May 31, 2010
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Posted by
Melany Gallant
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The whole concept of interactive engagement with customers via social media is changing so fast these days, it can be hard for brands to keep up. Just when you get your Facebook fan page going, and start sharing deals and discounts to Foursquare users, you discover there is another digital media tool or trend taking hold.
One such service is Stickybits, a mobile app that allows iPhone and Android users to scan or create a barcode and then attach a digital file to it. That file could be anything - video, text, photos or music. The Stickybits service is an intriguing concept that could have...
May 27, 2010
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Posted by
Cam Stevenson
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A little while ago my friend and Product Manager Donna Remillard (whose writings you often see in this blog) remarked with some exasperation: “Why is it so hard to manage a web site?” And then she promptly left on vacation.
What she was trying to do, which prompted this remark, was approve a customer review in our out-of-box CommerceLive site.
To provide a little background: we make use of SharePoint’s native functionality wherever we can in CommerceLive – ranging from email templates to site settings as well as the managing the actual pages of your site. This includes customer submitte...
May 26, 2010
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Posted by
Antonella Pannizzo
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A recent study by comScore, a digital marketing intelligence firm reported that U.S. retail e-commerce spending for the first quarter of 2010 was up 10 percent to $34 billion compared to a year ago. This is the first time since the second quarter of 2008 that spending reached double digit growth. Other interesting observations: most growth is attributed to consumer households earning over $100,000 a year; and large online retailers’ growth outpaced that of smaller retailers.
For more information on the recently released statistics, visit http://www.comscore.com
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May 18, 2010
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Posted by
Melany Gallant
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Back in January, we reported on a study by the Retail Advertising and Marketing Association (RAMA) indicating the best way for retailers to reach moms is through social media.
While moms are busy, the study indicated that they rely on the connections they make through social networking to share experiences and information and to seek product advice. The opportunity for retailers to engage moms through social media is huge - if done correctly.
Earlier this month, Burst Media, a leading provider of advertising representation, services and technology to independent web publishers, introdu...
May 13, 2010
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Posted by
Melany Gallant
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Some brands are using digital displays to create a customer experience that enables everyday shoppers to have their photo taken in-store and then displayed on screen with a short message for all to see. One great example is American Eagle Outfitters.
At its flagship retail store in Times Square, American Eagle is offering customers their "15 seconds of fame" by displaying customer pictures on huge LED screens facing Times Square.
Since Times Square is a New York landmark with a multitude of advertisements competing for attention, the idea here is to attract customers, tourists...
May 12, 2010
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Posted by
Wanda Cadigan
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eMarketer recently published a report on CPGs growing strength online. While some consumer goods companies famously entered the fray (and failed miserably) during the 90’s dotcom boom, many are now finding their stride online.
The report states that online CPG sales now stand at $12 billion; that’s triple what they were in 2004 according to Nielsen. By 2012, online CPG sales are expected to hit $16 billion, which would account for more than 3% of the total $475 billion in e-commerce sales projected for that year.
Those CPGs leading the online charge recognize the shift away from what Proc...
May 10, 2010
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Posted by
Donna Remillard
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I recently came across a blog post that caught my eye, Creepy Coupons: Printed Web Coupons Can Contain Personal Information About You. My first thought was, ‘of course they do, and?’. The post is actually a reference to a New York Times report that delves into the fact that web coupons can contain lots of information about you in their bar code, ‘the bar codes can be loaded with a startling amount of data, including identification about the customer, Internet address, Facebook page information and even the search terms the customer used to find the coupon in the first place.’ The tone ...
May 6, 2010
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Posted by
Melany Gallant
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According to a recent study on social commerce, customer reviews play an important role in an Internet user's online product research process. The 2010 Social Shopping study conducted by the e-tailing group and PowerReviews found that over half of the 1000 people they surveyed earlier this year seek out customer reviews on brand websites.
According to the survey results,
64% of shoppers say they spend at least 10 minutes reading product reviews prior to making a purchase, up from 50% in 2007. 33% of shoppers spend a half hour or more on reviews, up from 18% in 2007.
Further, ...
May 3, 2010
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Posted by
Antonella Pannizzo
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Facebook hosted its annual f8 developer conference with many speculating beforehand on the new features Facebook would announce. Facebook’s focus has always been about connecting people and helping them share information with others. At this year’s conference, Mark Zuckerberg, founder of Facebook, talked about the company’s shift toward offering users a more “social and personalized experience everywhere online”. Facebook has worked with three partners – Microsoft Docs, Yelp and Pandora – to kick off an initiative they call ‘personalized experiences’.
Mark Zuckerberg indicated in a rec...