e marketer commerce_roundup

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eMarketer Commerce Roundup A TG WEB COMMERCE APRIL 2012 sponsored by Given the continual changes online and mobile shopping have brought to the retail industry and the robust growth projected for online shopping and buying as well as online ad spending by the industry, eMarketer has curated a roundup of key trends, statistics and information from industry insiders relevant to retail marketers. We hope this brief will help you navigate the growing complexity facing all retail- and commerce-oriented marketers.

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Page 1: E marketer commerce_roundup

eMarketer Commerce Roundup

ATG WEB COMMERCE

APRIL 2012

sponsored by

Given the continual changes online and mobile shopping have brought to the retail industry and the robust growth projected for online shopping and buying as well as online ad spending by the industry, eMarketer has curated a roundup of key trends, statistics and information from industry insiders relevant to retail marketers. We hope this brief will help you navigate the growing complexity facing all retail- and commerce-oriented marketers.

Page 2: E marketer commerce_roundup

APRIL 2012

Commerce Roundup Copyright ©2012 eMarketer, Inc. All rights reserved. 2

Commerce Roundup

billions and % changeUS Retail Ecommerce Sales, 2010-2016

2010

$167.3

2011

$194.3

2012

$224.2

2013

$256.0

2014

$289.8

2015

$325.2

2016

$361.9

Retail ecommerce sales % change

Note: eMarketer benchmarks its retail ecommerce sales figures against USDepartment of Commerce data, for which the last full year measured was2011; excludes travel and event ticketsSource: eMarketer, March 2012137800 www.eMarketer.com

15.2% 16.1% 15.4% 14.2% 13.2% 12.2% 11.3%

Ecommerce Overview

eMarketer expects US retail ecommerce sales to reach $224.2 billion this year, up 15% from 2011. Online sales continue to see growth despite ever-increasing penetration rates of online shoppers and buyers. These figures exclude travel and event tickets sales, but include sales made on mobile devices and tablets.

The apparel and accessories category will lead ecommerce sales growth throughout the forecast period, with growth of 20% predicted for this year. By 2016 the category will account for just over one in five of all US online retail dollars.

Retailers continue to increase the scale of their ecommerce operations—particularly by investing in online sales platforms that display products and convert shoppers more effectively—and apparel sales have benefited more than any other category. Apparel has become an online success due largely to easy and free returns, innovative visualization tools and the presence of customer reviews.

eMarketer estimates that 184.3 million US consumers ages 14 and older will browse and research products online this year, and nearly 150 million of them will go on to make at least one purchase on the web. In addition, almost 73 million mobile users will shop on their phones this year, with just over half making at least one purchase.

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% of respondents

Ways that US Online Shoppers Use Mobile PhonesWhile In-Store, 2009-2011

Access that store's website52%

69%

65%

Access a competitor's website25%

46%

43%

Access a shopping comparison website (Shopzilla,Shopping.com)

15%

32%

26%

Access that store's mobile shopping application4%

19%

21%

Access a competitor's mobile shopping application4%

10%

14%

2009 2010 2011

Source: ForeSee, "Mobile Satisfaction: Apple and Amazon Excel," Jan 12,2012136199 www.eMarketer.com

Commerce Round-Up APRIL 2012

Commerce Roundup Copyright ©2012 eMarketer, Inc. All rights reserved. 3

Researching by smartphone while in-store is on the rise

“Showrooming,” the practice of researching merchandise in a store, then buying it elsewhere—online, by phone or from another brick-and-mortar business—has retailers nervous, and rightly so. Price-con-scious consumers are inclined to defect when presented with a better deal.

Shoppers armed with smartphones, though, have been causing the most commotion. The number of individuals who have checked prices using mobile devices while in a store varies depending on the source and methodology, but it is fair to say that a significant number have engaged in the activity.

Several researchers have surveyed the number of US mobile phone users who have comparison-shopped via phone while in-store. Their research has found a comparison-shopping rate ranging from 59% of US smartphone owners (InsightExpress, 2011) to 25% of US mobile phone owners (Pew Internet and American Life Project, January 2012).

ForeSee Results findings from between 2009 and 2011 are consistent with this trend toward using mobile phones for in-store research; however, in 2011, the shoppers surveyed were more likely to access the website or app of the store they were actually in than a competitor’s website or app. This means that retailers need to not only be concerned about how their pricing stacks up against others’, but also about pricing consistency across their own channels.

