tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-44028445672914108052024-03-13T17:51:19.244+00:00BitzerZiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08676534191071415642noreply@blogger.comBlogger20125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4402844567291410805.post-52886411436922606082011-02-13T16:25:00.000+00:002011-02-13T16:25:05.124+00:00Creativity vs analytics: How to find the balance in developing your online strategy<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><br />
<div class="msolistparagraph0" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0.25in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Calibri;"><b> I stumbled across this interview piece I did a while back for <a href="http://www.b2bm.biz/TheMagazine/">B2B Marketing Magazine</a> and thought I should post here. </b></span></div><div class="msolistparagraph0" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0.25in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt;"><br />
</span></div><div class="msolistparagraph0" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0.25in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt;"><br />
</span></div><div class="msolistparagraph0" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0.25in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt;">With the rise of Multivariate Testing (MVT) and other analytics tools, more and more brands are using data-driven, actionable insight to develop their marketing strategies. But is this approach clashing with or even restricting the ability to develop a creative, experiential brand differentiation?<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="msolistparagraph0" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0.25in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;"><br />
</div><div class="msolistparagraph0" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0.25in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt;">Zia</span><span lang="EN-GB"> </span><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt;">Zareem-Slade, head of experience planning at EMC Consulting, works closely with user experience and creative experts and is often faced with this conundrum. Should businesses rely solely on analytical data to define their marketing strategies? Or should creativity lead the way?<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="msolistparagraph0" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0.25in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;"><br />
</div><div class="msolistparagraph0" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0.25in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt;">B2B Marketing asked Zia to put together her five golden rules for best practice in finding the all important balance. Here is what she came up with….<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="msolistparagraph0" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0.25in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoListParagraph" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 11pt; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0.5in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; text-indent: -0.25in;"><i><span lang="EN-GB"><span>1.<span style="font: normal normal normal 7pt/normal 'Times New Roman';"> </span></span></span></i><b><i><span lang="EN-GB">Creativity needs insight</span></i></b><i><span lang="EN-GB"><o:p></o:p></span></i></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 35.45pt; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;"><i><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt;">Creativity is not simply a dark art based on instinct, most creatives will tell you that their most successful ideas are often information driven. As a creative team you are trying to get people to respond in a more meaningful way. In order to develop a solution that actually achieves this, you need some level of real insight and therefore you need to ensure that<span> </span>the insight generated by Analytics and MVT are comprehensible to the creative team .<o:p></o:p></span></i></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0.5in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;"><br />
</div><ol start="2" style="margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in;" type="1"><li class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;"><b><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt;">Do not leave analytics to IT!<o:p></o:p></span></b></li>
</ol><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0.5in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;"><i><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt;">The biggest failure I see is when companies aren’t using MVT at all. Add to this, the misconception that this should be owned by the IT department - wrong. As we approach 2010, the digital world will continue to grow and disciplines such as MVT will need to be integrated across all disciplines as standard. So now is the time to start.<o:p></o:p></span></i></div><div class="msolistparagraph0" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;"><br />
</div><ol start="3" style="margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in;" type="1"><li class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;"><b><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt;">Be measured and focused<o:p></o:p></span></b></li>
</ol><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0.5in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;"><i><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt;">Analytics and MVT are powerful tools, but it’s all too easy to either try and chuck every variable into the mix and test everything all at once, or use the analytics to the point of knowing every number but knowing nothing all at the same time. It’s key that you don’t get over excited, but stay measured and focused. You need to be clear about what you are trying to find out, and where it fits in with your wider objectives.<o:p></o:p></span></i></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0.5in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;"><br />
</div><div class="msolistparagraph0" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0.5in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; text-indent: -0.25in;"><b><i><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt;"><span>4.<span style="font: normal normal normal 7pt/normal 'Times New Roman';"> </span></span></span></i></b><b><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt;">Know what your customers are doing<i><o:p></o:p></i></span></b></div><div class="msolistparagraph0" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0.5in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;"><i><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt;">Analytics and MVT are your eyes on the ground and can answer questions such as ‘what are customers getting distracted by’ and ‘where are our customers going’? This is how you enhance and improve the experience of customers. Here you can test all variables including buttons, font size etc. It tells you statistically what your customers find best. However MVT should not replace user testing because what customers tell you they want through user testing can be different to what they actually want. MVT is sure fire way to determine this. It gives you unique insight in to how they actually want your website to look. Then it’s down to the creative team to come up with a solution that meets these requirements.<o:p></o:p></span></i></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;"><br />
</div><ol start="5" style="margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in;" type="1"><li class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;"><b><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt;">Work together<o:p></o:p></span></b></li>
</ol><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0.5in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;"><i><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt;">This might come as a surprise, but both sides should be perfect ‘bedfellows’. Ultimately, what both sides are aiming to do is modify a brand and people’s experience of it. The key is for both sides to work in tandem with each other, not against each other.<span> </span>Designers can’t do their job without analytics because they need to know what is going on, in order to make sure their ideas are in line with what customers are responding to.<o:p></o:p></span></i></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;"><br />
