User-Generated Content’s Role in Merchandising: Part 2
In Part 1 of this article, I talked about the ethics of user-generated content in light of its steadily increasing influence in e-commerce. There are plenty of reasons to seek out authentic reviews other than, well, ethical business practices. Though it comes from consumers, not companies, UGC can be integrated into merchandising both as a complement to brand content and as a tool to inform that content. Product reviews also lend themselves to...read more >>
User-Generated Content’s Role in Merchandising: Part 1
User-generated content is almost as influential as recommendations from friends and family. It is exponentially more influential than vendor-produced content. Given this, how are retailers keeping up with the demand for UGC? And how do brands and retailers keep the review stream strong when traditional methods like post-purchase emails are no longer enough? Soliciting ratings and reviews and motivating consumers to otherwise share their experiences...read more >>
Curata’s Pawan Deshpande: Content Curation
To succeed in e-commerce, brands need to craft exceptional content and present it in an engaging way. But they also need to use that content to get customers talking about their industry, brand, and products. Content curation, which refers to the process of finding and presenting content organized around a specific industry or topic, has become an important tool in helping companies ignite these conversations. Content curation is already being used...read more >>
Can Social Gifting Give Retailers a Boost?
Dear Facebook Friends, Have you noticed I've been spending an unhealthy amount of time obsessing over the upcoming French presidential elections? And not nearly enough time shopping at H&M? A mobile gift card would help fix that. If you'd all chip in a couple bucks, I'd be well on my way to "paparazzi chic." Gifting for Cheapskates Ah, yes, social gifting. This e-commerce fad has been getting a lot of attention this week with the launch of Wrapp...read more >>
Why You Should Offer Your Consumers a Social Login
It's a little like the chicken and the egg, except that us e-commerce folk have to decide: allow consumers to purchase incognito, or force them to create an account before they check out? The fear for the latter is that those consumers really will check out, and not in the sense of handing you money; the fear for the former is that you will be left after one purchase, forgotten and dataless. With the advent of the social age, this choice is neatly...read more >>
Why Social Media Isn’t the Place for Selling
By the time we reach a certain age, most of us can recognize when a superficially friendly person is approaching us with an ulterior motive. You've probably felt the tingle of recognizing someone else's agenda, whether you're walking down the street and some clipboard-holding college student trills, "HEY, how ARE you, I LOVE that shirt!" or you're hitting delete on an email from someone claiming to be your long-lost Nigerian cousin. Prior to the...read more >>
Content Merchandising Roundup #16
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: Dell's Damien Cummings: Joining the Swarm Does Dell plan to expand its group buying service Dell Swarm to the United States? How does Dell Swarm fit into the company's broader social media strategy? We recently caught up with Damien Cummings, Dell's online director for...read more >>
Dell’s Damien Cummings: Joining the Swarm
It's been three years since Dell Swarm launched in Singapore. We think Dell's foray into social commerce has huge potential. But are there plans to launch the group buying concept in the US? Is the company planning to add more robust product information? I recently caught up with Damien Cummings, Dell's online director for Asia, to answer these questions and more. But first, a little background about the concept. As this promotional video shows,...read more >>
How Viral Was My Video: Why Ads Without Content Aren’t Enough
Brands often fight for awareness as much as sales. The rare truly viral commercial video has taken on Golden Fleece status. To give your ad, blog, or video of photogenic cats using your products its own momentum is the stuff marketers' dreams are made of. But even the most forwarded video or flashiest campaign may not get you the results you want if you don't back it up with expertly made content. At AdAge, marketing consultant Jonathan Salem Baskin...read more >>
Interview with Optify’s Anthony Joseph: Google Gets Social
Since launching in January, Google's awkwardly named Search Plus Your World (SPYW) has begun adding Google+ information to Google search results. This means that if I begin Googling for sunglasses, information from people and brands I follow on Google+ would turn up as part of my search. Personalized search will not only have a huge impact on what products and companies rise to the top of our search results, but also will influence our purchasing...read more >>