Jos Merideth

Clever mystery shopper programme format could boost sales

I recently participated in Selfridges' mystery shopper programme, run by ABA Research. The deal is - and it's a crafty one - Selfridges runs its mystery programme in such a way that typical cost-to-business-research is actually a boost to sales.

I originally came across the programme when trying to find a product online. It was a no-brainer to apply, as I'd be shopping there anyway.

by Jos Merideth 29 November 2006 16:47pm 3 comments

Email marketing worst practice list - exhibit A

At our recent Email Marketing Roundtable one of the attendees said: "I hear the phrase 'best practice' email marketing bandied about, and everyone nods sagely. I'm sure some people could give a definitive list, but where is that list? And is there a list of 'worst practice'?"

I had a little dose of worst practice this morning, something worth adding to any email marketer's Things Not To Do Under Any Circumstances Because You Will Have Angry, Disbelieving Customers list.

by Jos Merideth 27 October 2006 10:15am 6 comments

Apple shows transparency in China iPod factory audit

In a smart move by Apple, the company has released details of an audit done on an iPod factory in China. The audit came in response to accusations of "sweatshop" conditions by the Mail on Sunday.

According to the audit the supplier was “in compliance in the majority of the areas audited. However, we did find violations to our Code of Conduct, as well as other areas for improvement that we are working with the supplier to address.” What follows in the report is a breakdown of the audit methodology and selected results.

by Jos Merideth 18 August 2006 11:20am 2 comments

Window shopping gets literal on the high street

I've been watching this story about Polo Ralph Lauren's ever-so-literal 'window shopping' for the past week, wondering if most people were thinking just what I was thinking.

Supposedly inspired by Spielberg's film adaption of Minority Report, Ralph Lauren has come up with a hybrid touch-screen shop window, where passers-by can shop by touching the window and selecting the items they see in the window.

by Jos Merideth 15 August 2006 17:10pm 1 comment

The symbiosis of brand trust and optimised on-site search

We recently analysed the major factors that influence our visitors to subscribe. The results? The surest sign of a subscriber-to-be was one who used our site search box. So naturally we’re looking into improving it, but that's not actually relevant here. Far more important here is getting more people to use it in the first place.

People aren’t search-shy, we know this from Google’s original search-box-only interface. According to DoubleClick, less than 20% use on-site search (the actual figure varies by sector, of course). So looks like the majority of visitors are finding just what they want right away, right? Much more likely, they don’t trust the onsite search box. Aha.

by Jos Merideth 17 July 2006 16:08pm 0 comments