When was the last time you did a product search on Google? What did that SERP (Search Engine Results Page) look like? Amazon and eBay have been controlling the eCommerce game for long enough. And now the most powerful search engine online, Google, is making strides to enter the Product Search and eCommerce market at NO cost. There’s no better time than now to begin revamping your online store to ensure that your products are listed on the organic product search results page.
Google as a One-Stop Shop
by Chris I-Nwanze. Posted on August 27th, 2010 in Online Conversion, Search Engine Optimization
Design 1, 2, 3: A Good Cup of Joe in the Shopping Cart
by Heather Van De Mark. Posted on August 23rd, 2010 in eCommerce Web Site Design
Unlike the other 99% of designers in the world, I don’t drink coffee. Well, that is to say I didn’t. Recently though, I’ve been a regular chai, latte, frappuccino drinking, from breakfast to dinner, designer. And so far, it’s been pretty tasty and only a little jittery. It’s fair to say though, that I know nothing about a good cup of joe, but I do know a thing or two about user-friendly, well-designed eCommerce sites. So, for this month, I thought I’d check out a coffee roaster and seller site and give them the 1, 2, 3 treatment.
Content Delivery Network’s (CDN) and Why You Should Be Using One…
by Ethan Giffin. Posted on August 20th, 2010 in Online Conversion, Search Engine Optimization, Usability
Are you using a CDN to help power your eCommerce web site? If not, you should be thinking about it for the 2010 holiday season. What is a CDN? It is short for “Content Delivery Network” or “Content Distribution Network.” This is a network of servers that replicates parts or all of your site across the Internet and delivers it to your visitors in the most efficient way possible. To make it simple, it can make your site load faster and be more reliable. Page load time affects your conversion rate and now as described by Matt Cutts, it affects your search engine rankings too.
In 1998, B. Joseph Pine II and James Gilmore introduced the concept of customer experience and how companies could “influence people through engaging, authentic experiences that render personal value.”
As the economy boomed through the middle of the decade, those concepts of engaging experiences, authentic companies and personal value seemed to fall by the wayside. Jump to the economic struggles of today, and companies are rediscovering that customer experience is more important than ever, especially when it comes to the online customer experience where you inherently lose the personal connection.
Product Ratings and Branding
by Mack McGee. Posted on July 29th, 2010 in Industry News, Usability, eCommerce Web Site Design
We were onsite with a client last week delivering our findings from a site analysis exercise when an interesting debate broke out. We provided the feedback that we didn’t like how their customer reviews utilized the “out of the box” stars from Power Reviews. Typically, we make this argument from an aesthetics and branding perspective, but this client disagreed.
His take was that utilizing the PowerReviews branded “star system” gave customers a greater sense of trust because they recognized this review feature across sites. From a design perspective, we maintained our point of view. However, the bigger conversation prompted the questions what is the purpose of reviews and how much does it matter that they maintain their own identity in order to provide better reassurance versus fitting well within the site design.
Magento announced yesterday that they have obtained their PA-DSS Certification for their secured payment bridge. By utilizing this bridge and working with your hosting provider, e-tailers will now be able to rest easy at night knowing they are PCI Compliant. (Please note: The bridge can only help you become PA-DSS certified, you still need to check to ensure the other elements of your site are in line with rules and regulations to ensure overall PCI Compliance). Check out this webinar to learn more about making sure you’re business is taking the necessary steps to ensure PCI Compliance.
Design 1, 2, 3: It’s an eCommerce Roller Coaster – The Shopping Cart
by Heather Van De Mark. Posted on July 15th, 2010 in eCommerce Web Site Design
Ahh summertime. For many Americans that means bar-b-ques, swimming pools and roller coasters! Every summer as a child, I would look forward to the three hour drive in the car with my family to the amusement park, anticipating the breakneck speeds and loop-de-loops of the tallest and fastest coasters this side of the Mississippi. What I didn’t look forward to after three hours of driving? The long lines to buy admission tickets to get into the park. But oh boy, it’s 2010 and the internet is changing all of that! Now, families and folks can buy and print their tickets online and shuffle right past the gate to the attractions.
For this month’s Design 1, 2, 3, let’s take a look at a popular amusement park’s eCommerce Shopping Cart and see if it makes for a spectacularly speedy checkout.
Does Your Social Media Strategy Stink?
by Vaughn. Posted on July 14th, 2010 in Online Conversion, Online Marketing, Social Media, Social Networking
Want to smell like a man? I’m not talking about body odor and beer. I’m talking about the refreshing scent of a manly body wash. Old Spice certainly wants you to. That is why they have invested so much in their marketing efforts.
Old Spice has taken the use of social media to the next level. Recently, Old Spice launched a YouTube viral video campaign, with their spokesman responding to comments left on the Old Spice Facebook and Twitter accounts. Each video included the name of the original user who made the comment or statement – most responses lasted 30-60 seconds. The Old Spice spokesperson even goes as far as smashing a pirate pinata with a freshwater fish in a video response made just for Demi Moore. The Old Spice YouTube profile has total upload views surpassing 59 million…not too shabby.
Desktop Wallpaper Web Design
by Josh Lawrence. Posted on July 9th, 2010 in Usability, eCommerce Web Site Design
One of the primary goals of any ecommerce site (and one can argue all websites) is to communicate with your users. This being the case, one of the biggest challenges for a Designer is to make the important content stand out among the overall design. How then can we make select content more visible, user friendly, and appealing to users? Look no further than your own computer desktop wallpaper.
Busting Your Moves On The Virtual Dance Floor
by Chris I-Nwanze. Posted on July 1st, 2010 in Social Media
Let me start by saying if getting your groove on hasn’t been your thing in the past, you should consider picking up some dance steps I have for you. Social Media continues to offer countless opportunities for businesses to grow but the problem with many businesses is that they get into it because it’s the ‘new thing’ or simply because their competitors are doing it. Nonetheless, there are companies out there getting it right.
Organize.com, a company focused on selling home storage and organization products hosted a virtual party on both Facebook and Twitter as a kickoff to the national Hardware Show on May 4. According to Internet Retailer the event brought in over 1,500 registered guests. During this virtual event the hosts tweeted and posted a number of questions engaging the participants/attendees with a variety of questions that helped give them insight to the lifestyle of their guests. They were able to retain guests by awarding prizes every 10 to 15 minutes.