The rise in smartphone adoption and the visibility of shoppers using phones to scan barcodes or take photos has drawn attention to the potential problems with consumers using stores as showrooms. And yet, for as long as there have been shops and ecommerce sites, this multichannel behavior has existed. A February 2012 ClickIQ survey discovered that nearly half (45.9%) of US online shoppers researched products in-store—not necessarily using smartphones—only to ultimately buy online.

Retailers are coming up with solutions to combat fickle window-shoppers, however, like providing better customer service through well-informed sales associates. Nordstrom, for example, recently began offering perks such as free shipping on in-store purchases, while Target has taken more of a stopgap approach and is exploring offering more items made exclusively for the retailer, which would make comparison shopping more difficult.

On the upside, most in-store researchers stay put. According to Pew, 35% bought from the retailer’s store location where they were comparison-shopping, 19% bought online and only 8% went to another store. If approached the right way, immediacy can work wonders for conversion.

‘Showrooming’ Is a Valid Concern for Retailers

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Commerce Roundup APRIL 2012

Commerce Roundup Copyright ©2012 eMarketer, Inc. All rights reserved. 4

Sales will nearly double this year and more than quadruple again by 2015

US mcommerce sales are on a steep upward trajectory, thanks in part to ever-increasing adoption of smartphones and the mobile internet among the US mobile population.

eMarketer estimates mobile commerce sales will reach $6.7 billion this year—a tiny fraction of overall retail sales, to be sure, but a 91.4% increase over 2010. Next year, sales will rise another 73.1%, to $11.6 billion.

“There’s no question that mobile commerce is growing at a fast clip,” said eMarketer principal analyst Jeffrey Grau, author of a forthcoming report on mobile buying. “And mobile acts as an engine of overall ecommerce growth, by converting potential brick-and-mortar sales to digital sales as consumers use their smartphones while shopping in-store.”

eMarketer’s estimates of mobile sales are based on a meta-analysis of data from research firms as well as overall trends in mobile ownership and usage. Mcommerce sales include sales of physical goods as well as travel and event tickets purchased via mobile, but exclude digital downloads and usage of mobile phones as a point-of-sale payment mechanism.

eMarketer forecasts 37.5 million US consumers ages 14 and up will make at least one purchase on their mobile phone this year, up from 26.8 million in 2011. The vast majority of that group will be smartphone owners, at 97% in 2012. Overall, 72.8 million mobile users will research or browse items on their phone next year, but not necessarily make a purchase.

Auction sites like eBay and flash sales sites like HauteLook benefit significantly from rising mobile commerce, since the immediacy of their offers attracts shoppers to the mobile channel to grab a limited-time deal while on the go.

At the same time, brick-and-mortar retailers run an ever-greater risk of becoming showrooms for Amazon.com and other online retailers—though the shift to mobile shopping can benefit them as well.

“If a retailer has robust mobile offerings, it can steer in-store shoppers to look online for more information or find out-of-stock sizes and items on its own mobile site or app,” noted Grau, “retaining the sale via a different channel.”

Mcommerce Sales Shoot Up as More Consumers Buy via Mobile

2010

$3.5

2011

$6.7

2012

$11.6

2013

$17.2

2014

$23.7

2015

$31.0

billions and % changeUS Mcommerce Sales, 2010-2015

118.8%

91.4%

73.1%

48.3%

37.8%30.8%

M-commerce sales % change

Note: includes travel and event ticket sales but excludes digital downloadsales; excludes sales made on tabletsSource: eMarketer, Nov 2011134540 www.eMarketer.com

US Mobile Buyers, 2010-2015

Mobile buyers (millions)

—% of mobile phone users

Smartphone buyers (millions)

—% of smartphone users

—% of mobile buyers

2010

17.5

8.0%

13.7

23.0%

77.8%

2011

26.8

12.0%

25.6

29.0%

95.3%

2012

37.5

16.5%

36.4

35.0%

97.0%

2013

46.1

20.0%

44.9

38.5%

97.3%

2014

53.8

23.0%

52.9

41.0%

98.3%

2015

61.8

26.0%

61.1

42.5%

98.9%Note: ages 14+Source: eMarketer, Nov 2011134542 www.eMarketer.com

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% change vs. same period of prior year

Change in Mobile Content Categories Accessed by USMobile Subscribers, Sep 2011

Online retail 95%

Classifieds 82%

Auction sites 77%

Shopping guides 74%

Real estate listings 71%

Movie info 65%

Restaurant info 65%

Search 57%

Travel service 46%

Source: comScore Inc., "State of the US Online Retail Economy in Q3 2011,"Nov 15, 2011134559 www.eMarketer.com

More than one-third of smartphone users access retail sites

As smartphones become more mainstream, mobile is becoming more pervasive in all aspects of consumers’ lives. And online shopping is quickly becoming a popular activity.

