One of the clear advantages digital media has over its print counterpart is a virtually endless amount of space, which is why we brought the roundtable discussion on conversion from Website Magazine's Sept. 2013 issue to the Web. Below are insights on conversion that didn't make it to print.
What strategies can retailers use to increase their business's visibility on the Web?
Rama Ramakrishnan, CQuotient: Visibility can be measured in quality and quantity. Retailers looking to improve their Web presence must provide interesting and useful marketing strategies that speak to each specific consumer. Again, email is a great way to remain visible to consumers who already know you and have put up their hand to say they want to hear from you. Use it well!
What strategies can retailers use to increase their business's visibility on the Web?
Marcel Munoz, Thanx Media: For ecommerce merchants, Google stresses user-friendly and unique content as a key driver for visibility. The best people to tackle this requirement are the subject matter experts that have the voice of the merchant. The problem is there is only a finite amount of time per day. Crescent Electric Supply Company knew that having their valuable team focused on repetitive tasks such as collecting and organizing content was a resource black hole. Data automation was key and this helped shift focus to the more strategic tasks of content creation.
How is user-generated content changing the face of ecommerce conversions, and what can online merchants do to adapt successfully?
Rama Ramakrishnan, CQuotient: Retailers can learn so much from user-generated content - specifically user-generated reviews. Reviews tell you so much more about the product, how customers use it and how they view it. When people buy that product, retailers not only understand what they purchased, but why and what need the product is satisfying.
How can content marketing aid in conversions for online merchants?
Raj Kadam, Viralheat: Content marketing allows online merchants to reach their target audience directly and in real time. Often times, a quick response or reply can be the deciding factor in whether or not a consumer chooses your company, brand, or product. Online merchants can now directly engage with their consumers to solve an issue, sell their product, or answer some questions.
What software offerings are shaping the future of ecommerce particularly in regard to conversions?
Josh Dreller, Kenshoo: Dynamic attribution solutions help ecommerce marketers better understand how their consumers are being impacted and influenced by their advertising programs so they can optimize to the best media mix. Kenshoo SmartPath is an example of this software that not only offers this advanced measurement, but can also sit atop digital ad channels like search and social and automatically bid to the highest value based on these more accurate, attributed metrics.
What trends do you see shaping the future of ecommerce?
Marcel Munoz, Thanx Media: Machine-learning techniques reduce the need for significant human intervention. For example, the latest features (Intelligent Relevance, Dynamic Personas) in our Hawk Search platform incorporate data automation strategies to reduce the need for human tuning. Using Hawk Search, A.M. Leonard reported the first time ever that site search revenue did not dip during their slow season.
How will data collection fuel online business growth in the future?
Marcel Munoz, Thanx Media: Data collection is one step. I view data automation as a complete strategy that not only collects and compiles data, but uncovers intelligence and even provides suggests action items. Saving money through efficiencies is always a goal, but knowing the next strategic steps a company needs to get ahead is killer.
What website design elements prevent conversions in the ecommerce space?
Marcel Munoz, Thanx Media: The lack of comprehensive product content is a major obstacle for a conversion path. Giving a consumer any reason to do more research negates the fact that a consumer is engaged and willing to click an "Add To Cart" button. Modern Automotive Performance recognized that having more complete Product Pages across their website resulted in 59 percent reduction in their bounce rate.
