Marketing Sherpa just published its 2006 Ecommerce Benchmark Guide with some insights into online buying. It took all kinds of data from big retailers like Apple.com and Best Buy Online to come up with some conclusions. Editorial side note… I subscribe to Marketing Sherpa but have never felt the need to plunk down $200-300 on one of their “full” marketing reports. While some of the insights are good, I feel on the whole the editor there isn’t always on target and sometimes comes up with faulty generalizations.
Some conclusions that I derive from Anne Holland’s conclusions, my own silly little brain, and crap I’ve read before:
- Search is continuing to spoil people into instant gratification. If possible, you should always provide a search on your site.
- Loyalty tracking will make your site and business more profitable. It’s a pain in the ass sometimes, but you gotta do it.
- Grow your opt-in email list.
- Flaunt your privacy policy, return policy, and “make me feel fuzzy” anti-fraud/anti-hacking/security badges
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