Marketing Survey Reveals Common Concerns

Retail marketing can be a tricky business, especially for independent retailers. And that’s not made any easier by the abundance of channels and platforms in today’s multimedia world. A recent survey conducted by research company Unica seems to indicate that worrying about measuring results and increasing effectiveness is pretty much universal. The results of the survey show just how preoccupied marketers are with integrating marketing channels and turning the accumulated data into action. Concerns include the allocation of marketing... 

Capitalizing on the Social Media Revolution

With the social media revolution in full swing in the retail industry, it would appear that Facebook is emerging as one of the most effective ways for companies to reach potential customers. Recent studies have indicated that Facebook is ahead of the pack amongst social networking sites being used by some of the biggest retail chains. The Limited Brands’ Victoria’s Secret is in the lead currently in this department, with 2.8 million fans on its Facebook company page. “Many customers say they really wanted to hear about sales and products,”... 

How Are Web Consumers Making Their Decisions?

Common wisdom in recent years has proven that social networking is an essential element of a company or brand’s online presence and marketing mix. However, as the scope of social networking broadens and becomes more commonplace, the danger exists that consumers can become jaded and less open to its influence. Now more than before, it appears that a strong social networking approach must be just one part of a larger strategy. “The events of the last 18 months have scarred people,” said Richard Edelman, CEO and President of Edelman Public Relations,... 

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