The ‘new media’ has broken all shackles that traditional mediums laid. From being the information super highway, it is now turning into a dynamic marketplace facilitating people to not just transact but to actively interact as well. However, it has its lapses too.
In my last blog, I addressed the apprehensions that most shoppers confront while buying products online - security, cost and post delivery services being the primary parameters. In an industry which is spreading its wings by the second, there is certainly no space for anomalies like these to impede businesses from growing at the same rate. Or perhaps even higher!
But exist they do. And is also clogging potential buyers to shop online in scores (millions to be precise).
In this blog, I have tried to outline some remedies which, if employed by site owners can considerably help reduce purchase anxiety that online shoppers often undergo now a days. I thought to explain it best with an active example presently employing these measures. I have once again picked Retails Direct because of the following reasons:
Data security:
Telling your customer that you initiate all the stages of the purchase transactions through a secured server is the first step towards winning his heart. Incorporating security seals to protect your site from the hackers is therefore, a mandate.
Include personalized remarks:
Retails Direct has a unique feature of making its consumers rate as well as write their personal comments about any product purchased by them. This feature greatly eases the buying decision of other customers.
Include your source:
Retails Direct (RD) is seen to have a very transparent approach. If a customer seeks to get the details of a desired transaction, it can easily be acquired from the RD help desk. The customer care services are worth mentioning. Prospects should try this.
Contact Information:
Mentioning an e-mail id for contacting your business is not enough. My post purchase queries were very politely put to rest by their customer care executives. Talking to them over the phone was a big relief.
Inclusion of reputed certifications:
Retails Direct, though a newbie in the industry, already has 40 brand tie-ups to its credit. When asked about the authentication of the same, they sent me scanned copies of MOUs, seeing which all my doubts immediately vanished.
Be your consumer's friend:
People whether on net or offline, like to buy from someone i.e. a living entity and not from 'something' which gives them no real experience. Retails Direct has an active blogging site where you get to not only read what others have to say about it, but you also get to read messages from their business head and organization head in their official PRs at regular intervals.
Following –up, a mandate!
Purchase anxiety certainly doesn't end with the purchase. I just bought a Moto Rokr E6 from Retails Direct a week back and the post-purchase follow-up I received is one of the best I've got so far from any site. I was informed about every stage of delivery until it finally reached my hands.
The reason behind incorporating all these elements is not only to let your customer shop with ease but smartly as well. We are dwelling in a world where time is the new currency and if people have to spend more to save this new moolah, they will!
Wednesday, March 26, 2008
Friday, March 21, 2008
How Do I begin E- branding?
No surprises here- let me jump in: How to build an E- brand?
Let’s start with the basics:
• Get your goal right!
The first thing is to decide your reason of choosing the internet as a medium.
If you already have a presence offline i.e. in the 'real market', then having people to identify you makes it easy. In that case you can be called as a brand on the internet.
If you intend to generate sales from your business on the web (for eg. affiliate marketing, e-store, Search engine marketing etc.), then things may take time to shape up. You'll be required to carry out an extensive competitive research about the global market trends in your industry vertical.
• Strike the cupid at the first glance!
Visitors dislike scrolling. So even before they see your homepage, which i'm sure may be inviting, relevant and cognate, their eye balls will on the topmost banner on your site. Only if they find something lucrative enough on that banner, will they stay to look around furthermore. That banner should be a snap shot of what your company does and the benefits it offers to the consumers. This will make the consumers wanting to know more.
The list of tools is a long one and I believe that curiosity is a virtue that should often be exercised. So until I put the rest of my experience in words, soak in all that is said and be ready to meet me right here again tomorrow.
Let’s start with the basics:
• Get your goal right!
The first thing is to decide your reason of choosing the internet as a medium.
If you already have a presence offline i.e. in the 'real market', then having people to identify you makes it easy. In that case you can be called as a brand on the internet.
If you intend to generate sales from your business on the web (for eg. affiliate marketing, e-store, Search engine marketing etc.), then things may take time to shape up. You'll be required to carry out an extensive competitive research about the global market trends in your industry vertical.
• Strike the cupid at the first glance!
Visitors dislike scrolling. So even before they see your homepage, which i'm sure may be inviting, relevant and cognate, their eye balls will on the topmost banner on your site. Only if they find something lucrative enough on that banner, will they stay to look around furthermore. That banner should be a snap shot of what your company does and the benefits it offers to the consumers. This will make the consumers wanting to know more.
The list of tools is a long one and I believe that curiosity is a virtue that should often be exercised. So until I put the rest of my experience in words, soak in all that is said and be ready to meet me right here again tomorrow.
Is your portal the next Wal Mart in the making??
