Macy’s

The virtues of re-engaging dormant customers

Companies spend a huge amount of time and money on customer acquisition.

And why shouldn’t they? After all, growing a business significantly is usually best accomplished by growing the number of people who pay for its products and services.

Google to add buy buttons to mobile search results

Earlier this month, Google announced that it was giving mobile users the ability to order food directly from its search results, signaling the possibility that the next phase of search’s evolution will be transactionalization.

As I wrote at the time, “it’s not hard to imagine Google applying transactional functionality to other types of search,” and product search seemed like one of the most obvious search categories ripe for transactional features.

Guest checkout test: which of these 25 US retailers force users to register?

One of the biggest barriers for customers about to use a checkout is forcing them to register their details first.

Presenting them with page after page of forms in which they need to fill out the most unnecessary of personal details is a quick way to send your customers to the exit, leaving many abandoned baskets and lowering your conversion.

Earlier today I looked at 30 UK retailers and which ones force their customers to register, now it’s time to turn our attention to the USA.

Why Macy’s frequent & repetitive sales emails dilute the impact

Email is a versatile marketing channel. For example, it can be used to deliver a content strategy, to maintain customer relationships, or to promote new products.

However over at Macy’s, email is really only used for one thing – offering discounts and money off.

In fact I’ve noticed that for the past few months the only marketing messages I’ve received from Macy’s are those that promote a seasonal sale or special offer.

Email is a very effective sales tool, with respondents in Econsultancy’s Email Marketing Census stating that it delivers the best ROI of any digital marketing channel.

Discounts or offers are a common tactic and can drive high volumes of sales, however Macy’s approach is overkill.

I have to go back three weeks to 25 August to find a subject line that didn’t mention some kind of sale or discount, but since then I’ve received 12 other sales emails.

How Harrods, Macy’s and other retailers are inspiring Christmas shoppers

Over the past few weeks online retailers have begun unveiling tools aimed at inspiring shoppers as they search for Christmas gift ideas.

I’m unconvinced as to whether these features have any impact on sales as they often appear a bit gimmicky, but judging by their popularity among retailers they presumably achieve some kind of ROI.

I’ve already reviewed Argos’ rather quirky Gift Finder which offers a unique browsing experience at the expense of usability, so in the interest of fairness thought it would be interesting to take a look at how other brands are catering to Christmas shoppers.

Here’s what I came up with…

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