E-commerce without a doubt is booming!
Are you shopping online yet? If not what are you waiting for? Why waste gas, wait in long lines or have to search hours for products you can't find! Now is the time to shop online and no one else has such a rich and unlimited paid to shop program!
"There is no doubt that while brick and mortar businesses feel outdated, brick and mortar sales continue to massively trump online sales. But e-commerce sales are growing at a very strong rate. In 2009, U.S. online sales amounted to $155.2 billion, only 6% of total retail sales (via Forrester Research). A new report from comScore released "its Q2 2010 U.S. retail e-commerce sales estimates, which showed that online retail spending reached $32.9 billion for the quarter, up 9 percent versus year ago." According to the numbers in the study, U.S. e-commerce sales have a 7% Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) since 2007. E-commerce, without a doubt, is booming!" "Forrester predicts that online sales will reach $250 billion in 2014, capturing 8% of the total U.S. retail sales" I wanted to share this article with you called the Long Tail of Retail: A new report from comScore released "its Q2 2010 U.S. retail e-commerce sales estimates, which showed that online retail spending reached $32.9 billion for the quarter, up 9 percent versus year ago." According to the numbers in the study, U.S. e-commerce sales have a 7% Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) since 2007.
A new report from comScore released "its Q2 2010 U.S. retail e-commerce sales estimates, which showed that online retail spending reached $32.9 billion for the quarter, up 9 percent versus year ago." According to the numbers in the study, U.S. e-commerce sales have a 7% Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) since 2007.
Forrester predicts that online sales will reach $250 billion in 2014, capturing 8% of the total U.S. retail sales. But what sectors of online retail will explode? Which ones will become irrelevant?
E-commerce superstores like Amazon and Zappos will continue to expand by providing a wider product selection to suit everyone's needs so they become a hub for everything and anything, sort of like WalMart. Their impressive growth rates which quickly made them billion dollar companies aren't likely to come to a halt any time soon. E-stores like Amazon and Zappos are certainly hitting the long tail of retail, and are successful in doing so because consumers are having trouble finding miscellaneous products they want in their local retail stores. Amazon and Zappos make it easy to find and purchase the things you really want. Where else can I find organic soy milk in portable single-serve sizes? Perhaps Whole Foods, but I really hate waiting in those long lines, and it would be a disappointing and wasted trip if they didn't carry what I was looking for or was out of stock
Flash sale sites like Gilt, HauteLook and RueLaLa will reach more consumers who are looking for the latest and greatest deals on designer brands. Gilt Groupe even expanded to create Gilt City for flash deals in your local city. With consumers looking to minimize costs but maximize value, flash sale businesses came at the right time. Right now, there are scores of web-savvy consumers who would die for 70% off a pair of Nudie jeans, and would check in online several times a day to catch the most recent and available deals, which can disappear in minutes. These businesses win because they capitalized on maximized value to customers at minimized costs, at a time when consumer behaviors and technology enabled these businesses to boom.
To read more: http://huff.to/cOyXzm
Published in http://beingjrridinger.com/inside-jr/item/166-e-commerce-without-a-doubt-is-booming.html
http://ranreadyonline.com
Tuesday, August 31, 2010
Sunday, March 21, 2010
Planning Now for a Futuristic Web - JK
JK Planning Now for a Futuristic Web
There are some amazing developments exploding on this social Web that are pointing to an increasingly human experience. Right now the buzz is about real-time search and location-based services. The only certainty is that these developments will be followed by others.
You can try to predict what is coming next, or you can just accept the fact that the inevitable will happen. As a small business owner and user of this technology, I believe the smart thing to do is to assume that the Web will continue to evolve into an experience that enhances, extends, and in many ways, mirrors our everyday human experiences. And then plan for that.
Shouldn't we be working now with an eye on the inevitable Web that will become reality in 10, 20, or even 50 years into the future? If you have been on this planet for a while, you know the future seems to arrive much more quickly than you would have otherwise imagined, so you may as well start planning for it.
The Past
The early days of modern marketing in the '50's and '60's gave us an imagined experience. Products and services were marketed to make us feel younger, run faster and jump higher, and otherwise live a Utopian life of eternal youth. And surprisingly, we believed it all.
The Near Past
Then the '70's and '80's came along and we discovered some truths about people, companies, and governments. We realized that the party just couldn't last.
The Present
The '90's and early years of this century brought us down to earth as globalization became reality. Not only is our world not perfect, there are quite a few problems that demand our attention - both locally and across the globe.
What If
Imagine what social media would have been like during these periods. It would have mirrored the times, just as blogging and the social media network mirror where we are at today.
Social media reflects what is going on in the world today. It captures and records everything. And that data is then analyzed, although not necessarily very well at this time. Though the day of accurate measurement, analysis, and feedback will come. You can count on it.