</div></div>Ziahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08676534191071415642noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4402844567291410805.post-54739912799251777502011-01-29T18:22:00.001+00:002011-01-29T18:22:48.564+00:00Yet again..<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It's been a very long time since I've updated this blog although I have been posting things of interest to my posterous <a href="http://ziaz.posterous.com/">site</a>. The thing is I think it might be a while until I do...so in the meantime here's some pics of the Tigs...</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9cx2JTBn9HuNKpp-9jwycmasRsewdBTvg1mzVGiQXwsUmdwS6p8C6RcK6ulyjybt-s4-xg5TJhm1A3d1BVasntmlhw95ICHgvulJ8L41TdYRkkBCaAmiwLEuWt3i4BbxHFlC9GoKaMqE/s1600/IMG_0847.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9cx2JTBn9HuNKpp-9jwycmasRsewdBTvg1mzVGiQXwsUmdwS6p8C6RcK6ulyjybt-s4-xg5TJhm1A3d1BVasntmlhw95ICHgvulJ8L41TdYRkkBCaAmiwLEuWt3i4BbxHFlC9GoKaMqE/s1600/IMG_0847.JPG" /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: none; color: black;"></span></a></div>Ziahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08676534191071415642noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4402844567291410805.post-24462234578618740712010-05-24T21:06:00.004+01:002010-05-29T09:05:07.483+01:00M&S: Moving from multiple channels to true multi-channel<div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">A few years ago we used to talk about how one-day people would be able to research online, buy on their mobile and pick up in store. Despite the UK’s love of mobiles though, it took the game changer that is the iPhone to make retailers realize that plenty of people would use these nifty little devices to interact with their brands.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span> </div><div class="MsoNormal"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqrDIMyWmND61dngR3KyLIepDkz_HNXo2u-ZUNy0hz0HH8BzvVFquVil8E_-FlgBvTMiZsObXTnRW5BZAKSmK__YomVwo2s20Gui1NjhTXJFfhUYE0jsp8PHAnooGVIDFoSjEQgE5vwhE/s1600/IMG_0243.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqrDIMyWmND61dngR3KyLIepDkz_HNXo2u-ZUNy0hz0HH8BzvVFquVil8E_-FlgBvTMiZsObXTnRW5BZAKSmK__YomVwo2s20Gui1NjhTXJFfhUYE0jsp8PHAnooGVIDFoSjEQgE5vwhE/s200/IMG_0243.PNG" width="133" /></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So I was pleased as punch on Wednesday 12</span><sup><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">th</span></span></sup><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> May at 7am when I found that the mobile version of the Marks and Spencer website had gone live (I may have had a little tip off that it was coming that week not just relentlessly checking out of curiosity). <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span> </div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">As one would expect the sites structure and content is simplified, making it easy to navigate but it simply extends the web experience and thereby feels familiar. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
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</span> </div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">What I really wanted to know though, was, how easy would it be to buy? Given the recent addition to my wardrobe, I’d say it’s easy and wonderfully pain free. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span> </div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">For some reason I always find myself drawn to the category of ‘Dresses’ so there I was. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span> </div><div class="MsoNormal"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmk-3ObBWnYC433sPh_YKPuW4UuYE9ywHA1w7naYQ7bs67fLiuefSo9Dpq9ByxG47TrGOibL6z_-pBIFR53Br0nUSX1_uTXfPhlAuG6u4D-3oQ3e0e_p_QfrN6cNLldZRuq112Wq_u0dQ/s1600/IMG_0282.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmk-3ObBWnYC433sPh_YKPuW4UuYE9ywHA1w7naYQ7bs67fLiuefSo9Dpq9ByxG47TrGOibL6z_-pBIFR53Br0nUSX1_uTXfPhlAuG6u4D-3oQ3e0e_p_QfrN6cNLldZRuq112Wq_u0dQ/s200/IMG_0282.PNG" width="133" /></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It was clear how many options there were: <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">1 to 12 of 222 (that’s some scrolling) and the results are sorted by Best Selling with the option to amend. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span> </div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The pictures though small, are clear enough that you can recognise an item you’re familiar with and browse the collection if you’re interested. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span> </div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The title of the product is clear, as is the price. But the part I was most impressed with was that it showed me how many reviews there were and the star rating. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span> </div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Why was I impressed with this? Well it would have been an easy thing to drop in order to getting the mobile site out of the door. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span> </div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">And by placing it where space is exceptionally limited then, I believe it demonstrates how valuable M&S and their customers find this user generated content.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgD0vyF6a0bbm22lMzaScydO5Sp5X0zFIAA5QU2qMriSNIrAfNOBR2BFgcD3VBv0zPJ5R9fyuU2U7FC1QAks1uaDtEjG9GWByj-7TVvd4Qo61VJ5xAoTNE9BesCs7Oe1Il4t6tE5yrpIAc/s1600/IMG_0284.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgD0vyF6a0bbm22lMzaScydO5Sp5X0zFIAA5QU2qMriSNIrAfNOBR2BFgcD3VBv0zPJ5R9fyuU2U7FC1QAks1uaDtEjG9GWByj-7TVvd4Qo61VJ5xAoTNE9BesCs7Oe1Il4t6tE5yrpIAc/s200/IMG_0284.PNG" width="133" /></span></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Scrolling down the page and you reach the 12th dress so time to hit next, select from the pagination options or to my surprise, narrow the selection based on size or colour. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span> </div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I select the pagination option and accidentally hit the … that appears between 5 -19 and get thrown into an error. Not great, but nothing that as a user I can’t recover from, after all I’m still impressed that I can do any of this at all. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I select my item and am pleased that all of the supporting content that is used online is available:</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmE2UHjWtEZe_LMWXAyzNJh6WvQVbVldu9oTBjk5li740LidJnHzLBLzptnWEwqkCkOdQh459MfD1h8oN6miI0V0iYzRSvt0LPRZ0Fe1DtV_xiuUYL193SaH7va-aeA8JVgjA1BqC1rmQ/s1600/IMG_0285.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmE2UHjWtEZe_LMWXAyzNJh6WvQVbVldu9oTBjk5li740LidJnHzLBLzptnWEwqkCkOdQh459MfD1h8oN6miI0V0iYzRSvt0LPRZ0Fe1DtV_xiuUYL193SaH7va-aeA8JVgjA1BqC1rmQ/s200/IMG_0285.PNG" width="133" /></span></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><o:p><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span> </o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Multiple shots of the product: <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Reviews:<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Product details: <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Delivery options: <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Size guide<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So there was little in the way of cross and up sell but to be honest I’m not surprised, nor disappointed. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span> </div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">With 2 simple selections, size and quantity there it is, in the basket. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Now, this is the bit I was expecting to be tricky and arduous but to my surprise it was as easy as, well, buying online. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span> </div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Integrated with my online account, I didn’t need to re-enter any details other than my credit card. There was one little sticking point however, and that was that the Forgotten password functionality, did not work meaning I ended up having to go to the website to get my details anyway. (But I checked this again today and it seems that this functionality is now working which is great). <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span> </div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">As I went through the order process I decided to try click and collect, as my local store is one of those that are participating in the current trial. