I. Why We Are Shopping
Lately with the way the economy has been going Americans are trying to cut costs. The first things to go have been the personal luxuries- entertainment subscriptions, dining out, and frivolous shopping just to name a few. But with the holidays just around the corner, this frugal spending is about to be put on hold.

A. There Is More To Do This Year
With the recent speculation about the downward trend of the economy many consumers have been keeping a tight fist on their money. Very little holiday shopping has been done yet. This is a big change over years past, where shrewd customers would keep their eyes out for the less publicized pre-holiday sales and get a good chunk of their holiday purchasing done before the crowds started forming at the malls. This year, however, there is a lot more shopping that needs to be done on the well-known “Black Friday” and the following weekends to get it all in by the conclusion of the holiday season. A Consumer Reports survey found that 26% of shoppers plan to shop on “Black Friday” this year as opposed to last year’s 21%.

B. Biggest Sales In Recent History
Given that Americans have been spending less in the last few weeks, businesses nation-wide are looking to cash in on as many holiday sales as possible by offering some of the biggest sales in recent history. This year it is not uncommon to see ads touting “Everything In The Store 20% Off” and “$50 Off All Purchases Over $200” etc. Shoppers headed out in droves this season are going to be looking for these amazing offers.

C. Falling Gas Prices
Falling gas prices are not just impacting retail businesses, but also online stores. While customers are more likely to head out to the malls or outlets when gas is cheaper, they are also inclined to spend more money online knowing that the costs for daily necessities like driving to the grocery store or work are lower than expected.

II. Season’s Tips
Given that retail stores and online businesses can expect to see a boost in sales this holiday season compared to the stagnation of the last few months, here are some handy tips to get your piece of the pie:

A. Visually Set Your Website Apart
Your website’s “ooh lala” aspect could make or break the sale this season. With so much competition out there you are going to want to make sure that you are giving customers what they want to see.

1. One great way to get customers in the holiday shopping mood is to add seasonal graphics to your website. The new graphics not only give you a leg up on your competition’s websites, but also serve to set your website apart from its daily appearance. By taking the time to add seasonally appropriate items to your site you are sending the message to your customers that you have their holiday needs and desires in mind.
   Seasonal Images- Thanksgiving
   Seasonal Images- Christmas/Holiday
   
2. Make sure the images for your products are what customers are going to want to see to feel comfortable buying a particular product. You should have at least two photos of each product, so a customer can see different angles or details of the product or enable a zoom feature so customer can look at areas that are of interest to them.

B. Add Value
There is definite buzz this holiday season about all the deals and sales at various stores. You certainly do not want to be left out of the holiday shopping craze, but what are the most desired promotions this season? Our Volusion staff shared their ideas:

• Free shipping on qualifying purchases
• Free or discounted gift wrapping with purchase
• A percentage off the total order
• Bundled items or a gift set
• A free gift for the buyer with their purchase for friends and family
• Free samples with purchase of like items (ex. fragrances or candles)
• Giving a percentage of your order total to charity
• A gift card included with each purchase
• A coupon off your next purchase

Each of these promotions has a slightly different approach. In terms of attracting customers who are looking for an item that can be found at many different locations, “glitzy” promotions like free shipping, gift wrapping or money off your order can add value for customers that may have gone elsewhere if the promotion was not in place. Whereas a gift set, a small free gift, some samples, or donating to charity can sweeten the deal to gain buyer loyalty and generate word of mouth. Similarly, gift cards and coupons off future purchases can encourage return business. So this season pick your approach, pick your promotion, and get out there selling!

-Kate Pierce
eCommerce Specialist

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Google has been personalizing search results for some time. You may have noticed that searching for a fairly generic service can bring you results specific to your geographical area, and if you search while signed into your Google account, Google may personalize results based on your search history. Search result personalization is taken to a new level with the release of Google’s latest experiment, SearchWiki.

If you perform Google searches while logged in to your Google account, you have probably noticed some distinct changes in the result pages over the past few days. On Thursday, Google released SearchWiki, a feature that allows Google account holders to rearrange, comment on and edit their own set of search results. Customized listings appear only for the user who created them, and only while logged into that account. According to the Google blog, SearchWiki is “a way for you to customize search by re-ranking, deleting, adding, and commenting on search results.”

As shown above, new controls appearing to the right of each listing allow you to promote or remove results individually, which modifies the results only you see when logged in. But the ability to comment on each listing is where it gets interesting. Check out this option at the bottom of the page:

Customizing your search results aside, the most revolutionary component of SearchWiki is the ability of any Google account holder to comment on any listing as well as view all of the comments posted by others. The previously one-way street of delivered search results is now a social networking platform, subject to all of the spam and manipulation that makes it difficult to distinguish the truly valuable user generated content. Site owners also do not have the ability to directly moderate posts about their pages.

Personally, I do not see value in the ability to customize my search results, because manually edited search results would not save me time or make it easier to find pages I like. If I discover a web page I’d like to find later, I’ll bookmark it. With a click, I’m back to the page anytime. I do not have to log in to a Google account, nor do I have to remember and type in the search term I used to find the page the first time.

Manually edited search results would also prevent me from discovering new pages that would normally appear in the search results for the topic I’m searching, which could cause me to miss out on relevant results over time. Setting search results in stone would be like referencing the same newspaper time and time again rather than reading a current paper daily.

Will data from SearchWiki be used by Google to fine-tune signals used to rank sites in the future? It seems logical in theory, and is certainly not out of the question. In a perfect world, this data could be used to improve the search engine’s ability to find the most relevant pages, but I have my doubts about how well valid content can be separated from spam and slander across such a vast number of pages on the internet.

