Ecommerce Blog

DMNews checked in from Etail West in Palm Desert, CA with an article titled, “Multichannel marketing inches ahead at eTail,” posted by Chantal Todé & Dianna Dilworth February 22nd, 2007.

They review some of the big, multi-channel vendors in attendance and discuss what they seek at the show and hint that the technologies are in transition and some major players are re-thinking strategy before diving in. In other words, raising conversion rates by tweaking channels is the name of the game rather than “build a whole new thing tomorrow.”

EP’s Jason checks in saying …

Jason Billingsley, vice president of marketing at Elastic Path, Vancouver, B.C., said he didn’t hear much talk about innovation at eTail. “Large retailers are not going out on a limb and trying new stuff,” Mr. Billingsley said.

Instead, retailers were more concerned with how they are going to fund the next big multichannel initiative.

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Original post by Dave Olson

A February 5th article by Jack M. Germain LinuxInsider (Part of the ECT News Network) breaks down some history of Open Source software and the recent history of the ecommerce industry since the chaotic days of April 2000.

Just like the Gold Rush of the Old West in the 1800s, the dot-com business surge had its fling and then fell off. Just like the rise of the Old West to a thriving community of states, the Internet is now a thriving home to a new world of commerce online. One of the driving forces for the resurgence of e-commerce is the increasing use of open source.

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Original post by Dave Olson

Organic search marketing tips and tricks with Brian Klais of Netconcepts is the topic from Etail West. Along with host Dave O, they discuss the sustainable optimization strategies, history of seo, building link juice and page authority, url structure, meta tags and the reputation of search marketing industry.

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[Photo by DaveO at Etail West]

Bonus Notes:

• Stephan Spencer’s Scatterings:
  The Scattered Wisdom of a scientist turned web marketing virtuoso
• Excerpt from Wikipedia:

Netconcepts released a white paper in 2006, detailing the aspect of long tail^[13] Netconcepts then went into detail about how to optimize a website for long tail searches, such as changing from dynamic to static URLs so a search engine can index the page easier, rewrite title tags, and copy optimization.^[14]

• From New Zealand Work-Life Balance Project: Case study - Stephan Spencer - Work-life balance - taking the office to the beach

Original post by dave.olson@elasticpath.com (Dave O for Elastic Path)

In order to add credibility and personalization to an online business, a site should have a comprehensive “About Us” section. The page needs to be clear, informative and easy to find. Don’t hide information about your business. Instead, give your visitors a page that you would be proud to have read. With a solid backbone behind your online presence, visitors will be more likely to consider your site for a purchase. Answer the following six questions to help in writing

Original post by blogadmin

In order to add credibility and personalization to an online business, a site should have a comprehensive “About Us” section. The page needs to be clear, informative and easy to find. Don’t hide information about your business. Instead, give your visitors a page that you would be proud to have read. With a solid backbone behind your online presence, visitors will be more likely to consider your site for a purchase. Answer the following six questions to help in writing

Original post by blogadmin

Diamond and jewelry vendor Ice.com’s social and viral marketing techniques are the topic as Pinny Gniwisch sits down with DaveO and Jason at Etail West in Palm Springs to discuss pitfalls, tips and the mystery the ROI of retail blogging and the exploits of Mr. Cupid on YouTube (caution: hilarious).

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[photo of Pinny Gniwisch from Word Up
- Canada’s Word of Mouth Conference]

Bonus:

• Ice.com blog
• Sparkle Like the Stars
• Just Ask Leslie blog in Wall Street Journal
• About Ice

Original post by dave.olson@elasticpath.com (Dave O for Elastic Path)

A Meta Description’s overall purpose is to provide a brief explanation of a site and most importantly, to name the major items being sold. It can help rankings in search engines in providing more relevance to a site by giving spiders an accurate summary of its place on the net. As the words imply, a Meta Title names a site while a Meta Description describes the page to search engines and directories. In general, the Description can be considered a lengthened

Original post by blogadmin

Delivering personalized, opt-in, granular product info rather than spewing ads at a mass market is the topic as Paul Rosenblum of Mybuys.com visits with DaveO and Jason Billingsley who also talk about RSS feedreader adoption and Web 2.0 social shopping trends while at Etail West.

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[photo of Paul Rosenblum by DaveO at Etail West]

Original post by dave.olson@elasticpath.com (Dave O for Elastic Path)

At Etail West trade show and conference, Chris Anderson, author of The Long Tail and editor-in-chief of Wired magazine, chats about how retailers can capitalize on marketing less popular products and increase sales by optimizing for niche searches plus discuss his career path from physicist to economist (and even banter about free beer) with DaveO and Jason Billingsley.

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[photo of Chris Anderson by DaveO at Etail West]

Original post by dave.olson@elasticpath.com (Dave O for Elastic Path)

You can go to the computer, search for an item, find what you are looking for and make a purchase without leaving your mouse and without saying a word. No hassle, but no worries? Even though you don’t have to speak to someone when making a purchase, the option will likely give you added confidence in following through with the purchase. With this being said, is your phone number listed on your own website? It’s always a good idea to have your phone number

Original post by blogadmin

I recently was referred to a website giving away free vector elements for websites.

http://www.bittbox.com/

There are some great buttons, glass shapes, backgrounds, headers and a lot more. The blog looks new, but the free stuff is super high quality. Check them out

Original post by jestep

Wrapping up eTail Midmarket in San Fran, Dave O talks with Rich Brower of Global Collect about some challenges - and solutions - in international retailing. Topics include regional transaction methods preferences, dealing in multiple currencies, shipping options and other global ecommerce trends.

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[Palace Hotel, San Francisco, photo by DaveO]

Original post by dave.olson@elasticpath.com (Dave O for Elastic Path)

Your Meta Title appears at the very top of your computer browser window on your homepage and quickly names your site. Although it is a simple field, often consisting of less than 20 words, it is regarded by many as one of the most important elements in Search Engine Optimization. Supported by all major search engines, the Meta Title is the first thing search engine spiders see as well as most visitors to your site. Not only does your Title help search

Original post by blogadmin

Towards the end of eTail Midmarket in San Francisco, Dave O chats with Ed Hoffman, VP of Sales for SLI Systems (blog) about smart, learning site search. Specifically, they discuss how websites have evolved, how shoppers find and subsequently search sites and how websites can tailor site navigation to fit shoppers’ habits.

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[photo by DaveO at eTail Midmarket
- Mark Williams pictured]

Original post by dave.olson@elasticpath.com (Dave O for Elastic Path)