The Future - Here and Now
Knowing this, you have to now consider how you will use the Web of the future. That's right, you can choose how to use the Web, or you can sit back passively and wait for it to use you, which of course is what is already happening.
The Web is indexing information with amazing speed and accuracy, and that trend is sure to continue. Knowing that, it is wise to consider what a world will be like where there is a perfect Web, one with nearly perfect information that mirrors your every move, and those of everyone else. How will you respond?
As small business owners, how will you shape your business to adapt your company to the inevitable future of marketing? One thing I'm sure of is it will not at all resemble what we have seen in the past. Some of my ideas are to imagine complete knowledge of competitive pricing, reputation, quality, and customer experience, to name just a few.
I believe in 30 years we will laugh at how we do things today. I believe we will be surrounded by solutions that were either out of our reach, or that we had to work extremely hard for.
Human Solutions
If there was ever a time to consider the future by thinking beyond what you considered to be normal or possible, especially as it involves the human aspects of your business, this is that time. It's time to think about what is possible when you seamlessly connect millions of people in ways that are unimaginable, because the unimaginable will indeed arrive soon enough.
Some Ideas to Consider
What if you knew exactly what was on your customers minds? What if you knew their every thought concerning your product and service? How would you use this information to deliver a better experience - not just better overall, but optimized for each and every customer.
Is this possible? You bet it is. And we should all start preparing for that possibility.
In a future post I'll share one amazing technology that gives a glimpse into these possibilities. The great thing about amazing possibilities is you don't have to predict them.
You just have to be ready.
There are some amazing developments exploding on this social Web that are pointing to an increasingly human experience. Right now the buzz is about real-time search and location-based services. The only certainty is that these developments will be followed by others.
You can try to predict what is coming next, or you can just accept the fact that the inevitable will happen. As a small business owner and user of this technology, I believe the smart thing to do is to assume that the Web will continue to evolve into an experience that enhances, extends, and in many ways, mirrors our everyday human experiences. And then plan for that.
Shouldn't we be working now with an eye on the inevitable Web that will become reality in 10, 20, or even 50 years into the future? If you have been on this planet for a while, you know the future seems to arrive much more quickly than you would have otherwise imagined, so you may as well start planning for it.
The Past
The early days of modern marketing in the '50's and '60's gave us an imagined experience. Products and services were marketed to make us feel younger, run faster and jump higher, and otherwise live a Utopian life of eternal youth. And surprisingly, we believed it all.
The Near Past
Then the '70's and '80's came along and we discovered some truths about people, companies, and governments. We realized that the party just couldn't last.
The Present
The '90's and early years of this century brought us down to earth as globalization became reality. Not only is our world not perfect, there are quite a few problems that demand our attention - both locally and across the globe.
What If
Imagine what social media would have been like during these periods. It would have mirrored the times, just as blogging and the social media network mirror where we are at today.
Social media reflects what is going on in the world today. It captures and records everything. And that data is then analyzed, although not necessarily very well at this time. Though the day of accurate measurement, analysis, and feedback will come. You can count on it.
The Future - Here and Now
Knowing this, you have to now consider how you will use the Web of the future. That's right, you can choose how to use the Web, or you can sit back passively and wait for it to use you, which of course is what is already happening.
The Web is indexing information with amazing speed and accuracy, and that trend is sure to continue. Knowing that, it is wise to consider what a world will be like where there is a perfect Web, one with nearly perfect information that mirrors your every move, and those of everyone else. How will you respond?
As small business owners, how will you shape your business to adapt your company to the inevitable future of marketing? One thing I'm sure of is it will not at all resemble what we have seen in the past. Some of my ideas are to imagine complete knowledge of competitive pricing, reputation, quality, and customer experience, to name just a few.
I believe in 30 years we will laugh at how we do things today. I believe we will be surrounded by solutions that were either out of our reach, or that we had to work extremely hard for.
Human Solutions
If there was ever a time to consider the future by thinking beyond what you considered to be normal or possible, especially as it involves the human aspects of your business, this is that time. It's time to think about what is possible when you seamlessly connect millions of people in ways that are unimaginable, because the unimaginable will indeed arrive soon enough.
Some Ideas to Consider
What if you knew exactly what was on your customers minds? What if you knew their every thought concerning your product and service? How would you use this information to deliver a better experience - not just better overall, but optimized for each and every customer.
Is this possible? You bet it is. And we should all start preparing for that possibility.
In a future post I'll share one amazing technology that gives a glimpse into these possibilities. The great thing about amazing possibilities is you don't have to predict them.
You just have to be ready.