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span> </div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Great, no delivery charge, no waiting in, no having to visit the post office on a weekend and invariably I always find myself in M&S on a weekend anyway. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span> </div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">With confirmation of my order both on the mobile and email I felt pleased at how easy it had been to place my order via my mobile – this will be great for all those last minute gifts and flower orders. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span> </div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">A few days later I popped into my local M&S and went up to the counter, “Hi, I should have an internet order for collection,” I said. I expected to be asked for an order number, a print out of something or other or greeted with a little surliness at least, but I was pleasantly surprised. The chap behind the counter simply asked me to write my name down, and as I did so he said ‘Oh yes, I remember that,’ he asked me to wait and within 2 minutes there was my little package. I confirmed my address and voila off I went with my new purchase. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span> </div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">If you’re wondering wouldn’t it be easier to have gone in the shop in the first place then the answer is no. My local M&S has only a small clothing section and I was kind of pleased that the item I had selected was not available in-store and it would have defeated the point of me testing out the site and services! <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span> </div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So well done M&S, the brand positioning of Your M&S was truly realized by allowing me to buy what, when, where and how I wanted and providing a (relatively) seamless experience across all channels. </span><o:p></o:p></div>Ziahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08676534191071415642noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4402844567291410805.post-62710603390065452672010-04-25T19:59:00.001+01:002010-04-25T20:04:08.568+01:00In-Store 'Kiosk' Still Proves Challenging<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 11px;"><br />
</span></span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande';"></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande';"><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: black;"><o:p><span style="color: black;"> </span></o:p></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="MsoNormal"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-o1XfiglwwcFYxF-_eS5DCBPQJymJw_ez65jsqprfDbiln1x2IHWGe5UCKgHosvPQ-riYqX-tJ3_nrYMcspw5j8WBHAQxN6QFTi6wDH2cs_cfSSr1TsenTIFEla8FKb7s0LC9wge4mvM/s1600/IMG_0135.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-o1XfiglwwcFYxF-_eS5DCBPQJymJw_ez65jsqprfDbiln1x2IHWGe5UCKgHosvPQ-riYqX-tJ3_nrYMcspw5j8WBHAQxN6QFTi6wDH2cs_cfSSr1TsenTIFEla8FKb7s0LC9wge4mvM/s640/IMG_0135.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><span style="color: black;"><o:p><span style="color: black;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
When I was out shopping recently, I noticed the appearance of shiny macs displaying the stores website in a number of stores. <span style="color: black;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">I only managed to get a pic of one, in my current favourite,</span></span><span style="color: black;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></span><span style="color: black;"><a href="http://www.cosstores.com/gb/site/home__start.nhtml"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">COS</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"> but there was a similar set-up in </span><a href="http://www.maharishistore.com/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">Maharishi</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">.</span></span></span></span></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: black;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">Interestingly the one in </span><a href="http://www.maharishistore.com/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">Maharishi</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"> was on the opposite side of the room to the cash desk and both my hubby and I felt free and happy to use it. However, the one in </span><a href="http://www.cosstores.com/gb/site/home__start.nhtml"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">COS</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"> was tucked into a standing box right next to the cash desk (see picture) and, despite being in the store for some time, I didn't see anyone use it.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: black;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">Of course, I may have just been in at the wrong time and just missed a flurry of users but it would seem that there are a couple of factors that may be contributing to low usage. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: black;"><o:p><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">The positioning means it's hard to work out whom it's there for. Near the cash desk sends the message it's not for customers to use on their own. </span></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: black;"><o:p><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</span> </o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: black;"><o:p><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">It's relatively low, and like those annoying train ticket kiosks, you'd need to crouch down to see the information clearly - not a great move.</span></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: black;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">And if you did crouch down then you would also be in the path of the staff coming and going from behind the desk and the stock rooms, which makes you feel like you're getting in the way. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: black;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">The website doesn't look up stock in other stores, nor can you purchase from it, so what is the role of having the website in the store exactly? <o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: black;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">It's nice to see stores trying to enable the multi-channel experience, and I'm delighted that there were no big clunky roller mouse c.early 00's, but there is still room for improvement to make the experience truly deliver ROI for businesses and value for customers. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: black;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</span> </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">These issues, lack of clarity of purpose, poor positioning and poor usability are the same challenges that made the kiosk projects of the late 90's and early 00's fail. The amount of hardware sitting gathering dust and being tarnished with the word failure was rife, and I fear that retailers are potentially making the same mistakes again. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</span> </div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">So what does it take to get it right?<br />
As is my answer with most things, I think total experience design is the way to success: </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"> - Clear purpose </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"> - Observation</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"> - Meeting customer (or staff) needs</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"> - Test and learn - don't just shove the thing in the store and then never pay attention to it, observe how customers (or staff) interact with it, what it gets used for, how natural people are with it and refine accordingly. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</span> </div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">Just as the arrival of </span><a href="http://www.anthropologie.eu/uk/page/home"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">Anthropologie</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"> in the UK shook up expectations for the in-store experience I'm sure the opening of </span><a href="http://www.bestbuy.co.uk/page/home.aspx"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">Best Buy</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"> in Thurrock this week will do the same for multi-channel. </span></div></span>Ziahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08676534191071415642noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4402844567291410805.post-80685180775790950732010-03-12T22:54:00.000+00:002010-03-12T22:54:16.447+00:00A letter to blog...Dear Blog, <br />
