Posts Tagged ‘E-commerce’

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Google Launches E-Commerce “Trusted Store” Badges

Posted by Matt Bregar on October 3rd, 2011

Yesterday morning, Google unveiled its brand-new e-commerce certification program called “Trusted Stores”. “Trusted Stores” will allow qualifying e-commerce stores to display a “Google Trusted Store” badge. In order to qualify for this badge, the store must have a history of reliable customer service and on-time shipping. When a customer scrolls over the badge with their mouse, the grades for the store’s shipping and customer service are displayed.

Trusted Stores

Another very interesting aspect of the “Google Trusted Store” is the $1000 consumer purchase protection plan. The consumer purchase protection aspect acts almost as a safety net, helping to extend the manufacturer’s warranty on a purchase. In order to receive the benefits of the consumer purchase protection plan, the consumer must opt for the free purchase protection. Then, if there is some type of problem, the consumer must first try to contact the seller. If this proves futile, the consumer can contact Google to help them reach a solution with the seller or potentially receive money back.

Google maintains that the main reason for the “Google Trusted Stores” is to boost e-commerce spending by allowing consumers to have more confidence when purchasing things online. They also believe that receiving data directly from the online retailer is much more reliable than the data received from consumer online surveys. As of now, Google maintains that there is no connection between the “Trusted Stores” and AdWords, like there was with Google Checkout.

What we do know for sure right now is that the “Trusted Stores” program is very new and more time is needed to see exactly how Google plans to use it and expand the program. Where do you think Google is headed with “Trusted Stores”?

From Retail to E-commerce: Focus on Customer Loyalty

Posted by Brent on May 11th, 2009

With so much information out there about Internet marketing and how to improve a company’s online brand exposure, there seems to have been a gradual removal of “customer loyalty” from that discussion.  One of the most important aspects to improving conversions for an e-commerce platform (or any website for that matter) is through enhanced customer experiences and loyalty focused programs.  The happier your curstomers are, the more they will buy from you (or refer people to you).  The goal here is to increase the percent of your overall sales in the “repeat customer” category.  It is much easier to grow revenue from current customers that to spend more time and money attracting new ones (although this is very important as well).

Let’s back up for a minute and consider the dramatic shifts we are seeing in retail VS. online.  The current economic conditions have placed strains on traditional retailers and caused substantial increases in online spending.  The online consumer is now becoming more savvy and expects a lot from the service/product provider.  As more and more traditional retailers either move their business online or at least create an online store to sell their products, the focus needs to not only shift to Internet marketing strategies but also customer loyalty strategies.  So much emphasis has been on how to drive traffic to e-commerce sites that we have seen visits go up, but not  conversions. 

Conversion optimization involves getting the right kind of traffic as well as ensuring that a large portion of that traffic leads to a sale.  Some online companies out there are doing this quite well but not simply becauase their Internet marketing strategies are so good…it is because their database of happy customers keeps growing.  Let’s look for example at www.freshdirect.com.  This company has been providing online grocery shopping to the New York City area for over five years.  One of the main reasons their numbers keep growing is not because they are spending so much time and money driving traffic to their website.  It is beacuse each day, senior management meets to review analytics and customer transactions to see where things are working and where things need improvement…and then of course to discuss what is being done to improve the areas where they fall short.  They also conduct about 150 customer surveys each year.  This might seems excessive or even scary to some companies but over time it makes for happy customers.  Your critics can be your best source of constructive feedback!

More about conversion optimization:

The best way to ensure that your traffic is going to convert into business involves several key factors:

  • Understanding your customer base in great detail
  • Ensuring your traffic is targeted and you methods for driving traffic support that goal
  • Continually analyze your online platform through focus groups, A/B split testing, etc.
  • Konw where your conversions points occur and where people leave your site and why – then work to improve these areas
  • Always be improving your sales cycle and customer experience
  • Ask for feedback and make improvements based on realistic suggestions
  • If you are asking for feedback, get involved in these conversations with your customers
  • Test, Improve, then test again – use your analytics…the numbers won’t lie.


Related Blogs

Boost your Online Sales this Holiday Season

Posted by Myles Vives on December 11th, 2008

It’s the Holiday season and the malls are empty. It really doesn’t feel like Christmas is in the air. Retailers are devaluing their products to get consumers to buy. Their strategies include everything from Buy One Get One Free Deals, Gift with Purchase Incentives and significant discounts to get foot traffic. I even saw on the news this morning that a high end retail store was offering free limo rides to the mall for pregnant women to make it convenient for them to shop.

While retailers are fighting to get foot traffic in a down economy many of them aren’t taking into consideration that the malls are also slow due to the convenience of online shopping. In addition to investing efforts in in-store promotions and discounts, retailers also need to invest in their internet marketing strategy. The majority of consumers will enter your website to do research before entering your actual store. Your website is the first impression people get about your business so if your website is set up properly it will boost sales and make up for some of the revenue you’re losing in-store. Here are some things to consider.

E-Commerce website: Is your website set up so customers can easily shop online? The navigation should be simple. Make sure your products have an easy search function. Your product descriptions and photos should be clear. Your check out process should also be simple.

Online Promotions: Are your in-store promotions being offered online? The great thing about online promotions is you can offer many more incentives that don’t devalue your product such as free shipping with any order over a certain amount, free gift wrapping or a discount code for future orders.

Build Customer Relationships: If your website is set up properly it can be a powerful tool to stay in touch with your customer to build a relationship for future sales. Once a customer purchases several products you can set up your website so it starts generating recommendations for future purchases. You can also start an email marketing campaign to keep them up to date with specials and discounts. Engage your customer through social media optimization with blogs and social networks so they feel compelled to come back and make future purchases.

-Melodie Tao

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