Blog Monetate

Thank You for Reading! Two years and more than 100 posts

Posted August 28th, 2010, by Stephen Cobb

2 Years of Monetate Marketing Blog That’s right marketing fans, the first Monetate blog post was penned by yours truly exactly two years ago today!

I have since written a total of 100 posts for this blog. Add to that the 6 posts penned by Tom Ellis, Marketing’s Wharton MBA Summer Intern, and the total post count now stands at 106, an average of just over one per week.

In fact, I had not paid much attention to the total blog count until I started writing a post to highlight Tom’s delightful series of enthusiastic posts, which you can access with this link: Marketing Best Practices: 6 Lunches with Brett.

It was only when I noticed, on the WordPress dashboard, that we were into triple digits, that I decided to check the start date of the blog: August 28, 2008. So, to those readers who have followed along from the beginning I wanted to say a big “Thank You!” for hanging in there, and for your feedback and encouragement, delivered in comments and emails and—once in a while—in person.

Speaking of comments, I looked back to see which post got the most comments and it was the one titled: Is That a Coupon Box I See Before Me? If so, it could be hurting revenue. If you’re an online retailer and you use coupons, that post might be a good one to read, along with all the comments.

As for the best comment—perhaps I should say the one that I liked the most—it came from Kevin Ertell on the post last October which proved Windows 7 is good for something: 7 Ways Microsoft Windows 7 Can Help Online Retailers: Even if you don’t sell PCs. Kevin has since joined Monetate’s Strategic Advisory Board as described in this video-enabled blog post from July of this year.

Although we tend to think of blogs as a way to broadcast a message, this blog has also functioned very effectively as one of a number of feedback loops through which Monetate has been able to hone its message of testing, targeting, and personalization. So, thanks once again for watching this space and sharing your thoughts. We hope to bring you even more, better marketing blog posts in the months to come. Stay tuned!

Be the first to comment on this post! Click here.

Posted in Blog, General, News

Promoting Email Consistency: A conversion boosting best practice

Posted August 23rd, 2010, by Tom Ellis

Tom Ellis To My Kind Followers: Alas, it’s the final week of my internship here at Monetate for soon I must return to Wharton to complete the last year of my MBA. So please, sit back, relax and enjoy the final installment of “Lunches with Brett.”

As I was chowing down on my chicken salad sandwich, Brett and I were discussing how promotional email campaigns have the potential to be one of the most effective marketing tools. After all, some people on your email list are probably customers already and others have shown enough interest in you to hand over their email address. It reminds me of that line from Alec Baldwin’s character Blake, the real estate sales shark in the film version of Glengarry Glen Ross: “a guy don’t walk on the lot lest he wants to buy.”

According to Brett, a person on your email list could be considered a warm lead, the hard part is done. But I’d done some research in preparation for our lunch… Read the rest of this entry »

Be the first to comment on this post! Click here.

Posted in Blog, Personalization, Strategy, Tom

Maintain the Scent: Maximize your paid search efforts with Ad Echo

Posted August 17th, 2010, by Tom Ellis

Hi everyone, thanks for tuning in to the fifth and penultimate installment of “Lunches with Brett.” This lunch includes a special guest appearance by marketing guru Bryan Eisenberg (a member of Monetate’s Strategic Advisory board).

I have to say it’s amazing what you can learn over half a sandwich and a bowl of soup when two marketing mega-brains like Brett and Bryan get together. As I see it, the best practices that are now emerging in the e-commerce space are being driven by insights from user experience and site optimization gurus like Bryan Eisenberg, then enabled by the amazing technological advances in website marketing tools.

When Bryan joined us during a recent mid-day break he shared with us the importance of “maintaining the scent” (hint: he was not referring to the lingering aroma of grilled Reuben sandwiches). Read the rest of this entry »

Be the first to comment on this post! Click here.

Posted in Blog, Strategy, Tom

Leveraging Geo-centric Buy-in to Target and Optimize Under-performing Segments

Posted August 6th, 2010, by Tom Ellis

Hi everyone, Tom here, back from my fourth lunch with Brett, who blew my mind when he put down his turkey wrap and said: “Let’s talk about leveraging geo-centric buy-in to target and optimize under-performing segments—I think it’s an emerging e-commerce best practice.”

“Why is that?” I asked, before Brett could take another bite. His reply: “It’s usually good for a 5 percent increase in conversion rate or average order value; maybe both, maybe more.”

Now here’s the thing about Brett and numbers: He’s very conservative. And here’s the thing about best practices that add 5 percent to your key metrics: Even if you implement just a handful of them in your online store, they can quickly add up… Read the rest of this entry »

Be the first to comment on this post! Click here.

