Digital Marketing Blog

Three ideas that convert better than a standard carousel

Automatic carousels have come under increasing fire this year from this blog, and UX experts like Jacob Nielsen and conversion pros like Peep Laja.

The conclusion, which all three of us share, is that unadulterated carousels are bad for business!

In this post I’ll show you three ways to improve the relevancy of content that occupies your carousel ‘hero’ locations and the contribution it makes to your conversion rate.

by Blair Keen 13 May 2013 12:49pm 6 comments

More than half of businesses achieve 10% of sales through email marketing

In the fast moving world of digital marketing the value of email for driving sales is occasionally overlooked as shiny new technologies emerge and distract our attention from what actually works in terms of bringing in revenue.

However the new Econsultancy/Adestra Email Marketing Census again highlights the importance of email as a sales channel, as just over half (55%) of all company respondents could attribute more than 10% of their total sales to the email marketing channel, with 18% of respondents stating that email accounted for over 30%.

The Email Marketing Census looks at the amount and type of email marketing carried out by organisations, the way that email marketing is conducted, issues affecting the industry and the effectiveness of email compared to other digital marketing channels.

by David Moth 13 May 2013 12:24pm 1 comment

A day in the life of a... Social Media and Online Communications Manager

Charlotte Howells is Social Media and Online Communications Manager at the Met Office. Here she walks us through a typical day in her working life.

If you fancy a new challenge, and want to do something similar to Charlotte, then check out the range of social media jobs on our digital jobs site.

Alternatively, if you work for a brand and would like your own Day In The Life profile then by drop us a note (to editor@econsultancy.com), and please state your job title in the subject line.

by Chris Lake 13 May 2013 11:36am 0 comments

Is guest blogging becoming risky?

After Penguin hit a lot of sites hard last year, it seems many SEOs have turned to guest blogging for alternative methods of link-building.

I see this in the volume of requests I get for guest posts on this blog, and Google presumably sees this in the volume of new links it is seeing from guest blogging.

It seems that Google is now taking a serious interest in guest blogging, so what are the risks for the bloggers and the sites hosting guest articles?

I've been asking some SEO experts for their views on the potential risks and how to avoid them...

by Graham Charlton 13 May 2013 11:23am 26 comments

Six things to consider when writing product descriptions

A great product description is one of the most important features needed for an effective product page alongside user reviews, images, bold calls-to-action and delivery information.

The benefits of writing unique product descriptions are obvious – firstly you avoid getting penalised by Google for having duplicate content on your site, and secondly it’s a great sales opportunity.

There are few areas where sites can really differentiate themselves from their competitors and copywriting is one of them.

It’s a chance to entice the customer, upsell your products and inject a bit of excitement and personality into your site.

by David Moth 13 May 2013 10:37am 2 comments

Now is the time to embrace showrooming

A new TNS study across 43 countries suggests that 21% of shoppers use smartphones in store to 'showroom', 43% read reviews, 31% compare prices and 25% seek advice before they buy from friends and family.

This phenomenon has put the fear of God into many within the retail industry, woken businesses up to the link between the high street and internet and made retailers aware that they are not ready to service this reality.

We’ve seen Jessops and HMV go into administration in recent months and Best Buy shrink. The culprit? Supposedly showrooming.

by Jasper Bell 13 May 2013 10:09am 3 comments

ASOS launches new virtual fitting tool in bid to reduce returns

Product returns are a major problem for online retailers as each unwanted order obviously incurs a cost, which then raises the dilemma of who is to pay for postage.

Passing the cost onto customers is certain to put people off ordering again in future, but absorbing the cost might not be feasible for all businesses.

Ideally retailers should try and reduce the need to return items in the first place, and we’ve previously written about a shoe fitting app that reduced fit-related returns by 23%.

Now ASOS has launched a new tool, Virtusize, that has the potential to achieve an even greater rate of success, as it has already proven to reduce fit-related returns by up to 50% on other ecommerce sites.

by David Moth 13 May 2013 09:31am 4 comments

Report: Australia's tech startup ecosystem worth more than $100bn

Google and PricewaterhouseCoopers are predicting that Australian tech businesses will be worth $109 billion by 2023, employing 500,000 people and contributing as much to the Australian economy as the retail and education sectors.

The new report, Startup Economy, examines the current state of Australia’s technology sector and looks at how this can be nourished to build a strong tech industry for the country, an area that's increasingly under scrutiny due to the positive effects it can bring.

by Claire Brinkley 12 May 2013 23:30pm 1 comment

Social media lessons from Coca-Cola, Starbucks, and Delta

Are you missing a critical social media KPI?

'Social media disconnects', or when consumers unfriend/unlike or unfollow as a result of a social media marketing initiative or campaign, isn't a term in many marketers' vocabulary.

Perhaps it's time for that to change.

by Kevin Lee 10 May 2013 16:15pm 0 comments

This week's finest digital marketing infographic

Taobao is China’s largest online shopping platform and today is its 10th birthday, so what better way to commemorate the occasion than an infographic?

According to the stats, in 2013 the Chinese are expected to spend more than £177 billion shopping online making it the world’s largest ecommerce market.

And despite the fact that internet penetration is just 40% in China, the country’s online population is still 242 million people.

For more information on this topic check out our Digital Market Landscape Report which focuses on the emerging market in China, or read our interview with Net Media Planet on how European businesses should approach paid search in the country.

by David Moth 10 May 2013 14:50pm 3 comments