<br />
I'm sorry I have neglected you. It's not because I have found more comfort in my posterous http://ziaz.posterous.com/ or because I've been hanging out with all the tweetkids in twitter..I promise to pay you attention soon...thinking about innovation cultures, organisational culture, how the fashion pack are failing, and the exciting world of experience design...till then my blog..xxZiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08676534191071415642noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4402844567291410805.post-29315133673226428782010-02-09T13:40:00.000+00:002010-02-09T13:40:31.075+00:00Redefining the interactive mag experience: Mag+ (Bonnier R&D concept video)There's a plethora of mag / touch screen / reading concepts / demos out there but I particularly like this one. What I enjoyed the most was hearing about and seeing the rationale. I also like the consideration given to a "chewier piece of content."<br />
<br />
<object width="560" height="340"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/iAZCr6canvw&hl=en_US&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/iAZCr6canvw&hl=en_US&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="560" height="340"></embed></object>Ziahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08676534191071415642noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4402844567291410805.post-10586509188760671782010-01-05T11:19:00.001+00:002010-01-05T11:20:08.684+00:00From Mashable: Vitrue’s Top 100 social brands for 2009<h2>Vitrue's Top 100 social brands for 2009:</h2><hr><blockquote><p>1. iPhone<br />
2. Disney<br />
3. CNN<br />
4. MTV<br />
5. NBA<br />
6. iTunes<br />
7. Wii<br />
8. Apple<br />
9. Xbox<br />
10. Nike<br />
11. Starbucks<br />
12. NFL<br />
13. PlayStation<br />
14. Adidas<br />
15. BlackBerry<br />
16. Sony<br />
17. Mercedes<br />
18. Microsoft<br />
19. Samsung<br />
20. BMW<br />
21. Nintendo<br />
22. Best Buy<br />
23. ESPN<br />
24. Ford<br />
25. Honda<br />
26. Ferrari<br />
27. Gucci<br />
28. Nokia<br />
29. Major League Baseball<br />
30. Dell<br />
31. Coca-Cola<br />
32. CBS<br />
33. ABC<br />
34. iPod<br />
35. Mac<br />
36. Turner<br />
37. Nissan<br />
38. Toyota<br />
39. eBay<br />
40. Amazon<br />
41. Victoria's Secret<br />
42. Nutella<br />
43. NASCAR<br />
44. Disneyland<br />
45. Audi<br />
46. NHL<br />
47. Red Bull<br />
48. Verizon<br />
49. Intel<br />
50. Subway<br />
51. Hewlett-Packard<br />
52. Puma<br />
53. Kia<br />
54. Fox News<br />
55. Porsche<br />
56. Jeep<br />
57. Dodge<br />
58. <span class="blippr-nobr">Pandora<span class="blippr-nobr"><a href="http://www.blippr.com/apps/336924-Pandora" target="_blank" rel="http://www.blippr.com/apps/336924-Pandora.whtml" class="blippr-inline-smiley blippr-inline-smiley-05"><span></span><span></span></a></span></span><br />
59. Walmart<br />
60. Zappos<br />
61. Suzuki<br />
62. McDonald's<br />
63. Krystal<br />
64. T-Mobile<br />
65. Skittles<br />
66. KFC<br />
67. Volkswagen<br />
68. NBC<br />
69. Sprint<br />
70. Pixar<br />
71. Motorola<br />
72. IKEA<br />
73. Pepsi<br />
74. Cisco<br />
75. REI<br />
76. LG<br />
77. AT&T<br />
78. Converse<br />
79. The Gap<br />
80. Chevrolet<br />
81. Luis Vuitton<br />
82. Toys"R"Us<br />
83. H&M<br />
84. Philips<br />
85. General Motors<br />
86. Pringles<br />
87. Visa<br />
88. Prada<br />
89. Panasonic<br />
90. IBM<br />
91. VH1<br />
92. <span class="blippr-nobr">Hulu<span class="blippr-nobr"><a href="http://www.blippr.com/apps/337063-Hulu" target="_blank" rel="http://www.blippr.com/apps/337063-Hulu.whtml" class="blippr-inline-smiley blippr-inline-smiley-05"><span> </span><span></span></a></span></span><br />
93. Oracle<br />
94. Burberry<br />
95. SEGA<br />
96. Sears<br />
97. Avon<br />
98. Jet Blue<br />
99. Lacoste<br />
100. Comcast</p><p><br />
</p><p>Some other interesting findings from Vitrue include:</p><blockquote><p>- <span class="blippr-nobr">Game<span class="blippr-nobr"><a href="http://www.blippr.com/apps/532872-game" target="_blank" rel="http://www.blippr.com/apps/532872-game.whtml" class="blippr-inline-smiley blippr-inline-smiley-05"><span></span><span></span></a></span></span> consoles dominate the top of the list: (Wii #7, Xbox#9, PlayStation #13, Nintendo #21)</p><p>- Luxury brands appear on the list this year with good representation: (Gucci #27, Louis Vuitton #81, Prada #88 and Burberry #94)</p><p>- Media brands make up 8% of list: (CNN #3, MTV #4, ESPN #23, CBS #32, ABC #33, Turner #36, Fox News #56, NBC #68) <br />
</p><p>For the full breakdown: <a href="http://mashable.com/2010/01/04/most-buzzed-about-brand/">http://mashable.com/2010/01/04/most-buzzed-about-brand/</a><br />
</p></blockquote></blockquote>Ziahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08676534191071415642noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4402844567291410805.post-48917391356671979872009-12-31T10:22:00.006+00:002009-12-31T10:29:12.249+00:00The last place you want to go, Dixons.co.uk: A service story<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjGl3ykC8Hxcf4c8UuEOnqgdqPKG3VJsC7CTKfqV6q72nd1gLlOZrAAe-ziSnORLTvgptZVYpC7gwG9xTs6QyBTKh9zULaRY5xVvZ0s259H9nL5XaffUg0Akp8ul4bgUVxCsSVCgsB3gA/s1600-h/Dixons2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="188" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjGl3ykC8Hxcf4c8UuEOnqgdqPKG3VJsC7CTKfqV6q72nd1gLlOZrAAe-ziSnORLTvgptZVYpC7gwG9xTs6QyBTKh9zULaRY5xVvZ0s259H9nL5XaffUg0Akp8ul4bgUVxCsSVCgsB3gA/s320/Dixons2.jpg" width="335" /></a><br />
</div><div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">I might be showing my age here or a slight snobbery (or both) but I must confess that Dixons had well and truly fallen off my shopping consideration list.<br />
</span><br />
</div><div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">Whether it was the memory of those pretty horrible stores where some spotty teenager would grunt at you whilst surrounded by electrical detritus or the confusion over Dixons stores becoming Currys digital, unless of course you were in an airport, I can’t really pinpoint the point when they fell off my radar but suffice to say it, they had.</span><br />
</div><div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 10pt;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Recently they made a resurgence into the public consciousness with their witty, irreverent and rather risky ads: </span></span><br />
</div> <br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.nakedcreativity.co.uk/images/blog/dixons-selfridges-advert-on-tube.gif" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="209" src="http://www.nakedcreativity.co.uk/images/blog/dixons-selfridges-advert-on-tube.gif" width="523" /></a><br />
</div><div style="margin: 0.1pt 0cm; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 10pt;">And although I smiled at their boldness – it kind of reinforced the view that it offered a less than satisfactory experience. After all, they make the achingly cool place sound kind of nice…</span><br />
</div><div style="margin: 0.1pt 0cm; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 10pt;">Anyway, I recently met with some senior members of DSGI who were telling me about the efforts to reinvigorate Dixons and the virtues of their service offerings:<br />
<br />
- Free delivery = Check<br />
- Price Match Promise = Check<br />
- Installation and removal of old appliances = Check <br />
<br />
Good on them I thought. <br />
<br />
Fast forward a few days and my lovely Mum decided she wanted a new TV, and of course she needed it within a week as the Virgin Media people were coming to install new services. So, as my better half offered to trawl the web for a good deal I happened to say “oh check Dixons, they’re supposed to have good delivery options.” <br />
<br />
Later that day, with a good deal found, we placed an order on Dixons.co.uk.<br />
Magically they were able to deliver that week. The only downside so far was that whilst they could tell us the date of delivery, they couldn’t tell you the slot or even better, let you choose one. Mum had an appointment that she couldn’t miss so I figured we’d take the risk and hope we could resolve any issues once Dixons were able to confirm the slot. <br />
