Catalogers know the Web can be a valuable place to sell product. However, itโs likely that many are missing the chance to generate even more sales via the Web. To boost your chance at success, pay as much attention to closing the sale online as you would in your print catalogsโperhaps even more so due to the nature of the Web. Therefore, to convert more of your Web shoppers into buyers, consider three key points in your Web-shopping process: online customer service; shipping and handling; and order-taking and processing. Online Customer Service Here are two commonly held misconceptions about online customer service:
E-Commerce
When direct marketing companies first invested in the World Wide Web, creative strategies and marketing budgets for online and off-line operations were segregated. Some executives believed the new medium required different marketing strategies and personnel, while others wanted to keep staffers and budgets detached, facilitating a lucrative Web spin-off. Today both of these rationales have been debunked. The rules of direct marketing hold fast regardless of channel. But the fallout from these early missteps continues: Catalogers sometimes measure the success of their campaigns in silos, neglecting the influence of campaigns across sales channels. โWhen people try to track traffic to the
Spam is in the eye of the beholder. This adage offered by Anne Holland, publisher of MarketingSherpa.com, encapsulates the current discussions about e-mail appending. Most of the debates center around privacy as it relates to recipientsโ permission. Some experts propose that the existence of a business relationship in one channel (e.g., direct mail) doesnโt justify marketersโ contact through another (e.g., online) when the customer hasnโt given his or her specific permission. โUntil [customers] grant permission to send that e-mail, you shouldnโt assume you have it,โ says Margie Arbon, director of operations for Mail Abuse Prevention System, a non-profit organization that works with Internet service
Technological advancements within contact centers are revolutionizing the way catalogers answer and manage inbound calls. And if implemented properly, automated, inbound call programs can streamline caller-cataloger interactions and improve overall customer relations. Added bonus: By using these technologies, catalogers are saving time and moneyโgood news in these economically challenging times. The Virtual CSR Imagine a virtual customer service representative (CSR) through which callers can place, change or check their order status. For example, officials at NetByTel (www.netbytel.com) say their NetByTel Connected systemโs virtual agents recognize human colloquialisms, ask callers to repeat information the technology couldnโt initially register, and it even
Technological advancements within contact centers are revolutionizing the way catalogers answer and manage inbound calls. And if implemented properly, automated, inbound call programs can streamline caller-cataloger interactions and improve overall customer relations. Added bonus: By using these technologies, catalogers are saving time and moneyโgood news in these economically challenging times. The Virtual CSR Imagine a [โฆ]
Putting aside for a moment the criticisms about its overall business model, Amazon.com offers numerous lessons for Web retailersโnamely, the inherent beauty of Internet partnerships. Indeed, Amazon set the standard for this mainstay in the e-commerce world, and numerous catalogers have adopted these principles to great success. In fact, 10 percent of all Internet sales and 3 to 5 percent of all online catalog Web sales come through affiliate sitesโand these numbers are rising rapidly, noted two consultants at the recent Direct Marketing Association Annual conference in Chicago. In their seminar entitled โInternet Partnerships: Understanding the Key to Catalog Growth,โ John Deneen, president of
Type the word โGiftโ into any Internet search engine, and youโll be faced with more sites than you know what to do with. From Gift.com to SendAGift.com, online gift retailing has become a hot-button business. With such a crowded field, why would the executives of retail giant Target Corp. decide that three of its strongest print catalog brandsโWireless, Signals and Seasonsโwould do better under one URL, GiftCatalog.com? The answer lies in the shopping experience. Market researchers told Targetโs online division, target.direct, that potential for cross-selling among the three catalogs was high, but that navigating three different sites was not as easy it should be.
Want to improve your online customersโ shopping experience? In its new report, โ10 Retail Site Fixes That Wonโt Break the Bank,โ Forrester Research offers these tips culled from a recent study of 100 retail Web sites. 1. Donโt let customers get away. Customers who mistakenly type in โwwwhomedepot.comโ are still directed to Home Depotโs site. But those typing โwwwjcpenney.comโ end up at a casino site. โRegister and use common domain name misspellings of your site,โ says James Crawford, a Forrester analyst. 2. Make it easy for customers to look around. Donโt force them to complete a long online registration form just so they can
Customers will expect to see perfect color online by the year 2002, according to analysts at Forrester Research. Catalogers who are finally feeling comfortable with computer-to-plate and digital proofs now are facing the daunting task of achieving color perfection on their Web pages. Todayโs online shoppers are demanding more from their online shopping experience, including color accuracy. A study from PricewaterhouseCoopers and Media Metrix shows that 83 percent of online shoppers distrust the colors on their monitors. Yet 80 percent of respondents said accurate color was โvery importantโ when buying clothing, cosmetics, home furnishings and art online. More importantly, 50 percent of
All of my favorite catalogs (both business and consumer) regularly e-mail to me promotions or newsletters. It appears that todayโs catalogers are taking e-mail communication seriously and devoting significant marketing efforts to regularly contacting customers and prospects. Indeed, a catalogerโs e-mail file is a valuable asset in building site traffic and sales. Following are nine tips to aggressively grow your e-mail list. Prominently feature on your Web siteโs home page an invitation to sign up for e-mailed communications. Most catalogs offer a subscription for e-mail specials or newsletters; but they can be amazingly hard to find. Sometimes I have to scroll down below