Its time to move from continental cuisines of sophisticated 5 Star hotels to street-side 'dhabawalas'. This indeed is the new regimen of the world today. “Go Local!” is the buzz word.
In order to survive in an industry which changes by the second, constant innovation is the only key to breathe easy and perform optimally. Online Retail Industry- this business vertical is meandering in an arena, the population of which is estimated to reach a stupendous 120 million by 2008, says the ASSOCHAM Report. Therefore for entrepreneurs dreaming to become future Wal Marts of the world, reading this is a must.
That people in metros divulge in spending more than their sub-urban counterparts is now a cliché. Consumer Insight reports reveal that times are ripe to reach to this new community of consumers because it is this segment which now bears a massive potential to bolster the revenue pay offs targeted by these online entrepreneurs. So what do we do? Well, the need of the hour is to ‘localise’ the businesses to address the buying instincts of this ‘small town shopper’.
For example, there is an upcoming portal whose speculation is catching pace in present times- Retails Direct. This newbie has not only made its presence felt in the leading metros but also smaller towns PAN India. “We’re launching promotions on upbeat as well as local web sites to reach our local customers more effectively. Succeeding locally depends on how effectively you get the word out to your customers, asserts the Co-founder and Director, Rupinder Khurana, retailsdirect.com .
Consumer, like the advertising gurus say, is the ‘king’. But these kings are no longer confined to the sky scraper laden urban environs. The ones in bucolic pavilions are now as well-heeled and demand ‘personalized’ patronage if at all entrepreneurs seek to exploit their cache. Hope this article would serve fruitful for these businesses who are seeking new interfaces to reach their customers.
In order to survive in an industry which changes by the second, constant innovation is the only key to breathe easy and perform optimally. Online Retail Industry- this business vertical is meandering in an arena, the population of which is estimated to reach a stupendous 120 million by 2008, says the ASSOCHAM Report. Therefore for entrepreneurs dreaming to become future Wal Marts of the world, reading this is a must.
That people in metros divulge in spending more than their sub-urban counterparts is now a cliché. Consumer Insight reports reveal that times are ripe to reach to this new community of consumers because it is this segment which now bears a massive potential to bolster the revenue pay offs targeted by these online entrepreneurs. So what do we do? Well, the need of the hour is to ‘localise’ the businesses to address the buying instincts of this ‘small town shopper’.
For example, there is an upcoming portal whose speculation is catching pace in present times- Retails Direct. This newbie has not only made its presence felt in the leading metros but also smaller towns PAN India. “We’re launching promotions on upbeat as well as local web sites to reach our local customers more effectively. Succeeding locally depends on how effectively you get the word out to your customers, asserts the Co-founder and Director, Rupinder Khurana, retailsdirect.com .
Consumer, like the advertising gurus say, is the ‘king’. But these kings are no longer confined to the sky scraper laden urban environs. The ones in bucolic pavilions are now as well-heeled and demand ‘personalized’ patronage if at all entrepreneurs seek to exploit their cache. Hope this article would serve fruitful for these businesses who are seeking new interfaces to reach their customers.
Thursday, March 20, 2008
E-branding your way to success!
“Which brand do I choose?” I have lost count of how many times have I asked this question to myself. Everything time I decide upon a gadget, I visit sites and rumble-tumble goes my head. Every brand has a little extra than the other to offer and a little less than the previous one. Before your consumer gets lost in this frenzy, it’s time to define some e-branding tools.
Well, does that term seem new to you?? If yes, then very soon from now, this is the only term you’ll have marketing professionals talking about.
What is E-branding?
The web is on for a transformation spree. Internet in India is expected to have 120 million users by 2008. So if demand is on a rise, will supply be far behind? Certainly not!! Therefore we see a swarm of e-businesses seeding on this dynamic medium every single day, the largest being the Online Retail Industry. What are these businesses doing to make themselves known? Do they know that if they don’t make their customers ‘STICK AROUND’, their competitors are just a click away. Just a single click!!
Do you have friends? I’m sure you do! Doesn’t it feel great when your friend holds your hand when in trouble? Customers are also just like any of us, they thrive on relationships. In a world characterized by stress and clutter, if you understand their needs, guide them and show them you care, they'll trust you like no other. That is called BRAND LOYALTY. And when your consumer starts identifying you, among millions of similar players with similar faces too, without having to put in any extra efforts, THAT my friends, is called E-BRANDING!
Some examples are as follows:
Coke - Genuine, Family-oriented
Pepsi – Spirited, Young, Outgoing
Wall Street Journal - Accomplished, Competent
Mercedes, Lexus - Sophistication
Nike (versus LA gear) – Ambition
If you able to render this identity to your brand, rest assured, your customer will never and I mean NEVER elude you. Now the question is: How Do We Do it?
Watch out for my next blog as I unravel the mysteries!
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