A friend tells you about the new range of food processors from a well known manufacturing company so the next time you are at the mall, you are going to be tempted to check it out. Word-of-mouth publicity is the oldest form of social network marketing and the internet is only helping it grow at a global scale. According to eMarketer.com, 37% of all American Adult internet users along with 70% of online teens are involved in each month.
If these figures are anything to by, it is also predicted that by 2011, social network marketing will span at least half of all online adults and the online teens contribution is likely to go up to 84%! No big surprise here that the marketing arm of all major companies are keenly following this trend and investing in seriously. In fact, according to eMarketer.com, $920 million has already been spent in 2007 on this form of marketing and the social network marketing industry is likely to see an influx of $1.6 billion in 2008!
Viral or social network marketing is a strong force and has some core characteristics which make it formidable:
1) direct communication between users
2) ability to spread a good word fast
3) offers instant information by way of hyperlinks which results in quick re-action
4) ability to go to the right demography right away
5) cost per person approached is lower than direct marketing
6) informal and easy-to-handle
7) suitable for new product launches
Monday, November 24, 2008
Online Consumer Experiences
Usability. That is a key mantra with online users and greatly influences the success rate of an online web site. An online consumer experience is governed by the way the site is designed and how it leads the users on to the next transaction. Some guidelines for good online consumer experiences are:
1) Keeping It Simple, Stupid! No offence meant but this is the KISS theory which means that the web pages have to be really simple to understand and follow. Complicated processes tend to turn off users and send them away. www.Google.com is the perfect example of how to keep web interfaces simple.
2) No Clutter. Most site owners would like to stuff the home page with as much data as possible resulting in information overload and one which is definitely going to confuse users. The objective of the site should be clear and that is going to offer a good experience to consumers. www.Facebook.com is a good example of clutter-free environment and new web technologies like AJAX have been put to good use here.
3) Speed and technology stack. Though these two factors are influenced by the backend of the web site, they greatly influence consumer experience. nothing is more bothersome than a slow site which is server-dependant issue and outdated technology also makes user experience painful. Online email accounts like www.hotmail.com have follow prey to these problems but have been quick to correct them in order to better the user experience.
4) Relevant content, product information, images and online help are some on-site items which improve consumer experiences. It comes as no surprise that www.amazon.com has such a tremendous customer following….it offers all this and more in a very easy to follow interface. In fact, the now-popular feature of reviews has been around at Amazon.com for more than a couple of years.
It is safe to say that good consumer experiences can make or break a web property as users are maturing and are able to understand which sites given them value for time!
1) Keeping It Simple, Stupid! No offence meant but this is the KISS theory which means that the web pages have to be really simple to understand and follow. Complicated processes tend to turn off users and send them away. www.Google.com is the perfect example of how to keep web interfaces simple.
2) No Clutter. Most site owners would like to stuff the home page with as much data as possible resulting in information overload and one which is definitely going to confuse users. The objective of the site should be clear and that is going to offer a good experience to consumers. www.Facebook.com is a good example of clutter-free environment and new web technologies like AJAX have been put to good use here.
3) Speed and technology stack. Though these two factors are influenced by the backend of the web site, they greatly influence consumer experience. nothing is more bothersome than a slow site which is server-dependant issue and outdated technology also makes user experience painful. Online email accounts like www.hotmail.com have follow prey to these problems but have been quick to correct them in order to better the user experience.
4) Relevant content, product information, images and online help are some on-site items which improve consumer experiences. It comes as no surprise that www.amazon.com has such a tremendous customer following….it offers all this and more in a very easy to follow interface. In fact, the now-popular feature of reviews has been around at Amazon.com for more than a couple of years.
It is safe to say that good consumer experiences can make or break a web property as users are maturing and are able to understand which sites given them value for time!
Online shopping and popularity in Asia
According to a Feb 2008 A.C. Nielsen survey, 84% of respondents in the Asia Pacific region had transacted online. This is an impressive number no doubt and confirms the fact that online shopping is now a mainstream activity and no longer a fad which created talking points for some online retailers. Content and information has been a common driving point for ecommerce in Asia and the same report has thrown up some interesting information.
Books happen to the most popular category of products bought online and account for 41% of all online purchases and are very popular in developing Asian countries like China, Brazil, Vietnam and Egypt. The next most popular category of Clothes/Accessories/Shoes accounts for 37% of online shopping by Asians. Travel is yet another category which is popular and a combined total of more than 50% Asians having booked some form of travel online.
