E-Commerce
E-Commerce
The wild and woolly world of the Internet seems to change every month. For the latest on Website design, search engine marketing, back-end systems, and front-end technologies, check out these recent CATALOG AGE articles on e-commerce.
Online Shoppers Said It to Mom with Jewelry
If a recent study by Internet network provider VeriSign is an indication, mothers received more jewelry this Mother’s Day than any other gift. ...
Fewer Snap Decisions from Online Shoppers
Window shopping is becoming as popular online as it is offline, judging from a new study by Napa, CA-based Website security certification company ScanAlert. According to the report, customers wait on average slightly more than 19 hours between their first visit to a Website and when they make a purchase. ...
Spam-free search
It seems that whenever one logs on, the bombardment begins unsavory content, dubious offers, unscrupulous operators, and in-your-face interruption marketing....
Analyze this
Imagine a 24/7, real-time focus group one that gives you access to a customer's every move. Imagine sitting upon the shopper's shoulders as he views your...
I.Merchant Award Finalists
The first round of judging for Catalog Age's Sixth Annual I.Merchant Awards has been completed, with the judges naming 29 finalists in seven categories....
Pacing the E-commerce Marathon
To succeed online, it helps to think of e-commerce as a marathon, not a sprint, says Lauren Freedman, president of Chicago-based e-commerce consultancy The E-tailing Group. “For most merchants, there are not a lot of significant changes ahead. But you still have to take the nose-to-the-grindstone approach ...
The lowdown on drill-downs
When it comes to Website drill-downs, you can have too much of a good thing. Navigation that has you drill down from category page to product category...
Cybercritic: Coming up roses
April showers bring May flowers not to mention weeds, insects, and all the other pesky problems that come with gardening. As spring finally settles in,...
Macy's Launches Youth-Inspired Website
Macy’s has traditionally appealed to shoppers in their 30s and older. To win over younger consumers, the department store chain last week launched ThisIt.com, a Website focused on hot trends on everything from music to—no surprise here—fashion. ...
On-target onsite search
Most of the buzz about online search focuses on search engine marketing. But onsite search the effectiveness and user-friendliness of your Website's search...
Cybercritic: Art of the deal
The Cybercritic loves discounts as much as (make that more than) the next guy. So it's no surprise that I've succumb to the siren song of eBay. Recently...
NEW WEB CATALOGS
Footy Pajamas When Kim Kaputska could not find suitable footy pajamas for her 14-month-old daughter, a Website was born. Although about 95% of the product...
Websites Still Confusing Users
Online shopping is still far from flawless, as evidenced by the results of Millard Group’s Post-Holiday Online Coop Survey. Fifteen percent of the participants said that they were confused with a Website’s shopping or ordering process...
Live from eTail 2005: Neiman Marcus Loves E-mail
Luxury products marketer Neiman Marcus is a prolific e-mailer, according to Brendan Hoffman, president/CEO of the Dallas-based company's Neiman Marcus Direct unit. Addressing attendees of the eTail conference, Hoffman admitted that many industry observers contend that Neiman sends too many e-mails...
Live from eTail 2005: REI's Channel Integration Tips
One size don't not fit all when it comes to channel integration, said Joan Broughton, vice president of multichannel programs for outdoor products marketer Recreational Equipment Inc. (REI). ...
Live from eTail 2005: Be "Reasonably" Consistent Among Channels
If you're a multichannel marketer, your customers will understand "logical inconsistencies" in your shopping channels, according to Bill Bass, vice president/general manager, Sears Customer Direct, and senior vice president of e-commerce, Lands' End. In the opening general session of the eTail 2005 conference, Bass told attendees that they have to play to each channel's strengths rather than do everything the same in every channel....
If I were in charge...
As e-commerce reaches its 10-year anniversary, it's an interesting time to reflect on what we have learned. According to ComScore Networks, holiday 2004...
Gunning for Google
Microsoft is gunning for Google and Yahoo! Unhappy that its MSN Search is only the third most popular search engine, Microsoft has feverishly been working...
Live from NRF: The Present and Future of Online Retailing
New York--How is e-commerce like a toddler? In comparing the growth of e-commerce to that of her young son, Forrester Research principal analyst Carrie Johnson said that while both needed constant attention in their infancy, they’re now able to stand on their own feet. ...
Survey: Coldwater Creek, Lands’ End Among Those Excelling at Online Service
Not a single online pure-play was among the 10 consumer merchants rated by The E-tailing Group as providing the best online customer service. The Chicago-based consultancy shopped from 100 Websites during the fourth quarter of 2004 and rated the following companies as tops at service...
The Cybercritic: An exercise in humility
The Cybercritic generally makes a resolution not to make a New Year's resolution, but overindulging this past holiday season has added 10 lbs. to the...
Staples spiffs up its online rebate system
Rebates may help customers decide to buy one product over another, but the hassle of clipping the proofs of purchase, filling out the forms, and mailing...
TJX goes multichannel at last
Part of the fun of shopping at off-price stores is the thrill of the hunt for a great bargain, which is also part of the fun of shopping online. That's...
Shopping around: comparison shopping Websites
Comparison shopping engines can help you boost sales and acquire customers provided your company's product is a top contender among the search results....
New Web Catalogs
Plumpstocking Stockings and stocking stuffers have always been big in Kathleen Vignos's family. That's why the former technology and software consultant...