Posted in Blog, Strategy, Tom, marketing

Get Back-to-School Quick, the Holidays Are Coming (just 115 days to Black Friday)

Posted August 3rd, 2010, by Stephen Cobb

Even as online retailers are being pelted with back-to-school marketing tips—like these helpful “8 Trends to Tap” from NextDayFlyers.com—the early warnings are going up for the 2010 holiday season.

My reaction? Well, as the saying goes: “It’s about time.”

Two weeks ago, Lisa Morgan over at Practical eCommerce cautioned, and I would concur:

“The economy is still shaky, customers remain fickle, and if you’re not prepared you could miss out on the most important shopping season of the year.” (Gearing Up for the 2010 Holiday Season)

Then today I get an email from Internet Retailer headlined “Only 115 Days ’til Black Friday.” The message is actually a teaser for the Online Retailer Survival Guide put together by website performance specialist Keynote, but it’s worth registering and checking out the content. Keynote’s point, and it’s a good one, is that…

Read the rest of this entry »

Be the first to comment on this post! Click here.

Posted in Blog, Strategy, testing

Going to eTail East? Hope to meet you there (Booth 37)

Posted July 27th, 2010, by Stephen Cobb

We’re busy this week lining up meetings at eTail East 2010, the big online retailing conference and expo that is going on in Baltimore during the week of August 9.

The week kicks off with Email Marketing and Segmentation Day, which Monetate is sponsoring. There are some great sessions on the schedule, including “Tear Down The Walls Between Email And Your Website” with Larry Cooper, Senior Marketing Manager at Under Armour, and “Increasing Sales Without Promotions: The Value Of Segmentation And Editorial Content” with Patrick O’Connell, Director of CRM, CustomInk.

This event follows the very successful format used at February’s Email Marketing and Personalization Summit. Our CEO, David Brussin, will again be participating, hosting a roundtable on the use of segmented marketing to drive revenue lift on retail websites. This time David will be joined by a very savvy online retailer, Alex Miller, who is VP of eCommerce and eMarketing at QVC. You can find more details of the day’s schedule here.

The next day, Tuesday, August 10, is the first full day of the eTail East 2010 conference, chaired by Robert Cell, CEO of MyBuys, and featuring a great slate of speakers and panel participants (Alex Miller will be on the panel titled: Targeting Customers And Improving Your Marketing ROI Through Innovative Personalization & Segmentation Strategies). On Wednesday the conference is chaired by Kevin Ertell, VP of Retail Strategy at ForeSee Results and a member of Monetate’s Strategic Advisory Board.

So, a busy week in Baltimore, and definitely a great event to attend if you are a retailer researching the latest strategies and techniques for increasing the ROI of your online operations, or maybe a marketer looking for the latest tips and tricks to give you an edge over the competition. (If you’re a retailer and haven’t registered yet, we can still get you 50% off the price of the 2-day event.)

If you’re in Baltimore that week we’d love to chat with you and answer any questions you might have about how Monetate can increase your website ROI and improve the online experience you deliver to your customers. Just drop us a line via the Contact page or email Marc Hatton direct: mhatton at monetate dot com. (And be sure to stop by Booth 37 if you’d like a chance to win an iPad.)

Be the first to comment on this post! Click here.

Posted in Blog, Events, News

What Happened to Customer Service and the Personal Touch?

Posted July 22nd, 2010, by Tom Ellis

Hey everyone—Tom here again. I know it might not look like I’m here, but I am. (There is nothing wrong with your computer, do not adjust your set.) That faceless ”picture” of me is there to underline a point I am about to make, or rather, a point that Brett was making during one of our recent lunches.

If you caught the first two installments of my summer blog series, Lunches with Brett, you will know that Brett covered several important landing page tips. This week he was keen to talk about something different, something you might call “the lost art of online customer service.”

Brett also wanted to debunk some myths about website personalization, including the perception some companies have that the technical challenge is too big, and the return on investment is too unpredictable, to make it worth doing. So let’s looks at the facts, as Brett sees them from his position, that is, totally immersed in website optimization.

Fact #1: People love personalized attention. Whether we are physically in a store or shopping online it makes no difference, we humans love personal attention. And yet many e-commerce sites seem content to treat each online customer like just another blank face (see image above).

Do you know of any customers who appreciate this sort of generic, unfeeling treatment? I didn’t think so. At best, this type of impersonal service will do nothing; at worst it will spurn resentment, disloyalty and possibly even permanent defection. Here are some interesting recent statistics on this very topic. Read the rest of this entry »

Be the first to comment on this post! Click here.