Mobile content tied to services like travel, dining and movies—more established mobile categories—is still on an uptick, but online retail experienced the largest increase vs. 2010, with 95% growth in the number of subscribers accessing this content year over year in September 2011, according to comScore. That works out to 21.2 million mobile users, 17% of whom accessed mobile retail sites almost daily. Twenty-eight percent did so at least once a week while 55% reported doing so one to three times per month.

Among those surveyed by comScore, the leading mobile retail activity was finding a store location, performed by 33%. Twenty-one percent compared product prices and 20% looked for coupons or deals. Smartphone users in a Hipcricket survey followed a similar pattern, but with higher involvement. Nearly half had researched prices on a retailer’s mobile site and more than a third had looked for coupons and promotions.

Retailers should not only be prepared to provide the content that mobile searchers seek, but also on the platforms they use. According to comScore, smartphone users in general favored browsers over apps (48% vs. 26%) with iPhone users being the most likely to use apps; only 4 percentage points separated browsers (40%) from app users (36%) among iPhone owners. To reach the broadest shopping base, retailers would be wise to offer both modes of access.

Retail Becomes Fastest-Growing Mobile Category

% of respondents

Reasons that US Smartphone Users Have Visited aRetailer's Mobile Website, Oct 2011

Research prices 46%

Look for coupons/promotions 36%

Research new products 28%

Purchase a product13%

Other1%

Source: Hipcricket, "2011 Mobile Marketing Survey Research Brief," Oct 20,2011133678 www.eMarketer.com

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% of respondents

Preferred Shopping Methods According to USConsumers*, Nov 2011

Website on PC/laptop87%

In-store71%

Website on smartphone14%

Website on tablet9%

Phone call with a service agent7%

App on tablet4%

App on smartphone4%

Note: *who own a PC or laptopSource: Zmags, "Meet the Connected Consumer: How Tablets,Smartphones and Facebook are Changing the Way Consumers Shop AcrossRetail Categories" conducted by Equation Research, Jan 16, 2012136219 www.eMarketer.com

Browsers Beat Out Apps for Mcommerce

Tablet shopping on the rise as frequency of use grows

Apps aren’t always the answer to engaging with consumers on mobile devices—especially when it comes to mcommerce. According to research from rich media company Zmags, very few Americans prefer to use mobile apps for shopping activities. Instead, consumers strongly prefer purchasing through web and mobile browsers.

When Zmags surveyed US consumers who owned a PC or laptop computer about their shopping methods, 87% said they preferred using websites and mobile sites, compared to 14% who most liked shopping from websites via smartphone and just 4% who preferred to shop using mobile or tablet apps.

Although smartphone and tablet owners display a preference for browser-based mobile purchases, a significant number of US retailers have created mobile apps that enable commerce activities. Survey data from mobile-shopping company AisleBuyer showed in December 2011 that 19% of US retailers had a mobile app to connect consumers to their ecommerce site.

Retail apps may be of greater value to smartphone users, for whom the browsing experience is more limited in nature. There’s also opportunity for tablet commerce apps to provide a more catalog-style approach, giving users more interactive features.

Meanwhile, the tablet commerce category as a whole is growing significantly. According to Zmags, during the 2011 holiday shopping season, 87% of tablet owners used their device for shopping. Not only do users report better buying experiences than with smartphones, but tablet owners are using their devices frequently for mcommerce. According to Zmags, half of tablet owners are using tablets for shopping on at least a weekly basis.

eMarketer projects that mcommerce sales will grow more than fourfold over the next few years, from $6.7 billion in 2011 to $31 billion in 2015. If consumers continue to prefer browsers over mobile apps for shopping, retailers should consider investing more in mobile-optimized ecommerce sites. Moreover, marketers should consider designing engaging, tablet-specific ecommerce experiences for tablet users.

