e-commerce holiday success: 107 tips for results that matter

E-commerce Holiday Success:107 Tips for Results That Matter

Matt Mesenger, Director of E-commerce Marketing Kurt Krejny, Director of Online Marketing September 29, 2011 1-2 pm EST

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Established in 1997, Fathom is a full-service digital marketing company that delivers measurable results that matter: leads that buy and profitable revenue. Fathom’s 300+ clients range from middle-market companies to large global enterprises. Industry specialties include B2B, B2C, healthcare, manufacturing, IT/software, education and e-commerce.

Whether engaged in SEO, paid search, email, or video production, Fathom customers recognize that Internet marketing is the most efficient and profitable way to reach and convert their target audiences, and they bank on Fathom’s reputation, expertise and commitment to achieving their business goals.

The company currently has 130+ employees and is headquartered in Valley View, Ohio.

About Fathom

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http://www.fathomdelivers.com/

Matt Mesenger E-commerce Program Manager and a Senior Account Executive 5 years marketing experience (traditional and online) Graduate of Kent State University Follow Matt on Twitter (@mattmesenger)

Kurt Krejny Director of Online Marketing 9 years online marketing experience Graduate of Bowling Green State University Follow Kurt on Twitter (@kurtkrejny)

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The State of E-commerce Getting Results That Matter

Improve Conversion Rates Increase Average Order Value Get More Quality Visitors Encourage Repeat Business Manage Shopping Cart Abandonment Administrative Considerations

Questions

Agenda

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The State of E-commerce

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E-commerce currently accounts for 7% of total commerce By 2015, e-commerce is expected to account for 11% of total commerce Growth is expected to be in the double digits through 2015

Bottom line, e-commerce is growing fast

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Every month in 2010 experienced growth compared to 2009

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For the last 7 quarters, year-over-year e-commerce sales have increased

The last 3 full quarters have experienced double-digit year-over-year growth

Sources: Internet Retailer, comScore

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All of the top 10 spending days in 2010 occurred in November and December Cyber Monday was the top sales day in 2010, accounting for just over $1 billion

All of the top 10 sales days in 2009 also occurred in November and December

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Adoption of e-commerce is gaining momentum In 2011, 179 million web users are expected to buy or shop around for items

online (87.5% of internet users) By 2015, that number is expected to surpass 200 million users (90.1% of

internet users) Most of the sales growth through 2015 will come from veteran shoppers

Source: eMarketer #fathomwebinar


Consumer adoption is strong across adult age groups 60% of consumers shop online at least once per quarter

Biggest spenders are between 45-54 years old Highest level of adoption is in the 31-44 age group

Source: Forrester Research

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Today’s consumer is a multi-channel user It’s not enough to excel in one or even a few

areas In order to achieve RESULTS THAT MATTER,

you must excel everywhere the multi-channel user is

This truth is the heart of the presentation

Source: Foresee Results

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Getting Results That Matter

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Getting Results That Matter

The following slides will detail tips and tricks for generating more revenue – the one result that always matters – during the holiday season

The tips incorporate multiple online marketing media

Some of the tips can impact multiple e-commerce objectives

Many tips can be applied any time of the year

The holiday success tips will cover ways to: Improve Conversion Rates Increase Average Order Value Get More Quality Visits Encourage Repeat Business Manage Shopping Cart Abandonment Effectively Handle Administrative Considerations

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Getting Results That Matter: Improve Conversion Rates / Increase Conversions

Average global conversion rates are 2.2% Are you content with being average?

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Understand how users interact with your website If your website and purchasing process are confusing to

consumers, you won’t sell Identify conversion roadblocks

CrazyEgg, ClickTale, Visual Website Optimizer, Google Website Optimizer

Add new shipping options for the holidays Puts consumers at ease if they have a preferred and

trusted shipping vendor USPS, UPS, FedEx, DHL

Allows last-minute shoppers to get products delivered on time

Next-day, 2-day, 5-day shipping

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Incorporate a holiday countdown clock on your site Promotes scarcity of time Decreases chances of comparison shopping Encourages impulse buying

Create and promote buying guides Removes purchasing friction Helpful for more complex products / services Google Product Search incorporates buying guides

into search results

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Boost rankings on big box retailer websites Leverage brand awareness to get in front

of more eyeballs Take advantage of conversion best practices

implemented by major online retailers Participating sites include Wal-Mart and Target

Get product reviews on product pages Reduces consumer concerns (social proof) Establishes brand credibility and trustworthiness Google can pull reviews into universal SERPs and

