Content Merchandising Roundup #48
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. The Remington Product Page: Something for Everyone For your product pages to be effective, they need to cater to online shoppers' different learning styles. How to Create Successful Multichannel Product Pages This week we posted two clips from the recent content26 webinar on multichannel...read more >>
Online Retailers Rack Up Black Friday Sales
E-commerce sites topped $1 billion in sales for the first time on the Friday after Thanksgiving, according to comScore, which tracks the buying behavior of 1 million online shoppers in the United States. Black Friday sales rose 26 percent when compared with the previous year, comScore reported. "Despite the frenzy of media coverage surrounding the importance of Black Friday in the brick-and-mortar world, we continue to see this shopping day become...read more >>
First Physical App Store Opens its Doors
The world's first brick-and-mortar app store, called OpenSpace, opened its very tangible doors this week in Boulder, Colorado. Considering that all other app stores reside in the pockets of smartphone users, the role of a physical store seems questionable. Mashable reports that OpenSpace intends to give app users a place to learn about and discover new apps, thus adding some variety to the app buying and browsing experience. A major idea behind...read more >>
Consumer Comfort and Expectations of E- and M-Commerce
With an eye on holiday sales statistics, The Washington Post reports that an initial IBM Benchmark sales tracker report shows a 33 percent rise in online sales during yesterday's Cyber Monday. Though statistics aren't official until retailers report their November sales this coming Thursday, the report is consistent with predictions for other major holiday shopping days. Sales are rising everywhere, including in brick-and-mortar establishments, but...read more >>
Nordstrom Delivers Instant Gratification
I consider myself part of the 99 percent...of shoppers who refuse to queue up anywhere for the start of Black Friday. Much more tempting for me will be the chance to shop online and know that I could be swathed in cashmere by dinnertime. Just in time for the holidays, the fashion retailer Nordstrom has rolled out same-day deliveries in several markets. For $10 (less than the cost of parking and a cappuccino) online shoppers can order from...read more >>
Black Friday Mobilization
By now, all readers of this blog are well-aware of the price-comparing, spec-checking benefits of smartphones, and the percentages of customers those benefits can lure away from brick-and-mortar and into online retail. There's really no question that retailers--online and in-store alike--should put significant energy into their mobile commerce strategies if they want to compete for sales. But that leaves us wondering: is comparison shopping the best...read more >>
E-Retailers Bringing Black Friday to Facebook
According to a recent article on Internet Retailer, 44 percent of consumers are planning to use social media during their holiday shopping. Stats like that are enough for e-retailers to stuff their Facebook fans full of discounts. Retail giants Walmart and Best Buy are throwing out sneak peeks of Black Friday deals to get shoppers ready for deep savings, while others are betting on creating a buzz through competition. Amazon.com subsidiary Quidsi,...read more >>
The Holidays: Not Over Yet
My friend Will recently warned us that the holiday season is nearly upon us. To that I say: bull. It's practically past. According to a Compete Holiday Insight Survey, more than 50 percent of consumers had begun their holiday purchasing as of October 24. And, according to another Compete survey, 3 percent of consumers had completed their holiday purchases by October 16. That's more than two months in advance (we know who you are, Aunt Teresa). And...read more >>
‘Tis the Season
I'm quite sure Halloween has evolved to become an official observance and celebration of the coming of the retail-crazed holiday season. Every year at this time, thousands of rosy-cheeked retailers and shoppers sit in the mellow glow of their computer monitors, jacked up on chocolate, caramel, and nougat, reading article upon article about the impending nationwide shopping spree. Like a puppy on his first car ride, we are elated at the possibilities,...read more >>
Lowe’s and Sears Look to Upgrade Services
Lowe's Offers New Service Hardware Giant Lowe's is offering its customers what seems to be a smart new online service. Set to launch this week, "MyLowe's" will offer a personalized online account that will let users make their own home profiles, create dedicated project folders, and track and store all purchases and activity. The goal is to distinguish Lowe's from its competitors and generate loyalty. Also notable--the service will be available on...read more >>