Kerry Bennett of HauteLook: ‘Search is still one of the most efficient ways to drive traffic’ #IMW13

As part of our Integrated Marketing Week speakers series, we have a great line up of experts in the digital and integrated marketing space.

Our fifth interview features Kerry Bennett, Vice President of Marketing & Communications at HauteLook.

Kerry has shaped HauteLook’s aesthetic from the company’s early days and currently oversees all communications, including public relationships, social media, creative, corporate communications, promotional merchandising, member insights and brand-to-brand relationships.

Read on for her views on search, social and the value of social engagement.

By Ryan Sommer May 3rd 2013 00:03

What are you speaking on at IMW?

I’m speaking on “The Integrated Shopper” panel about shaping a seamless shopping experience for consumers across all communication channels.

When it comes to “big data” in marketing, where do you draw a line in the sand as far as a definition, or size of campaign?

Data and ROI are the foundation of every HauteLook initiative from advertising to product development. We look beyond brand awareness to measure consumer acquisition and engagement and buyer conversion with almost everything we do.

For us, it’s not so much about size of campaign, but rather if we’re using our money and resources efficiently and if we’re keeping our CPA, or cost per buyer, within a target range.

In today’s multichannel and multi-device world, is the old model of search broken?

Search is still one of the easiest, most consistent and efficient ways to drive traffic.

However, since consumers are increasingly using their mobile devices for instant searching, it’s important for retailers to have an optimized mobile site that allows you to capture that lost desktop traffic in a productive way.

What other areas beyond Facebook “Likes” will we begin to see tapped by marketers as far as an online “interest graph?”

Every smart marketer is starting to look beyond the sheer volume of “likes” or “followers” to determine the actual value of social engagement. For HauteLook, we measure each of our seven social platforms based on site traffic, registrations, and purchase behavior, and optimize accordingly.

On the flip side, the explosion in visual content via newer platforms like Pinterest and Instagram presents an interesting challenge for developing and facilitating content that is visually branded but also drives users to take action.

How can retailers of the future offer in-store digital experiences that integrate with their web /mobile presence?

Consumers want to shop wherever, whenever, and however, and the smart retailers are quickly integrating every touchpoint to facilitate these purchases. I think there’s a lot of benefit in keeping in-store experiences simple; adding “bells and whistles” to a digital experience can be great, but it can also interrupt the purchase flow if there’s no ultimate user benefit.

Although HauteLook is entirely online, we strive to move members seamlessly between platforms in a way that makes the shopping experience quick, easy, and satisfying.