  | News about digital retail commerce |  |
- Online customer service outperforms call centers, survey says
Consumers were happier with the results of their interactions with automated customer-service tools on retailers' websites than they were when dealing with real people staffing call centers, according to a new report from Forrester Research. Some companies, including Zappos.com, are throwing out scripts and innovating to improve call-center service. InternetRetailer.com (5/24)        | New Report: The Purchase Path of Online Buyers
Forrester collaborated with GSI Commerce to better understand how retailers can effectively connect with online buyers. Learn why many shoppers still follow "traditional" paths to purchase, as well as 2011 holiday preparation tips.
Click here to download the report. |  | Central Chef switches to Fulfillment by Amazon and sees a 200% increase in new customers
"Customers demand free shipping…FBA [helps] the customer feel good about the sale, and they like the idea that they're not wasting money to have the product shipped." Michael Eisenberg, CEO, Central Chef. Click here to read the case study. |
 | New Media & Technology |  | | | - Study: Consumers are less impulsive as they shop to win
The Internet and mobile technology have transformed shopping into a game in which the winners are the ones who come away with the best bargains, according to a new survey from Yahoo! and Universal McCann. Roughly two-thirds of the survey participants said the Internet is now their most-trusted source for information, beating out magazines and TV, and more than half said they have become less impulsive and more inclined to do thorough research before making a purchase. Advertising Age (tiered subscription model)/AdAgeStat blog (5/24) - Rival system from top banks to challenge PayPal
Three of the biggest U.S. banks -- Bank of America, Wells Fargo & Co. and J.P. Morgan Chase -- have launched an online payment system for their customers to compete with PayPal. The service, called clearXchange, is free for the time being and will add more banking partners at a later date. Meanwhile, Google on Thursday reportedly will unveil a service for people to buy things in stores and cash in coupons using smartphones with the online giant's technology. The Wall Street Journal (tiered subscription model) (5/25) - People need a reason to switch to new payment systems, PayPal says: Square's announcement this week that its new technology will make traditional cash registers obsolete may be premature, says PayPal spokesman Anuj Nayar, who pointed out that consumers need a reason beyond a cool gadget to change the way they pay for their purchases. FastCompany.com (5/25)
- Brightcove branches from video service to mobile apps
Brightcove's new App Cloud product will let companies develop one mobile application and seamlessly extend it to Android and Apple devices with no further adjustments. The new service expands on Brightcove's similar video offering, which may give it an edge in an increasingly crowded field of app simplifiers. VentureBeat/MobileBeat (5/24)  | The Business Platinum Card® from American Express OPEN
Spending power for your business. Premium benefits for you.
Access a portfolio of 30+ premium benefits, including:
• Complimentary Airport Club Access
• Annual $200 Airline Fee Credit for any airline
• Built-in upgrades at FINE HOTELS & RESORTS
Business Platinum Card
APPLY NOW |
  - Overstock drops Conn. affiliates after state passes sales tax measure
Overstock announced it's dropping its affiliates in Connecticut after provisions in the state budget bill call for online retailers with operations or affiliates in the state to begin collecting sales tax from in-state customers on July 1. Lawmakers passed the provision despite a memo from the Revenue Services Commissioner saying that no state that has passed such a measure has collected any sales tax because of it. The Hartford Courant (Conn.) (5/24) - U.K. Web grocer Ocado expands to meet growing demand
Ocado is anticipating a boom in online grocery ordering in the U.K. and announced plans to build a new 350,000-square-foot distribution center to meet higher demand. The new facility, Ocado's second, is slated to open late next year and will initially process up to 120,000 weekly orders. InternetRetailer.com (5/24)  | Turning Online Shopper Uncertainty into a New Source of Sales and Profits. Eliminating consumer uncertainty is a challenge for all online merchants. The question is, how can you address shoppers' concerns and increase sales and profits in the process? Download the buySAFE white paper to learn more NOW! |
| Interactive Advertising | | | | | Legislative & Regulatory | | | | | Shop.org Spotlight | | | | - Fight swipe fees in under 60 seconds
American retailers pay the highest swipe fees in the world. And some in Congress want to keep it that way. You can help fight for swipe fee reform by visiting NRF's take-action center and show your support in less than 60 seconds. Join the fight by sending an e-mail or tweeting your senator, or by "liking" our 60-day campaign to preserve swipe fee reform on Facebook. Learn more. - 5 industry experts ready to critique (not criticize!) your website
The Doctor Is In website critiques are back. Registered attendees of Shop.org's Online Merchandising Workshop, July 11-13 in San Diego, can make one-on-one appointments with multichannel, site design, merchandising and customer experience industry experts to evaluate their website -- for free. Appointments are on a first-come, first-served basis. Learn more.
| SmartQuote | | | |  | He who is sorrowful can force himself to smile, but he who is glad cannot weep."
--Selma Lagerlöf,
Swedish author  |
| | This SmartBrief was created for cpgbrokers.data@blogger.com
| | | Advertise | | Senior Account Director: Dena Malouf (202) 407-7837 | | | | | | | | | | Recent Shop.org SmartBrief Issues: - Tuesday, May 24, 2011
- Monday, May 23, 2011
- Friday, May 20, 2011
- Thursday, May 19, 2011
- Wednesday, May 18, 2011
| | | Lead Editor: Megan Conniff
Mailing Address:
SmartBrief, Inc.®, 1100 H ST NW, Suite 1000, Washington, DC 20005 | | | | | | © 1999-2011 SmartBrief, Inc.® Legal Information |
|
About one in five retailers surveyed developed its mobile site internally with its own developers. Source: 
No comments:
Post a Comment
Please comment thoughtfully CPG Brokers, your best resource to optimize your in store self exposure and maximize sku distribution.