Posts tagged online retail
Why ‘Small Business Saturday’ would make no sense
Dec 1st
If Canadian small and medium-sized businesses really think that having a day dedicated to them will boost sales, they must worry about competing with Santa Claus for revenue, too.
Shane Schick, editor-in-chief, IT World Canada
The hysteria around Black Friday, one of the biggest shopping periods in the U.S. calendar, has been rivaled only the increased attention paid to so-called Cyber Monday, when online retail also reaches an American Thanksgiving-induced fever pitch. In both cases, it’s the Wal-marts and other giants of the shopping industry that seem to benefit the most. SMBs, often independently operated and unable to compete with the steep margin discounts offered by the big box stores, don’t necessarily see this particular rising tide as lifting all boats. That’s the rationale for “Small Business Saturday,” one of the more desperate marketing ploys I’ve come across in a long time. Read the rest of this entry »
Marketing lessons from my shoes
Sep 27th
By Andrew Berthoff
I recently purchased new shoes online. I like to support local companies, and I always look for things distinct, so I returned to shop at John Fluevog. I don’t often buy shoes, but always enjoy checking out the unique styles – flamboyant or relatively conservative – that this Canadian shoemaker offers.
Shopping online is generally an anonymous experience – call it soulless (as my late fatherused to say, “No pun intended”? Why not?!). With most online shopping sites, the transaction comprises a pre-formatted e-mail confirmation of the purchase and, then, maybe a week later, the arrival of the goods in a plain box with no personalization, no comment, and no thanks for your business.
Andrew Berthoff
Not so with the Fluevians. Even online, they understand that their customer service needs to fit with the style and spirit of the brand – personalized, appreciative and just a shade irreverent. After choosing and purchasing my shoes, I received an e-mail confirmation:
Thank you for placing your web order with John Fluevog Shoes!
We will contact you again within 5 business days to confirm which of our fine locations will be fulfilling your order, and then again when it is shipped. Read the rest of this entry »
Should your business be on eBay?
Jul 28th
Lately a lot’s being said about businesses needing to stake their claim on the social media arena.
But does your business need to have presence on an online auction site such as eBay as well?
Nestor Arellano
If you’re selling something or looking to buy something, the answer could be yes. eBay is no longer just a place where kids hock their tired Nikes of adventurous souls like Canadian Kyle MacDonald try to trade up a single red paperclip for a house.
Over the years, start-ups and big businesses alike have found buying and selling on eBay both profitable and affordable.
Imagine the potential market. Canadians now buy more than $1 billion worth of goods on eBay every year and sell more than one million items each month on the site, according to the company. Read the rest of this entry »
Car buyers chose function over flash in auto Web sites
May 27th
What makes a great auto maker Web site?
Flashy car pictures? Videos of speeding cars or SUVs truckin’ along mud covered rought roads? Hardly. According a recent survey conducted by J.D. Power and Associates Canada.
Nestor Arellano
The survey company found a definite link between online experience satisfcation and people heading to the auto showrooms for a test drive. However, in my story Savvy Web sites drive buyers into auto showrooms, Ryan Robinson, the company’s industry practice leader, reveals that a lot of car makers have their Web strategy all wrong.
“Of course buyers want to see beautiful Web sites. But the main reason the visit the sites is to get information that will help them make a purchasing decision,” he said. In other words: Flash is fine but we want functionality.
4 tips on making it big on eBay
May 19th
Huge online traffic generated by eBay caught the eye of Henry’s decision makers back in 2000.
“We taught it would be a great channel for our hard-to-sell items and potentially an additional revenue stream,” according to Max Payne, director of marketing at Henry’s.
Nestor Arellano
The company never expected the move would become so big that it would open the 100-year-old Canadian photo supply store to a whole new group of American customers. Read the rest of this entry »