% of total

Frequency with Which US Tablet Owners Use TheirTablets to Shop, Nov 2011

Every day 12%

More than once per week 21%

Once per week 20%

2-3 times per month 24%

Once per month 13%

Less thanmonthly

10%

Source: Zmags, "Meet the Connected Consumer: How Tablets,Smartphones and Facebook are Changing the Way Consumers Shop AcrossRetail Categories" conducted by Equation Research, Jan 16, 2012136221 www.eMarketer.com

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The Effect of Mobile on the Path to Purchase

% of respondents

Cross-Channel Shopping Behavior During 2011Holiday Season Among US Smartphone Users, Jan 2012

Researched on smartphone, went to store to purchase46%

Researched on smartphone, purchased on smartphone41%

Researched on smartphone, then purchased online on computer37%

Researched on smartphone, visited store to check out products,then purchased online on computer

19%

Researched on smartphone, visited store to check out products,then purchased on smartphone

18%

Visited the store first, then purchased on smartphone8%

Note: n=208 who used a smartphone to do their holiday shoppingSource: Google and Ipsos OTX, "Post Holiday Shopping Intentions Study" ascited in Google, "2011 Post-Holiday Recap," Jan 2012137177 www.eMarketer.com

Retailers should view mobile sites as a gateway for in-store and online purchases

While consumer usage of smartphone and tablet devices for shopping purposes is on the rise, the devices’ place in the purchase path is varied. According to several pieces of research by Google, ForeSee Results and Nielsen, shoppers may start in the mobile channel for product research but then purchase in-store. They also may use mobile for product research on the go, then later purchase online on a PC or tablet.

Nielsen’s Q3–Q4 2011 “US Digital Consumer Report” indicates that 29% of smartphone owners use their phone for shopping-related activities. The top mobile shopping activities include in-store price comparisons (38%), browsing products through the mobile web or apps (38%), and reading online product reviews (32%).

A 2011 post-holiday shopping study by Google and Ipsos OTX also depicts consumers using their smartphones at many different points in the purchase path. For instance, 46% of smartphone users who used their mobile device for holiday shopping said they researched an item on their smartphone then went to a store to make their purchase. And 37% said they researched an item on their smartphone then made their purchase online on a computer. No matter the purchase channel, smartphone users are likely to find a role for their mobile device in the purchase process.

The Google study also shows that 41% of smartphone users researched with their mobile device and went on to actually purchase on the smartphone. That data point is higher than in some other mobile commerce studies. For example, a study released in January 2012 by customer experience management firm ForeSee indicates that during the 2011 holiday season only 15% of online shoppers used their phones to make purchases. The phone was most commonly used as a research and price comparison tool. However, Google/Ipsos OTX studied only smartphone owners while ForeSee looked at online shoppers as a whole, a group that includes many feature phone owners.

Whether a consumer makes a purchase via mobile or elsewhere, Google’s industry director for retail, Todd Pollak, told eMarketer that retailers need to improve the way they connect the mobile experience with the in-store or web-based shopping experience. “You would think retailers would be hugely invested in ensuring you’d have an optimized experience on the mobile device, as well as trying to understand how people use it,” he said. “But consumers are way ahead of retailers in terms of their investment in mobile and how that plays into the purchase process.”

Although the path to purchase may appear unclear as consumers conduct the shopping process across multiple channels, Pollak encouraged mobile marketers to think about factors such as a consumer’s distance from a store and the days and times when mobile usage spikes. For example, tablet usage peaks during after-work hours and smartphone usage spikes during weekend days. Connecting and strategizing based on those statistics will help mobile marketers provide more targeted and personalized campaigns akin to the marketing experiences consumers are accustomed to on the web.

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% of respondents

Consumer Goods Executives in North America WhoseCompanies Sell Directly to Consumers, April 2011

Yes, through third party internet sites39%

Yes, through our website36%

Yes, through our physical retail outlets21%

Not currently, but plan to do so in the next two years3%

Not currently, and no plans to do so36%

Note: approximately 60% of respondents sell products directly toconsumersSource: IDC Manufacturing Insights survey as cited in Consumer GoodsTechnology (CGT), "2011 Sales and Marketing Report," June 8, 2011133705 www.eMarketer.com

Consumer Products Brands Maintain Multichannel Harmony

Direct-to-consumer selling complements retail

Traditionally, retailers have been the middlemen between consumers and brand manufacturers, but these roles are becoming more fluid with the rise of ecommerce. Consumer goods companies have started selling to shoppers through direct online channels, and in the process are gaining access to valuable market research data.

In an IDC survey from June 2011, a majority of North American consumer goods executives said their companies were selling directly to consumers in some form. Distributing through third-party websites like Alice.com was the most popular approach, and more than a third were also selling through their own sites.

