March 8, 2011
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Posted by
Wanda Cadigan
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A couple of weeks ago I attended eTail 2011. While there was a lot of great content presented, the one theme that seemed to resonate in every keynote and track session was that of customer experience.I’m used to getting hit over the head with ‘multi-channel’ and ‘cross-channel’ at these conferences, so it was refreshing to see so many retailers and vendors position the end goal – that of delivering an outstanding customer experience. Now granted, it may sound like a fairly motherhood and apple-pie statement. Shouldn’t we all be focused on delivering an outstanding customer experience? Of co...
February 28, 2011
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Posted by
Caroline Zenss
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I had the pleasure to attend IRWD recently in Orlando, FL. Here are some of the highlights of an interesting 3 day-journey in the world of web and mobile-based retailing: 1. Content (content and more content)
To offer content that is entertaining and relevant to your customers is key. You should claim ownership over your own content. One growing trend seems to be leveraging in-house resources to maintain and improve one’s website content, starting with product descriptions. Instead of copy/pasting a manufacturer’s description of a product, make it your own. Not only will it help strengthen ...
September 9, 2010
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Posted by
Melany Gallant
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Mobile marketing presents a powerful opportunity for retailers to engage with customers in a more personalized interactive manner, to increase loyalty, generate word-of-mouth, and improve store and Web traffic.
In a recent article, Internet Retailer cites that The Nielsen Co. expects smartphone adoption to represent 50% of all phones in use by the end of next year. While the assertion is that smartphone adoption will drive m-commerce, it can be difficult for retailers to make the decision on whether to invest in creating a mobile site or a mobile app.
The decision is further hampered ...
July 26, 2010
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Posted by
Caroline Zenss
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You may think that I get that question quite often. As a matter of fact, I can't remember the last time it was brought up by anyone in my work environment.
Wikipedia states that "User eXperience (UX) refers to the interaction of a person with a system, including their actions and perceptions, i.e., what the person wants to do, what they actually do and their feelings about using a product, a service, (…) or a combination of them."
Let's try to see how this definition would translate into e-commerce. Does User Experience cover features or look & feel ? Is it the satisfaction ...
January 15, 2010
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Posted by
Wanda Cadigan
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We’re just back from the 99th annual National Retail Federation show in New York, and as usual it was larger than life. Cactus was one of a few select partners chosen to participate with Microsoft at their ‘Connected Experiences for Retail’ booth.
Kicking off the event on Sunday night, Microsoft hosted a fabulous Opening Night Reception at the Marriott Marquis for a several hundred of their closest friends. I haven’t seen any official numbers yet, but in general show attendance did seem to be up from last year.
We showcased the CommerceLive e-commerce microsite solution built for the...
November 24, 2009
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Posted by
Melany Gallant
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When it comes to site search and e-commerce, displaying relevant data is key to driving Return on Investment (ROI). While that may sound obvious, there are plenty of retailers who are missing on key opportunities to leverage data to improve product findability and of course conversions on their sites. According to a recent E-Commerce Times article, retailers can help customers find exactly what they are looking for by taking available data - such as product information, shopper profiles and buying preferences, shipping options, and user ratings - and incorporating this information into s...
March 23, 2009
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Posted by
Donna Remillard
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I attended The MIX09 conference for web designers and developer’s that was held last week in Las Vegas.
There were some interesting sessions and announcements and I’ll comment on a few below, but if you want more detail you can check out the MIX09 site and see the video playback of any of the keynote presentations or sessions here.
Announcements -
Commerce Server 2009
Although briefly, Scott Guthrie announced during his keynote on day 1, the release of Commerce Server 2009. Cactus also gave a session on the topic of a ‘Next Generation’ e-Commerce experience highlighting Comme...