Understanding the Irish online: the E-Commerce Marketer's secret weapon
Irish online habits have changed a lot in a very short amount of time. In some respects the Irish demographic is very representative of typical EU online behaviour but in others it is quite distinct. This particular profile of Irish internet users should give companies and marketers some clear ideas of the approaches to take when selling in the Irish market online.
One of the most significant statistics in regards to the internet in Ireland is the penetration of broadband services across the country. According to Eurostat, 81% of Irish homes had broadband access in 2014. That is well above the EU average and means that more than 3 million people in Ireland are online.
Irish Internet users also spend more time on the internet than the EU average.…
New research shows the popularity of Online Customer Service including Live Chat, Social Media and Email
Improving customer service can be the answer for many companies to stand out in the crowd, as they trade in competitive environments with increasing customer expectations. Omnichannel customer care is being recognised by retailers, as the number of customer communication channels are increasing, as consumers are buying products and services. Consumers are contacting companies via traditional methods of the phone, in-store face to face contact and via social media such as Tweeting and Online chats.
What is the preferred method of contact for goods bought in-store?
Retailers know that customer service at every touchpoint, regardless of the communication method, must provide a positive experience every time so they don't lose sales or damage their brand. But which are the customer care channels they need to offer and how do they compare?
The research highlights the…
A recommended wireframe and best practice examples for retail Product Details Pages
In part four of our review of best practices for different types of retail site pages we will cover the Product Details Page (PDP). Of course, the product page template is an essential page in the conversion path and when visits are aggregated across all product pages, this often represents the largest chunk of total views or 'footfall' when viewed in analytics.
Product details pages are accessed both as part of a wider online purchasing journey, for example browsing a category page and then navigating through to specific product, such as campaign or landing pages.
It’s therefore important to understand the different user needs as not everyone who visits a Product page will be ready to buy, so the page also needs to provide as much relevant and useful information as possible.
Sometimes large catalogue retailers use more than one template design because optimisation teams…
How the Designer Rebecca Minkoff is using Touch Screens to recreate the Online Shopping Experience
Retailers have become creative in their use of digital technology to create an interactive shopping experience, as the trend continues as buyers are showrooming and stores are looking for ways to interact with their buyers in-store to boost sales. During Christmas, we showcased how retailers such as Ted Baker and Barneys created exciting digital displays and this has been embraced on a personal level, by the Designer Rebecca Minkoff in her American Stores.
The Minkoff stores were looking for 'a problem-solution approach' to technology; to take away the frustrations and pains of shopping. Their solution was to provide touchscreens as part of the shopping experience. In-store shoppers can request items and ask for assistance in their dressing rooms via touchscreen wall technology. There are instant…
5 areas to invest in, to improve your online audience engagement
Never in the history of marketing have methods changed so rapidly; the fluid nature of the Internet requires constant innovation and flexibility. While 2015 will bring plenty of changes in the coming months, there are a number of things you can do now to maximize your success using some available tools.
Tip 1: Invest in 'Contextual Marketing'
OutMarket CEO, You Mon Tsang, believes 'contextual marketing' is the key to Internet marketing success this year. In other words, you should be pursuing data-driven marketing that leverages the information you’re able to gather from your customers. He claims this will allow you to 'deliver personalized and relevant content at the right place, at the right time.'
The question is, how do you accurately gather that information? Depending on the tools you have available, it might be as simple as tracking social…
Optimising and connecting customer touch points
Marketing expert Dr. Jeffrey Lant, says that in order to penetrate a consumer’s consciousness with your brand, and to make significant penetration in a given market, you have to make contact with the prospect a minimum of seven times. These seven “touch points” don’t have to be dedicated sales outreach, but refer to the different ways consumers interact with your brand: browsing your mobile site, for example is a touch point, as is receiving a flyer or trawling through your social channels.
Although this “Rule of Seven” is not absolute, it gives marketers an idea of the kind of effort and variety it takes to make an impression on a potential customer.
With the dawn of the digital age, the numerous channels and devices available for interaction mean that optimising each consumer touch point is more important than ever. It has…
B2C product landing page discussion for Flaviar
Flaviar gets a landing page makeover.
Welcome to Round 3 of Smart Insights' Marketing Fight Club, where you get 2 different expert opinions on the simplest way to boost sales for a real start-up. Watch the video below to get ideas for simple tweaks that you can apply to your landing page today to improve clarity and increase conversions.
After you watch the video don't forget to vote for the winner of this round in the comments below, and share your thoughts on the strategies discussed. We'd love to hear your feedback!
Stepping into the ring today we have...
Alex Harris - Ecommerce conversion specialist at alexdesigns.com vs Pete Z - Email sales specialist at MAGNETT.co.
Alex and I go head-to-head in this episode to boost sales for Flaviar, a club for discovering premium spirits, where they send…
8 areas for SMB retailers to focus on to increase retail sales
Where did 2014 go? The holiday season has come and gone, and now we’re facing a whole new year of marketing innovations and trends. To make sure you’re staying on top of your sales game, spring is the perfect time to try some new marketing and sales trends on for size. By the time fall rolls around, you’ll be pleased at the progress you’ve made improving your sales numbers and conversion rates.
By considering the following tips and tricks, you can better prepare for a great year of sales:
1. Work on your website
If you have an ecommerce website, now is the time of year when you should consider some changes and think about making some enhancements. The trends in 2015 are all about user experience. Focus on making your mobile site easy to navigate and visually appealing.…
How to make your contest promotion more effective
There are a number of factors that will impact conversion rate for a contest campaign. In this article, I will talk about conversion rates for contests specifically. Keep in mind however, the general principles outlined can be related to coupons, samples, loyalty, email, content and other types of digital promotions.
Note: Specific examples provided below have been sourced from Qoints’ repository of digital engagement and performance data.
Conversion Rate Optimization 101
No matter how many consumers you reach online with the message to enter your contest, some will drop off the radar during their engagement with the promotion before fully completing the entry process, or converting. When thinking ahead to the end of your promotion and how many full conversions you’d like to have when it’s all said and done, you can build a stronger case for choosing certain tactics over others.
The first consideration…
Why do online shoppers abandon their Ecommerce shopping baskets and what can retailers do to re-engage?
What is frustrating American online shoppers and how can businesses minimise shopping cart abandonment, or encourage these buyers to return to their baskets?
Over 1,000 ecommerce online consumer interactions, from Visual Website Optimizer (VWO, a website testing platform company), reveals these frustrations and also the positive drivers to encourage shoppers to purchasing their products post abandonment.
The Ecommerce survey shows the main drivers for consumers abandoning their shopping cart from companies is 1. companies not being transparent about shipping costs and 2. consumers being forced to create a new account.
It's interesting that abandoned shoppers can be converted, as 54% will purchase their 'basket items' if they are contacted with a discount.
Download the full report from VWO.com's site (registration is required) to also find…
