Interview with Philips online sales VP Gilles Domartini
Consumer electronics giant Philips has just launched a major redesign of its consumer website to improve usability and help shoppers “fully experience and interact with products as though they were right in front of them.”
The firm says it’s its biggest upgrade for three years. New features include a Google Maps mashup showing the location of retailers' outlets, as well as tools to allow greater interactivity on product pages. Philips also deployed technology to improve communication with retailers about stock availability and lead generation.
We spoke to Gilles Domartini, Philips Consumer Electronics’ VP & GM of online sales and marketing, to find out a bit more about how the company's e-commerce strategy is changing as brands seek to interact more closely with consumers.
Google launches interactive widget ads
Google today launched Gadget Ads, a new interactive rich media ad format which will allow advertisers to measure users' responses to the ads, as well as updating ad content in real time.
The new ads designed for use across Google's network of sites, and aims to offer a way for internet users to interact with ad content in a way that is not possible with standard web ads.
Pure-play etailers top satisfaction poll
Pure-play web retailers are ahead of their multi-channel competitors when it comes to customer satisfaction, according to a new study.Etail solution provider Pangora surveyed hundreds of UK online customers about their experiences of delivery, site quality and customer service, and firms with no high street presence came top in most categories.
Consumers who research online spend more offline - report
People who research their electronics purchases on the internet spend 10% more in store than those who don't research online, according to a study by Yahoo and ChannelForce.
Yahoo and ChannelForce surveyed 1,100 US adults in electrical stores, and found that the majority of electronics buyers researched their purchases online before visting the store.
Apple's iPhone hacked within days of release
It was only released last Friday, but hackers have already found a way to get into to iPhone's master password.
Since the much-hyped release of Apple's latest gadget, hackers have been trying to understand how to activate the device with any sim card, instead of having to use AT&T, the exclusive carrier for the iPhone.
Google encourages gadget developers
Google has launched a pilot programme that will provide funding to developers using its gadget API to develop their own applications.
Under the scheme, developers can apply for a grant if their app is in Google's gadgets directory and has at least 250,000 weekly page views.
Bank tests mobile Visa payments
US bank Wells Fargo is to begin testing Visa's mobile payments system with 50 of its own employees.
Introduced earlier this year, the system allows customers to buy goods using mobiles equipped with special chips that can be swiped over retail scanners.
Music Station plans October launch in UK
Music Station, a new service offering all-you-can-eat music downloads to mobiles, is reportedly planning to launch in the UK in October.The Independent says Omnifone, Music Station’s owner, is in talks with Carphone Warehouse over a deal to preload the service onto new handsets.
Fifth of Father's Day shoppers go online
Around a fifth of American shoppers will go online to buy their dad a gift this Father's Day, according to new research.
The National Retail Federation found 18.7% of people will turn to an e-commerce store to buy a gift for the occasion, which is marked this weekend.
Web radio firm Slacker raises $40m in funding
Slacker, a recently launched web radio service, has raised $40m (£20m) in a second round of funding, to add to the $14.5m (£7.3m) raised in a Series A round of funding earlier this year.
According to peHUB, Centennial Ventures and Rho Ventures were new investors, while Austin Ventures, Mission Ventures and Sevin Rosen Funds, which had participated in the first round, invested again.
And it turns out that Slacker has some serious non-web ambitions...
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Web 2.0
Graham Charlton
Strategy & Planning
