Technology - May 2005
-- Home Accents Today, 5/24/2005 9:17:00 AM
Industry Benchmark reveals site search impacts on-third of online sales
Research and Markets: U.S. e-commerce revenues jumped more than 25% last year
Sferra launches new Web site and packaging
Nielsen//NetRatings: Highest conversion rates among non-brick-and-mortar retailers
Gallery Art Glass introduces new Web site, online catalog
Marshall Field's enhances online commerce and gift registry capabilities
Industry Benchmark reveals site search impacts on-third of online sales
On-site search engines are used by consumers in more than one-third of visits that result in a purchase, according to LIVEmark Index data released by Coremetrics, the leading provider of hosted Web analytics and precision marketing solutions. Coremetrics LIVEmark Index data collected during the second week of April also showed site search users purchase 86% more often and have an 11% higher average order size than the typical site visitor. “LIVEmark participating vendors collectively transact over $5.3 billion annually through their eCommerce sites,” said Joe Davis, president and CEO of Coremetrics. “Measuring and benchmarking the impact on-site search has to their bottom line not only illustrates how optimizing search can result in big dollars, but being able to quantify search performance against a benchmark of peers allows organizations to understand whether they are investing enough in on-site search technology to meet the needs of increasingly Internet savvy consumers.” The LIVEmark Index is the industry's most comprehensive benchmark for eBusiness performance, providing critical comparison data for site-wide key performance indicators across more than 110 leading retail brands. Brands participating include: 1-800-Flowers, ABE Books, Abercrombie & Fitch, Alibris, American Eagle, Bass Pro Shops, Benchmark Brands, Bluefly, Cabela's, Coach, CompUSA, Crutchfield, Eddie Bauer, Hanover Direct, Home Shopping Network, Land’s End, May Company, Northern Tool, Oakley, OfficeMax, Orvis, Petco, RedEnvelope, REI, Sears Canada, Sharper Image, Spiegel, Staples, The TJX Companies, Williams-Sonoma and Yankee Candle. Coremetrics 2005, the company's flagship offering, is the corporate web analytics standard for more than 400 brands. The LIVEmark Index, launched in March 2005, leverages aggregate performance data across participating brands to deliver more than 35 benchmark metrics addressing campaign and channel effectiveness, site stickiness, and conversion rates. LIVEmark participants gain a clear understanding of business performance relative to peers and competitors so they can effectively allocate marketing spend, anticipate industry threats and trends and make strategic decisions about site, marketing and merchandising efforts. LIVEmark is generally available to all Coremetrics clients at no additional charge. The LIVEmark Index includes a benchmark of all participating retailers as well as seven sub-categories: Apparel & Accessories, Specialty Retail, Sports and Outdoor, Home, Garden, General Merchandisers, and Books/Music/Video. Clients who wish to access benchmark data must also join the LIVEmark Index. For more information, please call 877-721-CORE.
Research and Markets: U.S. e-commerce revenues jumped more than 25% last year
Research and Markets has announced the addition of E-Commerce in the U.S.: Retail Trends to their offerings. E-Commerce in the U.S., a new report from eMarketer, briefly reviews what has happened in the ten years since the first online purchase and looks ahead to the future of e-commerce, which has grown faster and more steadily than almost anyone predicted. Long gone are the days when Web sites crashed and online retailers burned through investors' money. Today, Internet retailers offer a stable shopping environment, and many of them are enjoying a healthy profit margin. At the same time, Internet users are becoming more sophisticated in utilizing multiple shopping channels to research and buy products. The next 10 years will be marked by a deepening consumer acceptance of online purchasing. Powerful new search services will stir spending activity. Improved personalization technology will enable retailers to think more like their customers. And mobile phones, new wireless devices and multimedia messaging services will all support e-commerce. However, one wildcard looms: online fraud. Fraud represents a tiny portion of overall online commerce, but many consumers remain uncomfortable with digital transactions and a string of negative incidents could spell disaster for retailers. Key questions the “E-Commerce in the U.S.” report addresses:
- What are the growth prospects for retail e-commerce?
- What are the biggest online product categories?
- What will be the fastest growing online categories?
- How do shoppers use search engines to conduct research?
- How can online marketers successfully capitalize on their behavior?
- How are online retailers driving consumers to their Web sites?
- How effectively are visitors being converted into buyers?
For more information visit http://www.researchandmarkets.com/reports/c16111
Sferra launches new Web site and packaging
Sferra Fine Linens is revamping its brand identity with a new Web site and packaging.
The company will embark on a rebranding campaign to strengthen its visual brand identity with the launch of a new brochure-style site for its retail partners and customers. Sferra previously unveiled a redesigned logo and product images.
Sferra's rebranding also extends to its packaging with an updated look, featuring new signature colors.
Nielsen//NetRatings: Highest conversion rates among non-brick-and-mortar retailers
Nielsen//NetRatings, the global standard for Internet audience measurement and analysis, released the first Internet retail report card from the MegaView Online Retail service. The report card highlights the top 10 online retailers ranked by sales conversion rates, and top 15 product categories ranked by average order size during February 2005.