Danny Sullivan over at SearchEngineLand posted a great interview in which he asks Google’s Cedric Dupont, Johanna Wright and Corin Anderson the SearchWiki questions on everyone’s minds.

-Pam Westbrook, Ecommerce Marketing/Copywriting

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Social media is a broad phrase that refers to a variety of user generated content on the web. You may think of it as the online equivalent of traditional word of mouth. Social media has proven its value over the past few years, even playing a role in both the Obama and McCain campaigns during the 2008 presidential race. Social networking platforms like MySpace and Twitter as well as forums and blogs make communicating with wide audiences easier than ever, and as a natural result, online discussion about companies and products are taking place constantly all over the Web.

Interacting and shopping on the web have evolved into an integrated set of behaviors that influence the way consumers research products and make purchase decisions. Honest consumer reviews and comments about products are powerful examples of social media influence at work. A recent survey by Harris Interactive and commissioned by Volusion revealed that 27% of respondents would be encouraged to shop on social networks based on the presence of comments about products. The survey also found that 30% would be encouraged to shop based on the availability of special deals and exclusive products. The takeaway from these findings is that consumers are paying attention, and they are open to what businesses and consumers have to say through social media. Online businesses that choose to get involved have much to gain from developing relationships and communicating their messages in the online spaces where potential customers are actively socializing and learning about products they are interested in purchasing.

As an online store owner, social networking can give you the opportunity to interact directly with those in your target market and build relationships and loyal customers. Relationships have long been a core component of business, and social media provides a contemporary means of developing and fostering them.

-Pam Westbrook, Ecommerce Marketing/Copywriting

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The holiday shopping season is in full swing, and if you haven’t already, now is the perfect time to tweak your online store to maximize sales from the influx of holiday shoppers. Often shoppers procrastinate making a purchase even when they have full intention of buying, and just need a little extra incentive as motivation to buy right now.

These simple ideas for your online store can help you establish a sense of urgency and turn more interested shoppers into customers today:

Prominently Display Expiration Dates on Holiday Promotions

If you are offering a promotion that expires on a certain date, be sure to communicate the end date prominently on your site. Allowing interested shoppers to submit an e-mail address and receive a friendly reminder before the promotion ends can increase your response rate.

Communicate Accurate Delivery Time

Shoppers are wary of purchasing gifts over the internet without knowing if their order will arrive in time for the holidays. One technique for alleviating any doubt is displaying when an item must be ordered if it is to be delivered by a certain date. If you cannot be that specific, a simple timeframe such as “Usually arrives within 1-2 weeks” can be enough to overcome this concern. Displaying this information to shoppers is simple, just activate the EnableDisplayAvailability variable from the admin panel of your Volusion store. Learn how here.

Ease Inventory Concerns

Uncertainty regarding the availability of an item is another issue that can prevent holiday shoppers from becoming buyers. Noting “In Stock” on items you have in inventory can alleviate this concern and increase the chance that a shopper will place an order. Listing inventory levels such as “Only 7 left” for low stock items can instill a sense of urgency and motivate buyers to take action now. To get this functionality in your Volusion store, activate the EnableDisplayStockStatus or EnableLiveStockStatus variables. Learn how here.

Of course, even with excellent marketing copy and communication, many interested shoppers will still procrastinate purchasing or leave your site to shop around a bit more. Here are some ideas for guiding those shoppers back to your site when the time comes to purchase:

• Allow shoppers to keep a wish list or e-mail details about a product to a friend. This will allow them to easily return to products they liked as well as share them with others. In your Volusion store, this can be done by activating the EnableWishList and EnableEmailAFriend variables. Learn how here.

• Make it easy to return to any page with a “Bookmark this Page” button. Learn how here.

• Allow shoppers to subscribe to your e-mail or newsletter list to build relationships and present more opportunities to visit your site. Learn how here.

In addition to creating urgency, giving away freebies such as free shipping, bonus gift certificates or gift wrapping can be the incentive shoppers need to purchase from your store and give you a competitive edge this holiday season.

-Pam Westbrook, Ecommerce Marketing/Copywriting

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Instead of challenging antitrust concerns posed by the U.S. Department of Justice, Google recently pulled out of the deal it made with Yahoo! in June to feature Google advertisements on its web pages. In an email sent to Yahoo! advertisers, the Executive Vice President of Yahoo! U.S., Hilary Schneider, expressed disapointment in the decision and then concluded the email with reassurance that Yahoo! will continue to improve the quality of its search engine and online advertising services:

“We wanted to reach out to you directly regarding Google’s decision, announced earlier today, to terminate the advertising services agreement that the companies announced in June. Yahoo! continues to believe in the benefits of the agreement, and is disappointed that Google has elected to withdraw from the agreement rather than defend it in court. Google notified Yahoo! of its refusal to move forward with implementation of the agreement following indication from the Department of Justice that it would seek to block it, despite Yahoo!’s proposed revisions to address the DOJ’s and advertisers’ concerns. While disappointed by this turn of events, we are writing to you to reaffirm our commitment to working together to drive your advertising results, and to provide the continued leadership you expect…”

Does this mean a Microsoft+Yahoo deal may be back on the table? In February, Microsoft expressed interest in purchasing Yahoo! and in a comment made on Wednesday, Yahoo CEO Jerry Jang said “I believe the best thing for Microsoft to do is to buy Yahoo.”

Read more:
Without Google’s help, Yahoo’s options limited
Google-Yahoo: Unintended Consequences
Microsoft and Yahoo! Partnership Possibility (May, 2008)

-Stacie Leonard, Ecommerce Marketing/Copywriting

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