Shopping SERPs

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Use videos on product pages Shopping is a tactile experience Consumers who watch product videos are 85%

more likely to convert Reduces incidence of returns

Offer free shipping for the holidays Almost 50% of online purchases in 2010

included free shipping Major retailers such as LL Bean are now offering

free shipping Shipping costs are a major barrier to conversion

Source: Internet Retailer

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Offer multiple payment options Reduce friction by accepting preferred options AMEX, Discover, MasterCard, Visa, PayPal,

Bill Me Later, Amazon Payments, Google Checkout

Create seasonal deals for newsletter subscribers Email is a highly profitable medium Exclusivity can encourage conversions Rewards can build brand evangelism

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Getting Results That Matter: Increase Average Order Values

Are you taking steps to improve your average order value?

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Offer incentives based on order values JUST above your average order value Free shipping Extra loyalty program points Discounts

Implement live chat Identify potential upsells through consumer

interaction Guide consumers to bundled products that meet

their needs

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Cross-sell related products “Users who bought this item also bought…” Recommend related products when products are added to the cart

Bundle like items Cross-selling with a discount Provides convenience and value to buyers, especially those unfamiliar with

your site and / or products

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Getting Results That Matter: Get More Quality Visitors

Even the most conversion-ready site won’t make money if no one see it

Not all traffic is created equal Are you working on driving MORE HIGH

QUALITY traffic?

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Research seasonal keywords Capitalize on consumer mindset

Google Traffic Estimator Google Insights Spyfu Internal site search tracking

Participate in the CSEs Free and paid models Amazon Product Ads is a newcomer

but is rapidly gaining traffic and revenue opportunity

Google Product Search, NexTag, Shopzilla are also strong options

Source: CPC Strategies

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Buy ad space on targeted websites Relevant sites will reach your target audience Ad placements often have prominent placement If the ad buy doesn’t ultimately happen, get links

Solicit testimonials for local properties Google Places, Yelp, Citysearch Reinforces the social proof concept Improves local listing visibility in universal search Makes your local listing more compelling than

competitors’ listings

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Create pages based on related searches Gift buyers may be in research mode Create brand-friendly pages and optimize

for these keywords Related searches are indication that there

is a traffic opportunity

Use social media as a customer service tool Increased engagement helps social

properties rank Additional opportunity to send traffic

directly to product pages

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Getting Results That Matter: Encourage Repeat Business

It’s less expensive to keep existing customers than to find new ones

Are you reaching out to current and past customers to maximize revenue?

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Implement loyalty programs Loyalty program customers account for 15% of customers, but 33% of revenue Measure by points, purchases Offer discounts, coupons, free product, etc.

Source: Repeat Rewards

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Implement time-triggered email campaigns Reminder emails for products that must be re-purchased anyway

Contacts Diapers

Implement an SMS campaign Send updates about new products Send reminder texts Text messaging isn’t limited by smart

phone adoption Text messaging breaks through the clutter

Source: eMarketer

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Getting Results That Matter: Manage Shopping Cart Abandonment

Shopping cart abandonment reached 75% duringthe first 6 months of 2011

What are you doing to close the deal?

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Getting Results That Matter: Manage Shopping Cart Abandonment

PPC and Email for retargeting / remarketing PPC and Email retargeting / remarketing

Offer discounts Display image(s) of and list products left in

the cart Reputable properties include: Google Display

Network retargeting, Criteo, and Fetchback

Offer free shipping Shipping costs are #1 reason for cart abandonment Heavily promote free shipping in checkout process

Source: Seewhy.com Blog

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Getting Results That Matter: Administrative Considerations

Sometimes, it’s the little things that can have the biggest impact

Are you sure you haven’t overlooked the basics?

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Getting Results That Matter: Administrative Considerations

Backup your website You can’t sell anything if you site crashes

Check your SSL certificate You won’t sell much if your SSL certificate expires

Check your Webmaster Tools account Clean up your index and boost rankings potential

Duplicate title tags XML sitemap Robots.txt

Optimize 404 error pages Keep users on your site if they find a 404 page

Ensure all analytics tracking is properly implemented Gain insight that will help you make smart marketing decisions tomorrow and

beyond

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Key Takeaways

E-commerce is big and only getting bigger Today’s consumer uses multiple channels A holistic e-commerce approach provides the best opportunity for success Many e-commerce tactics can help achieve multiple goals Don’t forget about the little things

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Thank Youhttp://twitter.com/fathomonline

http://www.fathomdelivers.com/blog

Questions?

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http://www.fathomdelivers.com/blog

e-commerce holiday success: 107 tips for results that matter

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