<br />
The night before the delivery was due, my Mum received a phone call from a lovely lady called Nicky* she informed Mum that they would be delivering the TV between 7-11am. At this point Mum told her that she had to leave at 9.30am for a hospital appointment, and asked if the nice lady could call me to rearrange. Nicky said it would be no problem to sort out but that she would call her back to confirm. <br />
<br />
I then received a voicemail from Nicky* telling me that due to Mum’s circumstances they would arrange for delivery between 7am-9am and that she would try me back later to confirm. She also then phoned Mum and informed her of the times. <br />
<br />
Now this may sound all fairly straight forward but what impressed me was that Mum wasn’t treated as simply one of a number of deliveries that had to be made, or as if she was a pain in the ass but instead she was treated with kindness, empathy and most importantly as a human.<br />
<br />
Fantastic service. <br />
<br />
But it didn’t finish there. The next morning at 7.30am I received a phone call from the delivery drivers telling me that they would be delivering within half an hour.<br />
So, I called Mum to let her know but, I’m too late she’s had the same call from the delivery guys herself. Later on I received a text from her to tell me it’s all delivered, no problem. When I saw her later that morning, I quizzed her…"What were the delivery guys like? Rude? Impatient? Drop it off on the doorstep?" "Nope, not at all" she replied, "they were lovely, polite and helpful," brought it straight in and popped it down right where she asked them too. <br />
<br />
I must say I’ve been impressed, Dixons service way surpassed my expectations (hence writing this post) and for me they have placed themselves well and truly back on my consideration mix. Well done Dixons! <br />
<br />
Things to crack:<br />
1. Allow users to see delivery options when ordering<br />
2. Allow users to select delivery slots – preferably in one hour slots but if 4 is all that’s possible then go for it<br />
3. Align service proposition with brand – it did confuse Mum why Curry’s called her regarding her delivery when she thought we’d ordered it from Dixons.<br />
(I know, I know but it confused her and I’m sure there are others)<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: xx-small;">*Nicky - I'm sure that was her name but I may be mistaken. </span> <br />
</span><br />
</div><div style="margin: 0.1pt 0cm; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 10pt;"></span><br />
</div><div style="margin: 0.1pt 0cm; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 10pt;"><o:p></o:p></span><br />
</div>Ziahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08676534191071415642noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4402844567291410805.post-71896456846765142822009-12-29T23:39:00.001+00:002009-12-30T19:39:58.873+00:00Customer Engagement & The New Consumer Demands<span style="font-size: small;"></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; margin: 0.1pt 0cm;"><span style="font-size: small;"><o:p></o:p>As a planner I'm always looking for ways to create customer engagement for clients. Typically we do that by finding ways to meet customer demands in ways that create an emotional connection, or value, or of course, both. As 2009 comes to a close there were two reports relating to these topics that were published. I am proud, honoured and slightly surprised to have been a contributor to them but thought I should mention them here: <br />
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; margin: 0.1pt 0cm;"><span style="font-size: small;">The first is the<b> <a href="http://www.cscape.com/features/Pages/customer-engagement-register.aspx">4<sup>th</sup> Annual Customer Engagement Survey Report</a></b> from <span style="color: black;"><a href="http://www.cscape.com/">cScape</a> and <a href="http://econsultancy.com/">E-consultancy</a></span><span lang="EN-US">. “It is the most comprehensive and influential report available on customer engagement, based on a survey of more than 1,000 companies and agencies. Companies can benchmark their customer engagement strategies and tactics, and see how others are adapting to changing customer behaviour and increased use of social media and the mobile channel.” As the most comprehensive survey of its kind it includes commentary from experts such as </span></span><span style="color: black; font-size: small;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jim_Sterne">Jim Sterne</a>, <a href="http://www.davechaffey.com/">Dr Dave Chaffey</a> and none other than my talented colleague <a href="http://keepthenoisedown.typepad.com/">Richard Wand</a>.<br />
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</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; margin: 0.1pt 0cm;"><span style="font-size: small;"><embed align="middle" allowfullscreen="true" flashvars="mode=embed&layout=http%3A%2F%2Fskin.issuu.com%2Fv%2Flight%2Flayout.xml&showFlipBtn=true&documentId=091130052527-83a4d198f92041c3a574b43c6b8481bd&docName=customer-engagement-report2010&username=richardsedley&loadingInfoText=4th%20Annual%20Online%20Customer%20Engagement%20Report%202010&et=1262123450199&er=99" menu="false" name="flashticker" quality="high" salign="l" scale="noscale" src="http://static.issuu.com/webembed/viewers/style1/v1/IssuuViewer.swf" style="height: 148px; width: 420px;" type="application/x-shockwave-flash"></embed></span><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; margin: 0.1pt 0cm;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: black; font-size: small;">Some highlights are: <o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
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<li class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.1pt; margin-top: 0.1pt;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: small;">55% of company respondents regard customer engagement as essential for their organisation</span><o:p></o:p></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.1pt; margin-top: 0.1pt;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: small;">The presence of companies on social networks has almost doubled from 23% in 2008 to 44% in 2009</span><o:p></o:p></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.1pt; margin-top: 0.1pt;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;">31% of respondents say their interest in customer engagement relates to emotional investment in their brand</span><o:p></o:p></span></li>
</span></ul><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; margin: 0.1pt 0cm;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;">My piece within the report looks at the need for organisations to be more ‘ballsy’ when considering their ventures into new or social media spaces but the full report is definitely worth a read. To download <o:p></o:p></span> visit:</span><br />
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; margin: 0.1pt 0cm;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="http://www.cscape.com/features/Pages/customer-engagement-register.aspx">www.cscape.com</a><o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
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</div><div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; margin: 0.1pt 0cm;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;">My contribution to the second report came as a little more of a surprise. I was pointed to the new report from <a href="https://www.paypal-business.co.uk/online-retail-whitepaper.asp?utm_source=IntRetail&utm_medium=Email&utm_campaign=Online_Retail_Whitepaper">Paypal</a> titled <b><a href="https://www.paypal-business.co.uk/online-retail-whitepaper.asp?utm_source=IntRetail&utm_medium=Email&utm_campaign=Online_Retail_Whitepaper">“Online Retail: the new consumer demands”</a></b> naturally I was intrigued and downloaded a copy. Being slightly old school I printed it off to read on the tube home. Very quickly I realised that those clever folks at <a href="http://www.thefuturelaboratory.com/">The Future Laboratory</a> had undertaken the report. However, </span><span style="font-size: small;">on reading I came across several comments by myself and after the initial surprise I remembered doing some interviews whilst I was in Dublin at a <a href="http://www.youtube.com/user/AboveBeyond2009">Google</a> conference.</span><span style="font-size: small;"> Anyway, it makes for interesting reading, other than the obvious “growth in online shopping” the report also reveals that:</span></span><br />
