Virtual Merchant Today
News, views and how-tos on selling smarter online
Cop Out, Cash Cow, or Both?
New e-tailer ThoughtfulGuy.com, brought to our attention by The Digitel Charleston, isn’t just another shopping site. For one thing, you can’t actually browse any products. Users must sign up or sign in to use the service, then answer a list of questions about their prospective recipient (any woman in their life, from girlfriend to mother-in-law) and her taste, as well as her age, occupation, and... Read More
Comments (1)On-store, in-line?
It seems counter-intuitive: If the advantage of online shopping is that you can save gas and skip crowds, and the advantage of in-store shopping is that you can see the product in person, why would anyone shop online, in-store? But increasingly they do, according to eMarketer.com. One reason is the other big advantage of in-store shopping: help from a sales associate. “Said Grau, “Retail professi... Read More
Comments (0)Just in Time for Consumers, Too
A survey of online retailers’ delivery options by multichannel logistics specialist iForce found that less than 10 percent of retailers offer customers the option of choosing between a.m. and p.m. delivery slots and even fewer, only 6.9 percent, offer evening deliveries. Although the study focused on the U.K., the issues apply to U.S. retailers as well. The company also found that shipping cost... Read More
Comments (0)Local Deal Seekers Zip on Over
Newly launched Zippla.com lets shoppers search for local offline bargains by zip code. If there aren’t any matching retailers in a given zipcode, the site will suggest 10 other zip codes in the vicinity and prompt the user to search in one of them. Retailers pay a monthly fee of $100 that allows them an unlimited number of Twitter-style posts. Each post, known as a "zipple," can be up to 151 char... Read More
Comments (1)Mobile for Mom and Pops
Got a coupon? Just show the cashier your phone. Google is enabling local retailers to display coupons for in-store use on mobile devices of Google-searching users. Retailers can create and upload a coupon using Google’s Local Business Center. But now, in addition to being able to print it out and bring it in, consumers searching on Google.com using a mobile device (AKA smartphone) will have access... Read More
Comments (0)Free Holiday Gifts for Your Business
Keynote Systems is offering free Web and mobile site monitoring for any one week period now through January 1, 2010. Online retailers can choose to monitor their Web and mobile sites from over 240 worldwide locations. Keynote will provide free ‘on boarding’, which includes the creation of monitoring scripts and the setup of daily performance reports and alerts. Keynote is also offering a complimen... Read More
Comments (0)Is Your Email Naughty Or Nice?
iContact is making a list, but it’s up to you to check it twice to see if your email promotions are in good shape for the holidays. In addition to common mistakes to avoid, such as sending without tracking, they offer pointers for maximizing success such as eliminating “ghost subscribers”who stop reading but don’t unsubscribe. Easiest to implement of all, check out the list of the top 10 best date... Read More
Comments (0)A breath of fresh air
Practical E-Commerce’s new blogger Darpan Munjal offers a list of online retail do’s and don’ts, all simple and none high tech or expensive, that can increase the number of sales that actually go all the way through to completion. Not to mention making the shopping experience easy and pleasant for customers, and thus building loyalty. As a consumer I have experienced every single one of these head... Read More
Comments (0)One… Two… Bye.
Before you’ve had time to finish reading this sentence, almost half of online shoppers will have given up on a retail website that hasn’t loaded. Two seconds is all they’ll wait before 40 percent abandon the site, according to Forrester Research. That’s half the time people were prepared to wait three years ago. This can especially be an issue for retailers using Flash, Java and other technologie... Read More
Comments (0)Sears, a Trend Setter?
Sears has more of a reputation for solid value than chasing the latest trend. But when it comes to online retail, Sears Holdings Corp. is breaking new ground – or at least following fast on the heels of those who do. The company is expanding its online marketplace to include outside merchants on Sears.com, a move also recently undertaken by Walmart.com and of course, long a feature of Amazon.com’s... Read More
Comments (0)Selling Gifts on Facebook
Facebook has opened its Gift Shop to a handful of outside retailers, according to Internet Retailer. The social media giant is testing the waters on allowing third parties to sell both virtual and physical goods to its 300 million users without them ever having to leave Facebook. The four merchants (developers in Facebook-speak) who are participating in the alpha test are all tied to the gift indu... Read More
Comments (4)Not Big Enough Already?
The Web side of mass discount behemoth Walmart.com is following in pure play online retailer Amazon.com’s footsteps, adding alliances with other online retailers to expand its selection. With the launch of Walmart Marketplace the company claims nearly one million new items already in categories such as home, baby, apparel, toys and sporting goods /sports memorabilia, and plans to add additional re... Read More
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