Monday, January 4, 2010
How to Use Facebook to Fine-Tune Your Website
How to Use Facebook to Fine-Tune Your Website
Social networking sites are not only a great way to drum up new business, but they’re a great way to find out how to get more people to buy what you offer.
You see, I can use any number of different marketing strategies to drive traffic to my site, and then I can see what the conversion rates are and then conduct a split test and see if I can improve them.
That’s great for an established web site, but when I’m first starting out I want real live feedback from my site visitors. I want to hear from them first-hand what their thoughts are about my site, and social marketing makes that possible.
Watch how you can use these sites to zero in on your target market’s needs.
How it works
If you’ve seen my other tutorials on this topic (for example, the Build a Profitable Facebook Network in Minutes a Day tutorial), you know that I like to talk with people one-on-one and build a relationship with them as I introduce my business to them. This helps me get a higher number of people joining my site and purchasing what I offer, but the main reason I like it is this is how I test my site out to see if it’s effective.
On Facebook, for example, I send messages back and forth to people and through asking questions I quickly figure out if they’re interested in what I offer. If they are, I invite them to take action, usually by giving them something for free and having them join my email list.
Whether they act or not, I’ve established communication with them. This means that I can go back a day or two later and ask them why they did (or didn’t do) something, and they’ll very often give me valuable feedback when I ask.
Questions to ask
Here are some great questions to ask:
“I notice you didn’t (insert action). Can you tell me why not? I’m asking several people this question so I can improve my web site, so any thoughts or insights you have would be very much appreciated. Thank you (name)!”
Or
“I notice you did (insert action). I hope you enjoy (benefit of the action). Could you tell me what interests you most about (product/service) I offer? Is there anything I can do to make it easier for you to (obtain benefit of doing business with you)? Please let me know.”
Collect feedback
As people respond you’ll collect a wealth of feedback on how to improve the wording on your site and make the things you’re offering more attractive. You’ll find out how to better cater to your prospects and address their needs and concerns. You can even write these people back and ask further clarifying questions.
You don’t get this opportunity with most traffic-driving strategies. If you write an article or buy an ad you can monitor your web site statistics, but you can only speculate on what your visitors are actually thinking.
Social networking sites make this possible. You can:
1. Build a relationship with someone
2. Find their interest in what you offer
3. Send them to your site
4. Get their feedback
I recommend you repeat this process until your web site is effective at converting your Facebook visitors. At that point you can really capitalize on the traffic you bring in from other internet marketing strategies.
Social networking sites are not only a great way to drum up new business, but they’re a great way to find out how to get more people to buy what you offer.
You see, I can use any number of different marketing strategies to drive traffic to my site, and then I can see what the conversion rates are and then conduct a split test and see if I can improve them.
That’s great for an established web site, but when I’m first starting out I want real live feedback from my site visitors. I want to hear from them first-hand what their thoughts are about my site, and social marketing makes that possible.
Watch how you can use these sites to zero in on your target market’s needs.
How it works
If you’ve seen my other tutorials on this topic (for example, the Build a Profitable Facebook Network in Minutes a Day tutorial), you know that I like to talk with people one-on-one and build a relationship with them as I introduce my business to them. This helps me get a higher number of people joining my site and purchasing what I offer, but the main reason I like it is this is how I test my site out to see if it’s effective.
On Facebook, for example, I send messages back and forth to people and through asking questions I quickly figure out if they’re interested in what I offer. If they are, I invite them to take action, usually by giving them something for free and having them join my email list.
Whether they act or not, I’ve established communication with them. This means that I can go back a day or two later and ask them why they did (or didn’t do) something, and they’ll very often give me valuable feedback when I ask.
Questions to ask
Here are some great questions to ask:
“I notice you didn’t (insert action). Can you tell me why not? I’m asking several people this question so I can improve my web site, so any thoughts or insights you have would be very much appreciated. Thank you (name)!”
Or
“I notice you did (insert action). I hope you enjoy (benefit of the action). Could you tell me what interests you most about (product/service) I offer? Is there anything I can do to make it easier for you to (obtain benefit of doing business with you)? Please let me know.”
Collect feedback
As people respond you’ll collect a wealth of feedback on how to improve the wording on your site and make the things you’re offering more attractive. You’ll find out how to better cater to your prospects and address their needs and concerns. You can even write these people back and ask further clarifying questions.
You don’t get this opportunity with most traffic-driving strategies. If you write an article or buy an ad you can monitor your web site statistics, but you can only speculate on what your visitors are actually thinking.
Social networking sites make this possible. You can:
1. Build a relationship with someone
2. Find their interest in what you offer
3. Send them to your site
4. Get their feedback
I recommend you repeat this process until your web site is effective at converting your Facebook visitors. At that point you can really capitalize on the traffic you bring in from other internet marketing strategies.
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