</div><ul><li><span style="font-size: small;">Four in ten (41%) city dwellers surveyed have increased their reliance on online shopping over the last year, despite having easy access to local shop<br />
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<li><span style="font-size: small;">Quicker, more reliable home delivery services (16%) and greater choice (12%) has helped persuade an estimated 15.6 million people living in urban city areas to move more of their shopping online over the last 12 months<br />
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<li><span style="font-size: small;">Glaswegians and Mancunians have moved more of their shopping online than anyone else</span></li>
</ul><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: small;">For a full copy of the report click <a href="https://www.paypal-business.co.uk/online-retail-whitepaper.asp?utm_source=IntRetail&utm_medium=Email&utm_campaign=Online_Retail_Whitepaper#">here</a> </span></span><br />
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</div>Ziahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08676534191071415642noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4402844567291410805.post-67396513387313647022009-12-29T21:27:00.001+00:002009-12-31T11:08:36.202+00:00Work Hard & Be Nice To People - Anthony Burrill<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.anthonyburrill.com/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" border="0" height="443" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5420759938164798898" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMzpWnZCd71ZhiimC0Maz-0RDmvXvmRL3pwjD-JnlarpGaqdN7qiGWMOhvkgNqkyyos6wDL7x0VUA5YBcKsG5IWGZAVnvPWaDVu7MWmjkLdOOOsnXUSPHFqPhTBnHOqB5_1damhHAm2ps/s320/01-725922.gif" width="298" /></a><br />
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I ventured to the Selfridges sale recently and while in the changing rooms was struck by this print on the wall. Not only do I like it aesthetically but it tickled me to hear the chap in the changing room talking to his colleague about how hard they had been working and how he couldn't wait for his break, and then transforming into the epitome of helpfulness when a customer was about - perhaps the message had struck a cord. <br />
I noticed on the print that this was the work of Anthony Burrill and I was pleased to come across more of Anthony's work at <a href="http://www.anthonyburrill.com/" target="_blank">www.anthonyburrill.com</a> and in particular his work for The Economist, and pleased to hear that he'll be part of the <a href="http://www.ifyoucould.co.uk/collaborate" target="_blank">If You Could Collaborate</a> exhibition in January 2010.<br />
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</div>Ziahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08676534191071415642noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4402844567291410805.post-45031338137145367492009-12-28T12:44:00.000+00:002009-12-29T11:35:09.159+00:00Nippaz with great attitude - A service lesson.When pasty pink or fluffy wuffy bunnies just don’t cut it my favourite place to shop for the increasing number of children appearing in my life is <a href="http://www.nippazwithattitude.com/">www.nippazwithattitude.com</a> Witty, irreverent and not a bunny in sight...my particular faves are:<br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqL5IAClZC9yArxHsa1aIroI81gY3I1Gfkl55bexSTOPsJ8KFllO7e9WmTw7T3gPmEmSJ3kTWSv6ipAUGB4uUbc1_gr3KFbituvqk1CMPP2tDe_zOWWu7apqRczQa3v8EmmZYIxeASnnI/s1600-h/Nippaz021.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqL5IAClZC9yArxHsa1aIroI81gY3I1Gfkl55bexSTOPsJ8KFllO7e9WmTw7T3gPmEmSJ3kTWSv6ipAUGB4uUbc1_gr3KFbituvqk1CMPP2tDe_zOWWu7apqRczQa3v8EmmZYIxeASnnI/s640/Nippaz021.jpg" /></a><br />
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So recently I found myself in need of their goods and services. I placed the order, later I realised that I couldn’t remember if I had included a message or not. On most occasions, I would have shrugged my shoulders and thought ‘oh well you muppet, must try harder next time’ but just as this was going through my head I received a personalized email order update email: <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHclMiziw_A8xEKNM8L0atd014ey-gAg-NvgGSD4NCw9zs8xn9XiN8DlLcxstaUe2kan6LsLxjq_Yc-dHnRDt9Y56MXzNsvOVf7vqPoebb3mCQd77p0CylDQ2OL5xWGzwT57M_azsbbjo/s1600-h/Nippaz1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHclMiziw_A8xEKNM8L0atd014ey-gAg-NvgGSD4NCw9zs8xn9XiN8DlLcxstaUe2kan6LsLxjq_Yc-dHnRDt9Y56MXzNsvOVf7vqPoebb3mCQd77p0CylDQ2OL5xWGzwT57M_azsbbjo/s640/Nippaz1.jpg" /></a><br />
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and so I was prompted to email them to see if they could check for me, to my delight I got the following reply:<br />
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FANTASTIC! They help me out and offer me a better discount – got to love that for service.<br />
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So to the big boys, take note: Personalised, considerate, helpful and timely service really does secure brand loyalty and creates advocacy.Ziahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08676534191071415642noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4402844567291410805.post-10967793592735585262009-12-28T12:18:00.000+00:002009-12-28T12:24:49.057+00:00Magic Moments...<o:p></o:p>In my conversations with clients I talk a lot about getting the basics, brilliant and then making those magic moments. Unsurprisingly in many instances clients are focused on the magic moments because it’s all shiny and new and the basics, well surely they look after themselves right?” – Wrong. <br />
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</div><div class="MsoNormal">A recent example of something that should have been a brilliant basic but made it onto my list of magic moments is the recent email I got from Wired. Now whatever your opinion is of the mag I don’t care. I like it a lot and enjoy getting my copy through the post and spending then next few hours with it. So when they sent me this email<br />
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</div><div class="MsoNormal"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpwLV3IRafV71MalWKZ7L0-B8BXheqEVEQl6gYEcGAGl9QFdgJ2Y_ghLVmD3uJz7cYL_hUTzgEvLa7y0QJKSb2EPFx154kZnWbXcFqyJ-nVQqqF9agei_RgV892_VO2ibTPHfBpsXc_UE/s1600/wired2.gif" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5405185796724588994" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpwLV3IRafV71MalWKZ7L0-B8BXheqEVEQl6gYEcGAGl9QFdgJ2Y_ghLVmD3uJz7cYL_hUTzgEvLa7y0QJKSb2EPFx154kZnWbXcFqyJ-nVQqqF9agei_RgV892_VO2ibTPHfBpsXc_UE/s320/wired2.gif" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 106px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 419px;" /></a><br />
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</div><div class="MsoNormal">So whilst I’m sitting there cursing the postal service because my copy of NMA or Retail Week may be late, or that thank you card I sent won’t arrive on time, the people at Wired were thinking ‘Oh no, our wonderful subscriber base will not get our shiny lovely new edition on time, and their paper experience of all that is digital may be impacted” so they did something about it. Without a carrier pigeon in sight, or personal delivery, no handing out of free copies at London Bridge tube, just a simple email. That’s all it took. One single email saying, yeah we know but our hands are tied. <o:p></o:p><br />
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</div><div class="MsoNormal">Simple.<br />
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And in return for that simple email they gained more brand loyalty from me. <o:p></o:p><br />
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</div><div class="MsoNormal">Oddly enough I got home that night and there in it’s white Conde Nast pack was the latest copy….magic indeed. <o:p></o:p><br />
