E-commerce: Crucial Must-Haves for Web Sites and E-mail

During a session at last week’s Lenser & Associates client summit in San Rafael, Calif., Lenser partner Michelle Farabaugh offered several Web and e-mail marketing tips to the firm’s client base, which included more than 100 mid-size catalog marketers. Following are some that are worth keeping in front of you.

* Increase your advertising effectiveness by improving headlines, copy and destination landing pages. Include a value proposition, promotions, deferred billing and a buy now button.

* In e-mail, separately test segmentation, frequency, time of day/day of week, subject line, “From” address, format, offers, deadlines, length, landing pages and hold out panels in order to see true lift.

* Optimize feeds for paid inclusion and comparison shopping sites.

* Don’t let affiliates advertise your brand name.

* When choosing affiliates, use selective screening of new participants, Farabaugh said. Don’t allow bidding on brand, she noted, and don’t rely on discount programs.

* Include your privacy policy link only on your sign-up page, checkout page and home page, she advised. However, don’t include privacy policy option settings anywhere except on the privacy policy page.

* When creating privacy settings, default to the following options: Do send me e-mails; don’t share my e-mail address; do allow catalog mailings; and do allow sharing of my mailing address with select third parties.

* Include the following on the header of your site: Ordering phone number, e-mail sign-up, free catalog request, view shopping cart, site search, the current date in upper right corner and a request to “please bookmark this site.”

* Include the following on the footer of your site: Store locator, about us, customer service, privacy policy, site map and company information.