38% of visitors to e-commerce sites in research phase: survey
Of all visitors to e-commerce sites, 38.6% are there to research products and prices, and to gather information, though just 85% are able to complete this task successfully.
This is one if the findings of an iPerceptions e-commerce survey, suggesting that improvements in navigation and usability can have a significant impact on sales.
Research reveals increasing use of online ad networks
Two thirds of advertisers are currently working with online ad networks, while almost half say they are using them more than they were a year ago.
This is one of the findings of Econsultancy's Online Advertising Survey Report, which was produced in association with the Rubicon Project, based on a survey of more than 250 advertisers and agencies.
Price comparison sites need to work on usability
Some of the UK's leading financial comparison sites need to work hard at improving the user experience on their websites, according to a new study.
According to Webcredible's Future Comparisons white paper (pdf), presentation of search results, and the ability to manipulate and sort was one major area for improvement, while customer trust issues were often not addressed adequately.
The report looks at the five main financial comparison sites in the UK: Moneysupermarket.com, Gocompare.com, Comparethemarket.com, Confused.com, and uSwitch.com.
Council websites could improve usability: study
While the average usability score for local council websites has improved over last year, there is still plenty of work to be done to improve the user experience, according to a new report.
Webcredible's Local Council Websites report (registration required) gave an average score of 59.9% for usability, an improvement on last year's average of 56.6%.
Affiliate Census goes live in US and UK
This week we’ve gone live with our 2009 Affiliate Census surveys which are aimed at producing comprehensive overviews of both the US and UK affiliate marketplaces, from the perspective of publishers.
This research follows our inaugural Affiliate Census published in 2007 which gave some much-needed insight into affiliate businesses, the affiliate lifestyle and relationships between publishers and networks.
Social media marketing and online PR challenges for 2009
It has been interesting watching and taking part in discussions about our recent Online PR Industry Benchmarking Report. Over 300 UK marketers and PR professionals working for both in-house company teams and for agencies were surveyed.
Here are a few key report findings and opinions from those working at the coal face who blogged or commented...
Social media: the best and worst of 2009
Email marketing: six steps to improving customer engagement in 2010
Web 2.0
Graham Charlton
Strategy & Planning
