There it is, in your pockets, jingle jangle… the April 16 edition of Spare Change!
A new report from Shop.org and Forrester Research called The State of Retailing Online 2008: Marketing Report says that Online Sales are still set to climb despite the struggling economy. “From higher shipping costs to changes in consumer shopping habits, online retailers are not immune to the current economic climate,” said Scott Silverman, executive director of Shop.org. “But the fact that online sales will increase substantially this year demonstrates the resilience of the channel and is a testament to the value and convenience most customers find when shopping online.” This summary touches on the two different kinds of shoppers that access the web; the most effective way to reach prospects, and the initiative that online retailers are most apt to use in 2008. The bad news: The full report costs $995. The good news: If you’re already a Forrester RoleView™ client you will be able to access the report as part of their subscription service starting on May 7, 2008.
Do you use e-mail marketing? Practical Ecommerce has some advice for you – make sure you ensure your list is up to date. It’s even a good idea to delete any addresses over a year old – find out why!
For the UK folk, there’s an interesting seminar coming up on ecommerce analytics: Pindar Graphics to host ecommerce analytics seminar. This seminar is designed to help online retailers understand the performance of ecommerce activities using Google Analytics, and will be held June 3 in London.
Just across the Irish Sea, the Irish Independent tells us that “online clothes shopping has become the cornerstone of the eCommerce revolution”. This article talks about the advantages – and disadvantages – of fashion shopping from the couch, and gives a few helpful hints to the consumer for making their online experience as satisfying as possible, including ways to help overcome the inability to try stuff on (know your measurements, since a 10 in one store is a 12 in the next!). It also has links to successful Irish stores, with tips on how they make the online shopping experience more attractive to female shoppers, such as net-a-porter.com: “I’ve often thought it would be wonderful if girls could flick through their favourite fashion magazine, instantly order whatever designer shoes or dress they fancy and have it arrive at their home beautifully wrapped. That’s exactly what this site does.”
Finally, don’t forget: We’ll be doing a feature interview with the author of Web Design for ROI and we want you to ask the questions. Submit them to us by Tuesday, April 22 and you could get a free copy of the book!