The trend toward selling direct online was further illustrated in an October 2011 Economist Intelligence Unit survey of consumer products executives worldwide. Twenty-nine percent of respondents’ companies’ total sales were attributed to their own websites, social media sites or direct-to-consumer third-party sites. However, the largest amount of sales were still coming from retail partners (41%).

Even though they are expanding channels, most consumer brands are being careful to avoid conflict with their established retail partners. Fewer than 10% of those surveyed saw themselves as battling with retailers’ other brands or private labels. Many saw themselves as collaborating with retailers (41%), and nearly a quarter saw themselves as taking a two-pronged approach—branching into direct selling while simultaneously sticking with retailers.

For many CPG brands, gaining consumer insights is an important additional benefit of direct sales. Sixty-one percent cited purchase data as the most valuable type of consumer insight, and it is a metric that is much easier to obtain when a brand is handling its own ecommerce. The future still lies with retailers, though; consumer products executives predicted the largest share of their sales over the next three years (40%) would come from retail partners, just one percentage point lower than the current breakdown. Consumer products brands may be stepping up their game in terms of ecommerce and social initiatives, but, based on the data, they won’t be stepping on any retailers’ toes in the process.

% of respondents

Ways that Consumer Products Executives View TheirConsumer Engagement Relationship with Retailers,Oct 2011

Work together to serve consumers through a variety ofmarketing, sales and service programs

41%

Continue to work with retail partners but we are also committedto expanding our competing direct-to-consumer strategies

23%

Share consumer data and insights to enable better planning,though we act on those insights separately

22%

Battle for shelf space with other brands9%

Compete with retailers' private-label offerings5%

Source: Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU), "New directions: Consumergoods companies hone a cross-channel approach to consumer marketing"sponsored by Oracle, Feb 7, 2012137671 www.eMarketer.com

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Commerce Roundup Copyright ©2012 eMarketer, Inc. All rights reserved. 9

Gilt’s Device-Agnostic Strategy Powers Mobile Growth

Yon Feldman

Vice President, Mobile & Global Engineering

Gilt Groupe

eMarketer: What percentage of Gilt’s sales come from mobile phone users, excluding tablets?

Yon Feldman: We tend to see about 10% coming from mobile, not including tablets. It’s another 5% that’s coming from tablets. So it’s about 15% in total coming from mobile devices and it goes as high as 25%.

eMarketer: When do you tend to see spikes in terms of mobile sales on Gilt?

Feldman: On weekends, when people aren’t at their office computers. Because our sales are timed, we get a bump every time people aren’t at their computers. Mobile sales can come on the weekends, when people are in parks or out having brunch or things like that.

“With tablets, we see sales spikes at night, when people are kind of lounging about, laying in bed or on the sofa, leisurely perusing Gilt.”

Plus, mobile ties into the normal spike of the Gilt business. So every day at noon, there’s a huge spike. Then we see different spikes depending on the platform. With tablets, we see sales spikes at night when people are kind of lounging about, laying in bed or on the sofa, leisurely perusing Gilt.

eMarketer: What is it about your business model that makes it ideal for mobile shopping?

Feldman: The whole flash-sale business is ideal for mobile shopping, because you have access no matter where you are. It’s one of the reasons we see such strong members and mobile revenues. When you see an email from Gilt, you’re going to want to open it.

eMarketer: Are there some features that you’d like to introduce to make mobile shopping even easier?

Feldman: Absolutely. We’re always looking to offer consumers more of a competitive advantage, because when people come onto Gilt, it’s like a sport. They’re competing for products. It’s really exciting, but it could be nerve-wracking as well.

We’re working on making it easier to browse what you’re interested in without looking at everything. We’re looking to filter products by your particular sizes, so you don’t have to waste time looking at products that aren’t even available in your size. We’re making search and filtering functionality faster. I like to call it “flattening the experience”—you don’t have to dive into a sale, a list of products or a product details page and see if the item is available in your size, try to add it to cart and then notice it’s already been reserved by somebody else. We want to make it easier to get in and get out.

“A lot of mobile devices are difficult to shop on because the screens are small, but we can still try to give customers more information and control and to make things faster.”

With mobile screens, we want customers to really get a feel for what the fabric and the buttons are like on an item and to give them all the tools they need to make a purchasing decision. A lot of mobile devices are difficult to shop on because the screens are small, but we can still try to give customers more information and control and to make things faster.

eMarketer: Are there any specific features of your mobile offering that customers are finding particularly useful or that they appreciate?