</div>Ziahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08676534191071415642noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4402844567291410805.post-42985394525413628662009-08-01T08:50:00.000+01:002009-08-01T08:51:52.553+01:00Collaborative innovation for a $1mln prize<p>We're always looking at how we can drive true innovation for our own organisation but also for our client. I was interested to read in the New York Times recently about the latest venture from Netflix and AT&T. What seems to have started out as a creative way of solving a business challenge has led to some interesting insights into how to optimise collaboration and innovation, and of course for the lucky team a chance to win $1ml.<br /></p><p> </p><p><img style="width: 375px; height: 108px;" src="http://blogs.conchango.com/photos/conchango_bloggers/images/15963/425x124.aspx" mce_src="/photos/conchango_bloggers/images/15963/425x124.aspx" border="0" /> </p><p> </p><p>The full article can be found here: </p>http://www.nytimes.com/2009/07/19/technology/internet/19unboxed.html?_r=3&ref=businessZiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08676534191071415642noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4402844567291410805.post-51828688027868733842009-07-05T12:37:00.000+01:002009-07-05T12:50:28.809+01:00QR Codes get a stylish makeover<div style="text-align: left;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGlVQrnrcl6h7OvlTTCUjlnEZ0M6HIadukUuR1WXH5-raoj3it0uv9m_cBEzZjFuLi_TUL9KqIXCtVNQGq8MVlKUEgmOyUzBVbwH5lvI5F4EI0g6gyqrpkcAKpJGjsaYp0ZfsSFSGvNWk/s1600-h/mura1-150x150.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: left; cursor: pointer; width: 150px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGlVQrnrcl6h7OvlTTCUjlnEZ0M6HIadukUuR1WXH5-raoj3it0uv9m_cBEzZjFuLi_TUL9KqIXCtVNQGq8MVlKUEgmOyUzBVbwH5lvI5F4EI0g6gyqrpkcAKpJGjsaYp0ZfsSFSGvNWk/s400/mura1-150x150.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5354941003968519362" border="0" /></a>The humble QR code has not taken over here in the UK quite as much as we would have hoped. In Japan, the QR code is so ubiquitous that it is no longer just an advertising tool but they are now being used in places such as on graves. Simply scan the little box of info and get directed to the memorial site of the deceased.<br /><br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUk7-U4gJeL1jYJJP3BPpSM-A0VxndQ6b_VdPmS3bN-K38NC9iLeVRjZ2PUMZOuDlxN3OAZ9z97v-WIoEjhccvLdltP_VfFoCpLjfyGtZUt6rEZo0GCt1RxdEAhstLOwWKazOt6zIi-v4/s1600-h/qr-code-grave-1.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUk7-U4gJeL1jYJJP3BPpSM-A0VxndQ6b_VdPmS3bN-K38NC9iLeVRjZ2PUMZOuDlxN3OAZ9z97v-WIoEjhccvLdltP_VfFoCpLjfyGtZUt6rEZo0GCt1RxdEAhstLOwWKazOt6zIi-v4/s400/qr-code-grave-1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5354940173881383362" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />To celebrate the launch of the Marc Jacobs mobile site in Japan, the designer gave them a stylish makeover:<br /><br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMUiXti_SpC5bSKZQCA-ia8xPXEyfpLxvM_7HCppUrjT1NjqHInk6J-jCtHxDOgDVkJhIv3xKTHnJ_NcxEZJsjMYnMbTr6bKEcNcb9RJbqo9KnYXSFK-Xv6wPI-OA7CmzdMOkmxuQKyjs/s1600-h/mj.png"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 351px; height: 357px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMUiXti_SpC5bSKZQCA-ia8xPXEyfpLxvM_7HCppUrjT1NjqHInk6J-jCtHxDOgDVkJhIv3xKTHnJ_NcxEZJsjMYnMbTr6bKEcNcb9RJbqo9KnYXSFK-Xv6wPI-OA7CmzdMOkmxuQKyjs/s400/mj.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5354940879432661074" border="0" /></a>Ziahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08676534191071415642noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4402844567291410805.post-43677254066328657972009-07-05T12:28:00.000+01:002009-07-05T12:37:01.328+01:00Conversion, conversion, conversion!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.google.co.uk/intl/en/landing/conversion/"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 119px; height: 114px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLKn4qQcKdxpBdo7-nRPhuSyEp7gtZCSAzyjhTeIzlZ6BfqWJti6hDqzsdYln_Q2KY-kLA3znDzubp8gn6YPLAuSx10eBxJZplA4xxRqsPaFbj_6TQh44QSRqZVYFMfeW5AnxKdWyorzI/s400/GCP.gif" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5354937916432367074" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(102, 102, 102);">I work for EMC Conchango and this week it was announced that we are one of the first partners to be accredited by Google in their new Conversion Professionals program. Not only are we delighted to have been selected after a rigorous process of interviews, exams and more interviews but more importantly we’re delighted that Google has got behind the whole analytics and optimisation piece. As this is a topic close to my heart, and I was involved in the process I'm especially pleased.</span><br /><p style="color: rgb(102, 102, 102);">Analytics and MVT (multivariate testing testing) are things we have been talking to clients about a lot over the last few years. And while we already provide services in this area it still amazes me that so many organisations overlook these tools – particularly in light of the economic situation we are in.<br /></p><p style="color: rgb(102, 102, 102);">After all, if it was my website and someone told me that I could increase conversion by 2% – 12% then I’d be very, very interested! The way we talk about it is that not having analytics or MVT in place is akin to not having store managers, footfall counters or clear stock positions in your stores! </p><br /><object style="color: rgb(102, 102, 102);" height="340" width="560"><br /><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/5F2e-5x4lfE&hl=en&fs=1&"><br /><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><br /><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><br /><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/5F2e-5x4lfE&hl=en&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" height="340" width="560"></embed></object><br /><br /><br /><p><span style="color: rgb(102, 102, 102);">To see what Retail Week have to say about it then click </span><a style="color: rgb(102, 102, 102);" href="http://www.retail-week.com/technology/e-commerce/website-optimisation-firms-get-the-google-seal-of-approval/5004021.article" target="_blank" mce_href="http://www.retail-week.com/technology/e-commerce/website-optimisation-firms-get-the-google-seal-of-approval/5004021.article">here</a><span style="color: rgb(102, 102, 102);"> or for the full NMA article </span><a style="color: rgb(102, 102, 102);" href="http://www.nma.co.uk/news/google-sets-up%C2%A0accreditation-programme-to-safeguard-site-conversion/3001897.article" target="_blank" mce_href="http://www.nma.co.uk/news/google-sets-up%C2%A0accreditation-programme-to-safeguard-site-conversion/3001897.article">here</a><span style="color: rgb(102, 102, 102);"> for the full Google Conversion Professional microsite click </span><a style="color: rgb(102, 102, 102);" href="http://www.google.co.uk/intl/en/landing/conversion/" target="_blank" mce_href="http://www.google.co.uk/intl/en/landing/conversion/">here </a><span style="color: rgb(102, 102, 102);">or to talk about the services we offer in this area then email us on Experience.Planning@emc.com</span><br /></p><br /><br /><p><br /></p>Ziahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08676534191071415642noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4402844567291410805.post-65808220438096808042009-04-07T10:55:00.000+01:002009-07-05T12:36:17.372+01:00WOW marketing: The difference cultural values can make.Fancy hitting $1 billion in gross merchandise sales despite what’s going on in the economy? Or how about debuting at #23 on the FORTUNE Magazine’s ‘100 Best Companies To Work For’ list? If either of these sound interesting to you, then ask yourself what are your company’s core cultural values?<br /><br />Is your first thought about where you might find them? In the employee handbook perhaps? Afraid not.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.zappos.com/">Zappos</a> have achieved great success in their 10 year existence, not only financially but also by creating a company that is much loved by their customers – all 10 million of them that is! So loved are they, that on any given day circa 75% of their orders are from repeat customers. Impressive to say the least but at the heart of this success are their core cultural values – that they clearly apply:<br /><br />- deliver WOW through service<br />- embrace and drive change<br />- create fun and a little weirdness<br />- be adventurous, creative, and open-minded<br />- pursue growth and learning<br />- build open and honest relationships with communication<br />- build a positive team and family spirit<br />- do more with less<br />- be passionate and determined<br />- be humble<br /><br />At this time of economic turmoil are you and your organisations focusing in on what will drive both short term and long term relationships with your customers?<br /><br />If you’re still looking for that list of cultural values then one would presume not….