When it comes to websites, apps, and social media, many companies get caught up with the  bells and whistles before thinking about the implications of using these technologies, and if this is where they should be spending their time and money in order to increase sales. A blog posted on February 28th about the new Ralph Lauren app. is the perfect example of this. 

 ”The app is split into three sections; each features four scenes to interact with. It’s a good showcase but not a useful shopping tool.”

The free app is designed to showcase the new 2011 spring collection in a fun, interactive manner. The problem is it does nothing to entice the shopper to buy and  will unlikely be any sort of revenue driver.

“It feels like a showcase, though, rather than a genuinely useful shopping tool. Tap on the shop button, and you’re simply sent to the RLX section of Ralph Lauren’s website, rather than the  specific item of clothing that you’ve been looking at.”

Small usability problems like this negatively affect sales. If a potential customer sees something they like, they should be able to get to that outfit easily so they can buy it. Sadly, these are the types of features that we see many companies focusing their time and limited resources on, since they are visually stimulating and “fun” to implement. These apps and new technologies are so new, that companies are exploring the boundaries and testing the waters.

But, do these fun gimmicks really make a difference to the bottom line? Probably not. People will not keep coming back to your site and be a lifelong customer just because you have a clever game on your site that incorporates some of your products. Of course, Ralph Lauren will be fine shoveling out the money that went into building this little app. But, what about the small to mid-sized companies that want to keep up with the times? We see these companies spending thousands (or tens-of-thousands) on nifty virtual try-ons,  24 hour video streaming, and flash  introductions which bring no additional sales to the website, and in some cases can actually hurt business by taking focus off of making the sale.

Be aware of what is entertaining and fun for you vs. what is actually going to set you apart from your competitors in the e-Commerce world. Websites need proper SEO and SEM implementation to bring in qualified customers. Customers need simple ways to shop via correct website/app. usability practices. And,  businesses need to bring in the sales. Make sure these fancy new devices and exciting technologies don’t drive business down. Simplifying is sometimes the best way to stand out. 

See the Full Article Here:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/appsblog/2011/feb/28/ralph-lauren-app-review

DeChantal Jordan Digital Marketing, Website Content, Website Design, Website Usability Digital Marketing, Ecommerce, internet marketing, Marketing, Online Marketing, Small Business, Social Media, usability, Website Design, Website Usability

At Imerex, we are always talking about how companies need to start thinking about their long term plans for implementing their business online. The Wall Street Journal posted an interesting article about changes in the online shopping industry this week.  The article states,

“Internet retail sales in the U.S. will grow 10% a year through 2015 as shoppers spend more time online, Forrester Research says, and the implications aren’t good for brick-and-mortar stores… not only are customers increasingly shopping online, but savvy in-store customers are also armed with smartphones that can help them find better deals elsewhere or score price-matching offers.”

Shopping online is only growing and not going away anytime soon. Therefore, businesses need to think about how they want to structure their operations to move with the times. They should not be relying on brick-and-mortar stores to merchandise, brand, and sell their products when sales continue to decline. Mulpuru writes,

“Companies need to think about the permanent implications of smaller margins on stores in the longer-term future and how their multichannel initiatives can help to offset this trend.”

This concept is something that we are always talking about and working on with our clients. Although it is intimidating to make changes to an existing supply chain, you don’t want to miss the boat on this fast moving online gravy train. Either, companies need to work with their distributors to come up with a profitable e-commerce plan (selling wholesale to ecommerce sites), or market themselves online in a way that appropriately represents the brand and creates revenue through their website.

See the full article here: http://blogs.wsj.com/digits/2011/02/27/e-commerce-will-keep-rolling-research-firm-says/?mod=dist_smartbrief

DeChantal Jordan Digital Marketing advertising, Ecommerce, Search Engine Marketing, Small Business

We’ve been gone for a few months, while we were busy moving the business to NYC.  But that doesn’t mean we weren’t working and keeping up with the latest news in Online Marketing.

We’ve been waiting for ages for AdWords to automate some of the things that we can set up in advance – like making an ad with a special offer live on the day of a sale and then pausing that ad when the day is done.

Well, today they announced this very feature! We don’t use many automated tools here (we think generally speaking that automation works in Google’s favor), but we’re excited about this feature. No more staying up until midnight to turn on promo ads!

To read more about it, check out the AdWords blog:   http://adwords.blogspot.com/2010/12/adwords-rules-and-so-can-you.html

Roxanne Lott Digital Marketing, Search Engine Marketing AdWords, Online Marketing, Search Engine Marketing, sem

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