Feldman: With the tablet and the iPad app, the experience is really speedy and flat. On one screen, you can essentially do everything from looking at the different views of a product—the front, back, the details—directly from the cart. You can tap and hold to drag items directly to your cart.

Our customers appreciate that we make the process speedy because they are competing against other people. They can get in and out in 3 minutes. They appreciate our push notifications that come at noon, when our sales start.

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Cabela’s Defines Best Practices in Global Ventures

Derek Fortna

Marketing Manager

Cabela’s

In his seven years with outdoor adventure retailer Cabela’s, Derek Fortna has spearheaded various digital marketing programs, including the brand’s entrée into social media, it’s paid search campaigns and its global ecommerce strategy. Cabela’s, which has sold internation-ally since the late 1990s, fine-tuned its global ecommerce approach a few years ago with a new vendor partnership and a global market-ing push. Fortna told eMarketer’s Lauren McKay about Cabela’s experience selling internationally, and where the brand plans to pay special attention in the future.

eMarketer: In 2009, Cabela’s began working with international ecommerce platform FiftyOne to expand its global selling capabilities. Can you describe the company’s strategy for expansion?

Derek Fortna: We’ve been shipping internationally since the late ’90s. Prior to turning to FiftyOne three years ago, we had already shipped to over 200 countries. One of our executives saw the business we were doing internationally without really trying, and he just asked the question, “What if we try?” So we did some research around international business and came up with a recommendation for expanding.

“One of the obstacles for international customers was when a package arrived in their country from a particular shipping company, the customer had no idea what they would have to pay in terms of taxes and duties.”

It was a three-step process: The first step was to shore-up customer service internationally. The second piece was to overcome the major obstacles that international customers had in ordering from us here in the US. One of the obstacles for international customers was when a package arrived in their country from a particular shipping company, the customer had no idea what they would have to pay in terms of taxes and duties. That’s dangerous for an international consumer, especially in places such as Mexico that have really high duties on items made in China. Cabelas.com doesn’t always specify when a product is made in China, so sometimes the customer won’t know how much a duty is until the product arrives. FiftyOne now calculates those taxes and duties ahead of time, so consumers know the full amount when they place their order.

Our third step was to start doing some international marketing, which we hadn’t really done before.

eMarketer: What digital tactics did you implement to target international consumers?

Fortna: The major effort was with our paid search program, and we’re complementing that with banner ads on websites where we expect our international customers to spend time. That really boils down to international fishing and hunting websites. We’re also doing some social marketing on Facebook to bring about brand trust and awareness in certain target markets.

“We’re not driving a lot of our international business through our branding; instead, we’re driving most of that business through nonbrand terms.”

Our international paid search expansion is going well, but one of the challenges we’ve found is that we’re not driving a lot of our international business through our branding; instead, we’re driving most of that business through nonbrand terms. International consumers don’t necessarily recognize our name like they do here in the States, so we realized we needed to supplement our paid search with some branding tactics to position our brand name and what we sell.

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Cabela’s Defines Best Practices in Global Ventures (Continued)

eMarketer: As you’re identifying your international targets, are you finding that certain product categories are more popular or that they are responding better to certain messages than others?

Fortna: From a product perspective, our hard goods perform well internationally. Our soft goods, like clothing, aren’t as popular because international companies and countries have their local retailers for clothing. However, there’s a pretty fragmented market internationally for hunting and fishing hard goods. There’s no one out there as strong as we are in terms of that assortment of products. There are a lot of mom-and-pop shops, but no big companies with vast product selections.

eMarketer: Based on your global commerce experience, can you offer a few best practices?

“We have looked to local partners in international markets to help make us aware of societal aspects.”

Fortna: We’ve learned to be careful and conservative in terms of growing our business internationally. We have looked to local partners in international markets to help make us aware of societal aspects. We’re working with Performics in London for our paid search programs. We did this specifically because they have a better understanding of that part of the world than we do here in the States.

That’s paid off, without a doubt. They understand when camping season starts and ends, and boating season starts and ends, and the type of products that people look for. For example, we Americans call a fishing reel used for saltwater fishing a “saltwater reel,” but in the United Kingdom, they call that a “sea reel.” It’s a slight difference, but if we were buying search ads in the UK listing a “saltwater reel,” we’d get far less traffic than listing it as a “sea reel.” Having an international office has definitely been advantageous.

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