Aug 26, 2011

Industry News
FIFTH GEAR Choice of the Week

Ecommerce checklist for holiday preparations
If you want a piece of $1 billion of the sales that occur between Black Friday and Cyber Monday, forget style and looks. Focus on website speed and functionality, including the ability to view from any tablet, mobile, or browser. Also, aim for a website that balances information, functionality, and device compatibility…
(Source: Internet Retailer)

Is your email falling into spam traps?

Spam traps come in two flavors – true and recycled – and are designed to catch email marketers who are lax about following best practices. Are your messages meeting them? By ignoring third party email address lists and adopting a strong opt-in permission policy, you can take steps to ensure your emails never get blocked or blacklisted…
(Source: eMarketing and Commerce)

Cutting off affiliates versus collecting taxes
If you are selling in a state that now mandates the collection of online sales tax, you have two options – pay up or ship out. But what you do all depends on the strength of your affiliate relationships, the strain that tax collection places on your resources, and even your ability to move operations. You might even consider all of the above!…
(Source: Internet Retailer)

It’s time to understand video SEO
Most e-retailers have product videos on YouTube and other video sharing websites, but fail to utilize them on their websites. Videos on your ecommerce site can lead to higher visibility and search engine indexing opportunities. Not sure where to start? Here are a few tips to maximize your video SEO…
(Source: Retail Online Integration)

Third-party tags can slow down website performance
Third-party tags can become the bane of website performance if they are not properly handled, loaded, and stored. Tags can help garner customer feedback, provide a unique experience, or track marketing campaign performance, but when they have the ability to compromise conversions, they should be closely examined…
(Source: eMarketing and Commerce)

Venus and Mars view retailers in different ways
Connected customers recommend your brand, share information about you, and are more likely to be engaged by your direct marketing campaigns than less-loyal customers. But research suggests that men and women connect to retailers in different ways, meaning that targeting and segmentation has never been more important for retail marketers…
(Source: Retail Online Integration)

Accelerating Commerce
Featured Content from the FIFTH GEAR Blog