Are You a Human brings gaming to CAPTCHAs
CAPTCHAs or conversions? While just about every business hopes to boost its conversions, the ill effects of spam bots and screen scrapers have driven countless companies to implement CAPTCHAs on their websites.
In some cases, CAPTCHAs are poorly implemented, leaving users (and potential customers) scratching their heads as they try to decipher text so distorted as to be incomprehensible.
Content trends: six things everyone’s talking about
We're nearly halfway through 2012 and there are some clear content trends emerging.
Here are the top six hot issues we’re discussing with content owners…
J.C. Penney shows the danger of the discount
Before Ron Johnson joined department store giant J.C. Penney as CEO in 2011, he was the SVP of Retail Operations at Apple Inc., where he was responsible for developing the Apple Store and its Genius Bar.
Apple's retail strategy was a major contributor to Appl'e's mind-bending success over the past decade, and for his seven-plus years of work, Johnson was handsomly rewarded.
Needless to say, given Johnson's accomplishments at Apple, J.C. Penney shareholders had high hopes for what he might do for the century-old retailer.
Earlier this year, Johnson unveiled his bold vision: radically alter J.C. Penney's pricing strategy.
Instead of using coupons and discounts, something the department store had done extensively for years, J.C. Penney would offer "Every Day", "Monthly Value" and "Best Price" prices on its merchandise. And instead of selling items for $x.99, it would use round numbers.
Handling online returns: 14 best practice tips
Returns are an issue for every retailer, and some sectors more than others.
They could be viewed as bothersome, but the returns process does offer an opportunity to showcase your excellent customer service and can have a positive impact of future retention rates, if done well.
There is much you can do to reduce returns rates, providing better imagery and information on product pages, but even the best site will experience returns.
So then it comes down to how you handle the returns process, and the better you handle this, the better your retention rates.
Here are 14 tips to help you to avoid annoying your customers...
Is Google selling leads in the UK?
Every so often a simple Google search reveals a hint at a new Google initiative.
In recent months we've seen various different types of ad extension formats and it seems that selling leads rather than clicks could be the next big push in Google's continuing search for revenue streams away from the simple click.
Peter Bell from Fuse Lead Marketing (@fuselead) recently alerted me to an interesting discovery which seems to have appeared over the last few weeks in the UK.
If you are signed into one of Google’s services (LeadPoint uses Google for email) you might stumble across a new type of ad extension in the top ranked ads – namely a way for the advertiser to capture your contact information and permission to contact you without clicking through.
Online shoe fitting app reduces returns by 23%
An app which allows customers to find more accurate information about the shoe size they need to order has managed to reduce fit-related returns rates by 23%
US retailer Running Warehouse has been using the Shoefitr app on its product pages since 2010, and the tool has been very popular with consumers.
By reducing fit-related returns, the app has enabled Running Warehouse to increase its profit margins by 2.5%.
GM ditching paid Facebook ads: report
Facebook apparently hasn't experienced any problems convincing investors to put their money into its IPO, but while the social network focuses its attention on Wall Street, it might do well to pay more attention to a nearby street: Madison Avenue.
That's because, according to a Wall Street Journal report, GM, the world's largest car maker, apparently isn't hot on Facebook's paid ads.
Sears site review: the good, the bad and the ugly
I've been taking a look at the Sears website from a user experience perspective to see what the retailer does well online, and where it can improve.
I've highlighted some excellent features on the site that other online retailers could learn from, some relatively minor irritations that would annoy users, and problems that may make users abandon the site.
Overall, the site performs well and contains some excellent features, such as proactive use of live chat.
However, even with the best sites, there is always room for improvement...
Monday morning panic stations? 18 checks to make when your sales are down
So sales are down, the MD / CEO wants to know why web sales are down and you have an hour to prepare for the trading call or meeting.
We have all been in the position where we have sprung into the office on a Monday morning full of the joys of spring, compared like for like trading and found sales are down.
If this happens, you need some answers or at least to be armed with some basic information so you can identify where sales could have been lost.
Listed below are some 18 things that are always good to check on a Monday morning, or indeed any day when sales aren't as expected....
Are your online customers cheating on you? (Infographic)
This useful infographic looks at the reasons why customers will use one of your competitors instead, and the signs to look for in when testing and analysing.
According to Maxymiser, you should be looking at homepage bounce rates, cart abandonment, low AOVs and more...
(Click on the image for a larger version).
