Learning from the global expansion of ASOS
You will probably have heard of ASOS, they are inspiring example of how to achieve online retail growth. Their most recent figures show the scale they have achieved:
"ASOS attracts over 17.5 million unique visitors a month, had 8.0 million registered users and 4.4 million active customers from 160 countries who have shopped in the last 12 months. In addition to the global reach of the core asos.com website, ASOS also has country-specific websites targeting the USA, Australia, France, Germany, Spain and Italy. All products on asos.com can also be bought through the ASOS mobile site, whilst ASOS also offers customers the ability to shop through iPhone and iPad applications".
Source: ASOS annual report
I was fortunate to recently work with them for a year as a placement student and Dave Chaffey,…
5 real-world examples showing the value of rich media in Ecommerce
Ecommerce professionals and conversion rate experts have been lauding the benefits of rich media like video and 360 degree views for retailers more and more over the last couple of years. Yet a huge range of high profile ecommerce businesses are still yet to adopt product video, high resolution imagery or 360’s.
A number of the clients I work with have benefitted a lot from adopting rich media and have seen big increases in engagement and conversion. I’ve been talking about how rich media can add value to your proposition and general user experience for ages (such as here on SEJ and here on my personal blog) but I thought it would be useful to feature some quotes from expert retailers who have reaped the benefits. Thanks to…
Trends in Ecommerce and E-retail based on year-on-year comparisons
The world of ecommerce seemed to go through a more major mainstream media awakening in 2012 with most focus being on the bearing of fruit of mobile commerce which finally proved, then exceeded longstanding hopes.
In 2013 we can expect to see a rush of retailers attempting to get ‘mobile’ to try and capitalize on the mobile revenue stream. SME and enterprise level retailers will most likely opt for mobile optimisation of existing sites through third party solutions such as Mobify, with only the larger retailers or retailers with a very specific tactical reason opting to go native with apps. See the recording or slide deck of the Smart Insights webcast by mobile specialist Rob Thurner on mobile priorities for 2013.
This recent data from network Affiliate Window across their range of UK retail clients shows the growing importance of handset…
Practical examples of offline retail techniques that also work online
Ecommerce is often considered completely separately from offline retail due to the logistics of both channels. However, if you have worked in the offline retail world as I have, you will know that many selling strategies that work offline to increase sales and increase average transaction values can work online.
In this post I'll examine some of the frequent offline selling strategies and show how similar effects can be achieved online.
1. Line of Sight Merchandising Techniques
In many offline retail stores, the layout of the shop floor is governed by the line of sight from the entrance of the store. Line of sight is the natural or common focus points for a consumers eye to be drawn to as they enter a shop. It is within these focal points that stores will place their top selling and highest turnover categories for the season…
A new free presentation and guide to developing an mCommerce strategy
How to manage the opportunities and challenges of mobile marketing is one of today's biggest issues for digital marketers. As we have shown in our compilation of mCommerce statistics, consumer use of smartphones and tablets is growing at a dizzying pace.
To help marketers navigate the decisions needed about mCommerce, eibDigital asked us to develop a new guide to mCommerce. We launched this at the start of October 2012; you can (download it from the Developing Revenues eCommerce best practice site from eibDIGITAL).
On 10th November 2012 we ran a webinar on the same topic which I also wanted to alert you to. You can view this at the end of this post.
I thought it would also be interesting to share some of the feedback on how companies are responding to mobile marketing. During the webinar I asked two questions... Thanks if…
The big data opportunity - 4 key parts towards creating a strategy
Today’s growth in interest in "big data" represents a phenomenal opportunity for creative and forward-thinking marketers. On the one hand big data is arguably nothing new, relative to any moment in time we've had too much data to be able to make effective use of, at least from my personal, marketing perspective. The data warehousing and statistical analysis that drove direct marketing forward through the nineties and early years of this millennium felt like pretty big data back then - lot's of disparate, 'unclean' sources, usually lacking in structure let alone a common location. Relatively speaking, nothing's really changed - really it hasn't. Today we have more channels, management software, disparate databases, automation, computer processing power, skilled people and yes - data - to deal with. As marketers, I believe that this in turn means we need…
3 Examples suggesting future trends in multichannel social commerce
We’re always on the lookout for examples of new technology in action in the hope they’ll spark ideas or just because they may be a pointer to new trends. Here are a couple I’ve enjoyed recently, which combine digital technology in the offline world with the online world and include a social element. I’ve resisted the temptation to call these “multisocial” as some have…
Tesco Homeplus Virtual Supermarkets
You may have seen the example in 2011 from South Korea of the virtual store in a subway? Well now (August 2012) we have the first example in the UK, this time it's Tesco in Gatwick. The idea is for those who like to plan ahead when they're waiting before they fly. Tesco says the idea "came from customers". I don't think so, more likely it's to raise awareness of home shopping amongst the…
New research shows potential for Facebook commerce?
Value/Importance: [rating=3]
Recommended link: Ecwid/TNS Research
You will have noticed that in 2011 there was a lot of hype about Facebook commerce with many companies announcing the launch of F-commerce stores.
By 2012 we had moved from the peak of inflated expectations to the trough of disillusionment in the technology hype cycle.
This disillusionment or “F*****d commerce” as Marketing Pilgrim put it, was shown with major US retailers like Gamestop, JC Penney, Nordstrom and The Gap all shutting their Facebook stores.
Does this mean the end for F-commerce? Not necessarily. This new research suggests that F-commerce maybe moving along the slope of enlightenment. The research from TNS, predicts that:
"6.1% of online purchases over the next 3 years will be made via Facebook. Although only 4% of GB consumers have purchased goods from Facebook, the research showed that 40% would be happy to buy goods from Facebook if it…
Google Shopping US shows new strategic plays from Google
You may have read my post introducing Google Shopping last week on the changes coming to what is currently called Google Product. It has been interesting to watch the noise unfold on the subject.
Google is already rolling out their user experience updates in the US on http://google.com/shopping, no doubt ahead of the coming Google Shopping UK updates on http://www.google.co.uk/shopping. See the screenshots below to see the differences to the UK platform and what this suggests about Google's strategy.
Google Shopping UK - August 2012
[caption id="attachment_16246" align="aligncenter" width="550" caption="Google Shopping in the UK. Currently just flat products displayed on a page..."][/caption]
Google Shopping US - August 2012
[caption id="attachment_16247" align="aligncenter" width="550" caption="Google Shopping integrated with the 3 services it is now bringing together... See below for…
Demystifying the affiliate marketing jungle
It can be hard to understand affiliate marketing if you're new to it. When I mention I work in affiliate marketing people often looked scared and confused! Quite often you might be unaware of the amount of times you come into contact with an affiliate site in your day-to-day life. This is why they are such a great opportunity to expand the reach of a retail or ecommerce site - you can reach audiences that you wouldn't otherwise and only pay when sales are delivered.
Like walking through the jungle it’s a lot less scary if you know what to look out for. Understanding the different types of affiliates and some of their characteristics can help to improve your chances of surviving and prospering. With that in mind I have looked at some of the animals that make up the affiliate marketing kingdom.
Content sites for SEO
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