Posted in Blog, Personalization, Strategy, Tom

Kevin Ertell: What I think is really interesting about Monetate

Posted July 20th, 2010, by Stephen Cobb

We’re delighted to announce today that Kevin Ertell, one of the most-widely respected innovators in online retailing, is joining Monetate’s Strategic Advisory Board. In conjunction with that announcement we’re posting a short video that we recorded last week in which Kevin talks about the challenges facing online retailers. He explains why he thinks Monetate is “exactly the right solution for retailers to create a great customer experience that is right for every individual customer.” Take a look:

For those readers who are not familiar with Kevin, you can read more about him in today’s news release. Kevin has spent time running some serious online retailing operations such as borders.com. We can heartily recommend his terrific blog: Retail: Shaken Not Stirred. And you might want to follow him on Twitter.

Be the first to comment on this post! Click here.

Posted in Industry, News, Opinion, marketing

Bryan Eisenberg on how Monetate takes marketing to the next level

Posted July 19th, 2010, by Stephen Cobb

Chances are, you already know that Bryan Eisenberg is a recognized authority and pioneer in online marketing. What you may not know is that he recently joined Monetate’s Strategic Advisory Board. In this short video, Bryan talks about testing, online retailing, and how Monetate is “taking this to the next level.” Here’s what he has to say.

Obviously, we are very excited about Bryan’s enthusiasm for Monetate. When you spend years developing a radical new approach to a seemingly intractable problem it is very rewarding when an established expert in the field validates your approach. And with Bryan’s insight and input we will be able to make Monetate even better.

BTW, if you don’t know who Bryan is, a good place to find out is the news release about his decision to join the Monetate Strategic Advisory Board.

Be the first to comment on this post! Click here.

Posted in Blog, Industry, News, Opinion, marketing, testing

Another Global Brand Chooses Monetate for Testing, Targeting, and Personalization

Posted July 13th, 2010, by Stephen Cobb

Wow! Apparently, the world really does pay attention when you sign a client whose products are sold in more than 80 countries, particularly when that company is listed on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange and has recently announced a 37 percent increase in operating profit on annual revenues of $770 million.

Such is the case with L’Occitane, one of Monetate’s newest and most global clients. The news story that we put out this morning was tweeted faster than any previous wire release we have done. Of course, it doesn’t hurt that the company’s Director of E-Commerce & CRM, Matt Kritzer, had some very nice things to say about Monetate:

“We chose Monetate after taking a close look at all the competing solutions. The power of the Monetate solution, combined with its ease of use and integration, was what won us over.”

It’s always a rush when clients say good things about what you’re selling and they’re buying (you might have noticed some new quotes on the web site from our steadily growing client list). And it’s hugely exciting to see word of mouth spread round the world.

BTW, if you’re not hip to who or what L’Occitane is, check out entry in Wikipedia. It’s a great story of enterprise and innovation that positively reflects both traditional and progressive values.

Be the first to comment on this post! Click here.

Posted in News

Lunches with Brett: Landing page anchors, what they are and why you need them

Posted July 12th, 2010, by Tom Ellis

Welcome back to Monetate’s summer blog series: “Lunches with Brett.” If you missed the first installment, allow me to introduce myself, I’m the guy in the picture, Tom Ellis, a Wharton MBA summer intern here at Monetate, and I’m busy gathering nuggets of marketing knowledge from Brett Bair, the ecommerce mastermind here at Monetate.

In the first installment Brett revealed some great ideas about landing pages (if you haven’t read, it, you should, now, then come back and read on). Fortunately, when you’ve got someone like Brett on your team, there’s more where that came from, which brings me to this week’s theme: The Landing Page Anchor.

What is a “landing page anchor?” I asked Brett over a particularly tasty turkey club sandwich over here at our headquarters on the north side of Philadelphia.

Brett began his answer by explaining that the landing pages which a site visitor sees upon clicking the best search results tend to contain the most relevant information, by design. Typically, these are pages that… Read the rest of this entry »

Be the first to comment on this post! Click here.

Posted in Blog, Personalization, Strategy, Tom, marketing

Monetate Client ModCloth on TechCrunch TV: A new model for fashion retailing

Posted July 2nd, 2010, by Stephen Cobb

TechCrunch TV Interviews ModCloth Founders This week TechCrunch TV interviewed one of Monetate’s first clients, ModCloth, a web-based retailer specializing in retro and indie fashion. The ModCloth story is an inspiring one if you’re the least bit entrepreneurially-inclined or marketing-minded. And we’re very proud to say that ModCloth has been a Monetate client since 2008. In that year ModCloth achieved revenues of $3.2 million.

In the next year, 2009, ModCloth’s revenue was over $19 million! It’s a great story about smart marketing and the vistas that open up when you take a web-savvy approach to retailing. So here are ModCloth’s founders, Susan and Eric Koger, talking to Jason Kincaid on TechCrunch TV. It’s worth watching.

Be the first to comment on this post! Click here.

Posted in Blog, General, Industry, News

Monetate - Test, Target, Personalize

Thank You for Reading! Two years and more than 100 posts

Posted August 28th, 2010, by Stephen Cobb