Nielsen//NetRatings MegaView Online Retail service tracks online consumer retail activity and purchasing behavior, and offers marketers competitive benchmarking, dollar spending insights and buyer conversion rates.
Nielsen//NetRatings found that among the top 10 online retailers ranked by conversion rates in February 2005, only Coldwater Creek has a significant brick-and-mortar presence. The remaining nine retailers are comprised of a television shopping network, catalogs and online-only retailers.
Top 10 Online Retailers Based on Conversion Rate, February 2005
| eCommerce Site | Conversion Rate (%) |
| QVC | 16.3 |
| Lands' End | 14.8 |
| sportsmansguide.com | 13.5 |
| FTD.com | 13.4 |
| llbean.com | 13.4 |
| Amazon | 12.8 |
| Coldwater Creek | 12.7 |
| eBay | 12.3 |
| Yahoo! Shopping | 12.1 |
| proflowers.com | 11.8 |
QVC marked the highest conversion rates out of approximately 117 online retailers, turning 16.3 percent of its site shoppers into purchasers. Lands' End followed by converting 14.8 percent of its visitors into buyers, with Sportsman's Guide ranking third by converting 13.5 percent. The average conversion rate is 4.9 percent among the top 100 retailers, as reported in the MegaView Online Retail service.
"Brick-and-mortar retailers are noticeably absent among the top performers in online sales conversion rates. While traffic is high to popular brick-and-mortar Web sites, visitors are often researching purchases to be made offline," said Heather Dougherty, senior retail analyst, Nielsen//NetRatings. "Customers visiting a catalogers' Web site already have the information they need about the product, and therefore, are ready to make an immediate purchase."
Top 15 Online Retail Categories Based on Average Order Size, February 2005
Product Category Average Order Size (US$)
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Computer Hardware 584.47
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Event & Movie Tickets 121.60
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Automotive 119.23
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Office Supplies 102.47
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Consumer Electronics 99.12
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Child/Baby Care 86.13
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Sporting Goods & Outdoor 74.15
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Home & Garden 69.99
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Shoes & Athletic Footwear 53.14
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Flowers, Greetings, & Specialty Gifts 51.61
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Computer Software 46.76
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Jewelry & Watches 46.62
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Health/Wellness/Beauty 45.94
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Apparel & Accessories 44.68
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Toys, Games & Hobbies 40.41
Gallery Art Glass introduces new Web site, online catalog
Gallery Art Glass has unveiled its new Web site, www.galleryinc.com.
The new online catalog features 600 original designs available to order as open stock items, including window panels, sun catchers, treasure boxes, photo frames, nightlights, bird feeders, plant stakes and wind chimes.
Also online at the new site is a complete listing of sales representatives and the company’s trade show schedule.
Marshall Field's enhances online commerce and gift registry capabilities
Marshall Field's has added several new online capabilities at fields.com, including the ability to create and manage a gift registry, shop from an assortment of over 15,000 items, view transactions and make a payment on a Marshall Field’s credit account.
With the updated capabilities, guests can create a Marshall Field’s gift registry by completing an online gift registry profile as a bride, groom or partner if they choose.
Once registered, guests can then build a registry from more than 15,000 home products and distinctive brands such as All Clad, Cuisinart, KitchenAid, Waterford, Nambe, Vera Wang, Lenox, Kate Spade, Donna Karan, Calvin Klein and Waterworks Bath. To make registering even more seamless, fields.com automatically recommends a quantity for each selection for the registrant during the selection process and allows registrants to add or change the quantity of items wanted.
“Marshall Field’s invented bridal registry in 1924, and we have the distinct advantage of offering a host of bridal services conveniently located under one roof and now at fields.com,” said Frank Guzzetta, president and chief executive officer for Marshall Field’s. “fields.com is an important retail channel that we are aggressively developing and it's one of many vehicles Marshall Field's uses for selling merchandise, providing enhanced guest services and extending our reach nationwide.”
Guests can also enjoy convenient resources online from Marshall Field's Bridal Guide, a complimentary organizational tool that takes brides through each stage of the wedding planning process, to free bridal gift wrap for all purchases from a Marshall Field's gift registry.
In addition to Marshall Field's online gift registry, fields.com provides the latest information on Marshall Field's store services, store locations, events and trends. Other recent online additions include an assortment of Frango chocolates, a unique, interactive tool showcasing more than 60 prom dresses available for purchase as well as Online Bill Pay, a new credit service where guests can make monthly payments electronically and view recent purchases and payments anytime.
Newness will continue to abound at fields.com with thousands of new items added to the site in the Home category this spring and new offerings in Women's, Men's, Beauty, Shoes and Kid's added throughout 2005. For our guest's convenience, fields.com accepts Marshall Field's Card, Visa, Mastercard, American Express and Discover. All online merchandise returns can be made at any Marshall Field's store or by mail.
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Technology - May 2005
May 24, 2005
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