Incidentally, one country which stood out in the survey when it came to the frequency of online shopping (79%) and the highest number of respondents to the 'have you shopped online?' question (a whopping 99%) has been none other than Asian tiger, Korea which boasts of one of the best internet connectivity in the world. These numbers are not perchance….Asia has got many emerging economies and countries like India, Korea and China are growing as knowledge-driven economies which include a highly-tech savvy population with good disposable incomes. Rapid advancement in security as well as the initiative of banks to issue credit cards to people in good jobs is some more reasons for the growth in online shopping in Asia. Asians are also make one of the most faithful online customers as more than 66% customers return to the same site to shop online! That should be enough to make online retailers to include Asia as one of their most important marketplaces!
Books happen to the most popular category of products bought online and account for 41% of all online purchases and are very popular in developing Asian countries like China, Brazil, Vietnam and Egypt. The next most popular category of Clothes/Accessories/Shoes accounts for 37% of online shopping by Asians. Travel is yet another category which is popular and a combined total of more than 50% Asians having booked some form of travel online.
Incidentally, one country which stood out in the survey when it came to the frequency of online shopping (79%) and the highest number of respondents to the 'have you shopped online?' question (a whopping 99%) has been none other than Asian tiger, Korea which boasts of one of the best internet connectivity in the world. These numbers are not perchance….Asia has got many emerging economies and countries like India, Korea and China are growing as knowledge-driven economies which include a highly-tech savvy population with good disposable incomes. Rapid advancement in security as well as the initiative of banks to issue credit cards to people in good jobs is some more reasons for the growth in online shopping in Asia. Asians are also make one of the most faithful online customers as more than 66% customers return to the same site to shop online! That should be enough to make online retailers to include Asia as one of their most important marketplaces!
Online Payments
If you are an avid internet user, it is unlikely that you would think twice before making an online payment. Online payments, worldwide, have become an accepted way of doing business and the increase in security measures and robust ecommerce systems have made it a safe option for many people to transact online without going through a tizzy.
However, nothing is 100% safe and most reputed online payment sites will provide a list of Does and Don'ts which should be referred to if you are new to making online payments. One of the most popular online payment systems is Paypal (http://www.paypal.com/) as it lets you pay via credit card to anyone with an email address. You can set up a user account and go through its 'real-world' verification system of credit card pin numbers to get started. Setting up a merchant account is also very simple with Paypal and you can get started in 48 hours.
SafeScrypt is encryption software which makes online payments safer and allows the data to travel on the internet without interception. It is safe to shop on sites which have a SafeScrypt emblem on the site. If you planning to start an online business, offering online payment solutions is a must-have feature for business growth. You can choose from the international favorite, Paypal.com or the following credit card gateways:
http://www.worldpay.com/
http://www.ccavenue.com/
http://www.authorize.net/
All of the above mentioned payment gateways are easy to integrate with and can be done in a DIY fashion or with the help of a web designer. There are many processes which banks have introduced for limiting any kind of loss to customers such as Online Transaction Insurance, Special Internet Cards with certain limits and higher security level and the 3 digit customer verification numbers printed at the back of the card.
However, like we said, online payments is not 100% safe so if you do find occasions of credit card misuse, it is recommended that you alert the card company immediately. If you make online payments frequently, then you can also keep a check on your credit card statement by using online access from the bank or card issuing company.
However, nothing is 100% safe and most reputed online payment sites will provide a list of Does and Don'ts which should be referred to if you are new to making online payments. One of the most popular online payment systems is Paypal (http://www.paypal.com/) as it lets you pay via credit card to anyone with an email address. You can set up a user account and go through its 'real-world' verification system of credit card pin numbers to get started. Setting up a merchant account is also very simple with Paypal and you can get started in 48 hours.
SafeScrypt is encryption software which makes online payments safer and allows the data to travel on the internet without interception. It is safe to shop on sites which have a SafeScrypt emblem on the site. If you planning to start an online business, offering online payment solutions is a must-have feature for business growth. You can choose from the international favorite, Paypal.com or the following credit card gateways:
http://www.worldpay.com/
http://www.ccavenue.com/
http://www.authorize.net/
All of the above mentioned payment gateways are easy to integrate with and can be done in a DIY fashion or with the help of a web designer. There are many processes which banks have introduced for limiting any kind of loss to customers such as Online Transaction Insurance, Special Internet Cards with certain limits and higher security level and the 3 digit customer verification numbers printed at the back of the card.
However, like we said, online payments is not 100% safe so if you do find occasions of credit card misuse, it is recommended that you alert the card company immediately. If you make online payments frequently, then you can also keep a check on your credit card statement by using online access from the bank or card issuing company.
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