When Your Hero Image Isn’t
A hero image is your webpage's lead and the hook that should sink into your reader to make them want more. Whether it's the lifestyle image in your site's header or the main image of a product description, your hero image should tell the reader why you're both there, why the page exists, and what the logical next step is. But what happens if your artfully shot, aspirational hero is just muddying your message? Get Elastic has a comprehensive guide...read more >>
Content Merchandising Roundup #14
Below is a summary of the week's most interesting content merchandising-related posts from Content Ping as well as from other blogs and news sites. Happy reading. FROM CONTENT PING: Avoid the Telephone Game with Content Blueprinting Companies need to devise an internal system for collecting, sharing, and approving product information. This content blueprinting process is an essential part of producing compelling web copy. Will Amazon Get into the...read more >>
Selling by Subscription and Optimizing for Mobile
You may have heard the phrase S-commerce, but in this case, I'm not referring to social commerce. I'm just making up my own word for what some are calling "lazy boxes" or "subcom"--subscription commerce. This is the option to sign up for regular delivery of something (monthly, for instance) and have products show up at your door, no further work required. Amazon has been offering this for a while. Companies specializing in the service include BirchBox,...read more >>
Remember ROPO?, Guidelines for M-Commerce, and Google Product Feeds
Econsultancy has provided a valuable analysis of a GSI Commerce survey about the ROPO effect (research online, purchase offline), specifically related to fashion retail. Well over half of fashion shoppers have researched purchases online. What are the most important factors to consumers? Filtering by color, price, and other features, and high-quality product images that provide multiple ways to view a product. Also of note: 54% of shoppers that...read more >>
Transmedia: Telling the Story of Your Brand Across Mediums
Transmedia: The Birth of Fractured, Engaging Storytelling While it's still a fledgling thought, the concept of transmedia is beginning to spread its wings. Although it lacks a good, solid definition, transmedia is poised to take flight. Rich Fahle of the Video Commerce Consortium gives us part one of a spot-on article covering the basics of this young notion. Transmedia sees online content as a well-oiled machine: video, written content, photos,...read more >>
Converting Lookers into Buyers and Mobile into Money
Conversion rate, or the ratio of desired results versus page visits, is one of the most important ideas in online marketing and merchandising. MoreBusiness.com offers a helpful breakdown of tips for boosting your conversion rate, mostly centered on concision and precision of content, as well as quality images and style techniques. Verbiage should be simple and clear, and graphics should be relevant and understated. Mobile commerce continues to grow: comScore...read more >>
Reeling ‘Em in: Hook Page Views–and Customers–with Video
Internet Retailer reports the value of videos for luring in customers. Online health retailer OriginalsByWeber.com saw an increase of more than 200 orders after adding an inexpensive, 90-second video to their site. Just the week before, IR posted an article informing readers that, once again, rich media topped the most effective survey list for drawing consumers. Read the full story at internetretailer.com While video helps in online merchandising,...read more >>