<br /><br /><p><a href="http://blogs.conchango.com/blogs/ziazareemslade/CustomerTestimonials_1239097941029_75DB4400.png" mce_href="http://blogs.conchango.com/blogs/ziazareemslade/CustomerTestimonials_1239097941029_75DB4400.png"><img src="http://blogs.conchango.com/blogs/ziazareemslade/CustomerTestimonials_1239097941029_thumb_4EA0FACB.png" title="Customer Testimonials_1239097941029" style="border: 0px none ; display: inline;" alt="Customer Testimonials_1239097941029" mce_src="http://blogs.conchango.com/blogs/ziazareemslade/CustomerTestimonials_1239097941029_thumb_4EA0FACB.png" border="0" height="505" width="436" /></a></p><br /><br /><br /><br />Source: Latest edition of <a href="http://www.contagiousmagazine.com/">Contagious</a>Ziahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08676534191071415642noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4402844567291410805.post-15358056086874396032009-04-07T10:27:00.001+01:002009-04-07T11:01:09.640+01:00A new take on bricks & clicksOver the past few years there has been a lot of talk about the death of the high street as a result of the web. It's always been my view that the web will not gobble up the high street or retail park but that the two mediums provide an array of opportunities both for retailers and for us, the customer.<br /><br />The great thing is that the rise of internet shopping and general advances in technology have shifted the power base and this creates an interesting challenge for retailers to present us with more interesting, exciting, engaging and rewarding environments in which to experience their brands. I have always been particularly interested with how retailers respond to this opportunity within their physical environments.<br /><br />It's good to see that many retailers now see having a web presence as a hygiene factor, though I am still surprised as to how bland and un-engaging some of these sites are, at least they are aware that the internets not going away. We have seen the more forward thinking brands turn their physical retail experiences into more than simply a shop and probably the best example of this is the Apple store. It's not a shop, it's a showroom, a destination, a place for engaging, playing, and experiencing what it means to be Apple. Apparently Microsoft are thinking of doing the same thing - I wait with baited breath to see how that turns out….<br /><br />But what has peaked my interest is the news that The Hut - currently an internet only venture is in discussion with shopping centers about the possibility of going all bricks & mortar - but with no staff. The Chief Exec Mathew Moulding has said that shops "would be the size of a juice bar, no doors, and there would just be touch screens and a Chip and PIN reader". He added "It would help brand development. The high street brings a lot of traffic online instantly.”<br /><br />Well Mr Moulding I salute you - it's great to see web natives looking to the physical as a means of engaging with their customers and I'm also excited to see how the shopping centres, developers and landlords will respond to these sort of discussions. Given all the work we have been doing with MS Surface and Windows 7 we have talked at length with retailers about how these technologies can be used in retail environments to facilitate collaboration and provide richer, more innovative ways of looking at product information, but very few have been thinking about taking a staff-less approach. That's not to say that a staff-less approach is the right thing for all - of course not but it will certainly be interesting to see how this pans out…Ziahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08676534191071415642noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4402844567291410805.post-3542535696372785232009-01-28T18:23:00.001+00:002009-01-28T18:23:41.916+00:00Electrical Retailer short circuits...<div class="BlogPostContent"> Yesterday’s London Paper, shortly followed by the <a href="http://www.retail-week.com/News/2009/01/comet_tells_suppliers_to_pay_for_shop_floor_displays.html" target="_blank">Retail Week</a> site, are reporting tabloid uproar at Comet’s decision to implementing a listing fee of up to £15,431 for manufacturers to be stocked across their 250 retail outlets. While retailers have been playing this game for many years, the current outrage highlights a deeper industry issue around the cost and value of channels. How can retailers like Comet – already very successful online – continue to justify the immense expense of operating physical outlets?<br /><br />So, Comet, has decided that as a means of generating extra revenue at this particularly challenging time, it’s to charge manufacturers up to £15,431 if they want to put a new product on display in it's 250 stores. Yep, that's right, with all the wealth of distribution options that the internet presents to these manufacturers, Comet thinks it can charge £61.72 per store for carrying the new product.<br /><br />Now, I may be wrong here but I can't imagine that the manufacturers are going to be delighted at this prospect, in fact if some of the comments on Retail Weeks’ site are to go by then it’s fair to say they are outraged.<br /><br />It’ll be interesting if the manufacturers simply comply with this or if they start to leverage the wealth of distribution options available through the web and challenge the traditional models of Manufacturer & Retailer.<br /><br />I can’t help but think that if this scenario plays out, and the manufacturers refuse to pay these new fees then surely Comet is accelerating it’s own downfall?<br /><br />Think about it from a customer perspective, Jane has convinced the Bob that they just have to have the latest new shiny washing machine, so Bob has a look at Comet.co.uk - no new shiny machine there, but a little click away is Tesco Direct / Argos / Kelkoo / etc etc and there it is in all it’s shiny glory ready to be bought from Comets' competitors!<br /><br />Alternatively, Bob goes in-store and the delightful, helpful customer assistant say's 'Oh I'm sorry Bob, but brand X didn't want to pay £15,400 for us to put their new washing machine in our 250 beautiful retail environments, so that you can buy it here, helped by me, your happy, friendly knowledgeable assistant." Bob doesn’t think to himself "Those pesky tight fisted manufactures', how dare they not pay for me to buy my washing machine in this wonderful shopping environment" he's more likely to be a bit perplexed and irritated that Comet don't have the product he wants at the price he wants to pay for it and trot off to the nearest store that does. <br /><br />I wish the very best of luck to both Comet and the Manufacturers. It is indeed a challenging time and I’ll watch with interest to see if the Manufacturers take the opportunity to reinvent themselves and challenge old models. And if retailers such as Comet will move away from draconian quick fixes that are so short term. What would be great is to see them put the customer back in the heart of they are doing and enable them to buy the right product, at the right price, through the channel they would prefer – just a thought.<br /><br /> </div><span id="_ctl0____ctl0____ctl0__ctl0_bcr__ctl0___Entry___InlineTagEditorPanel"></span>Ziahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08676534191071415642noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4402844567291410805.post-12250421401511667182008-12-02T21:25:00.001+00:002008-12-02T21:25:58.651+00:00Personalisation & Publication 2.0<p>Starting early next month, global banking giant HSBC is offering passengers at Heathrow's Terminal 1 a chance to select magazine articles on topics they're interested in and have them bound into a hardback form they can take on their flight, according to Marketing Week. Through a kiosk located beyond security at Terminal 1, travellers will be greeted with an HSBC-branded hardback magazine cover. They'll then browse the diverse selection of loose-leaf articles arranged on backlit shelving, UTalkMarketing.com reported. Available articles will be sourced from coverage around the globe focusing on four general topic areas: home and abroad, commerce and politics, health and sport, and media and culture. Consumers will also be able to choose from among five writers, including celebrity chef Jamie Oliver, tennis legend Björn Borg and Harrod’s trend forecaster on the future of shopping. Once they've made their selections, travelers will simply take their articles to HSBC's binding bar to be neatly bound inside the hard cover. The two-week pilot effort, which is part of a campaign to promote the HSBC Premier Card, was developed by Cunning with JC Decaux Airport, Kinetic's Aviator division and MindShare. By providing a bespoke, branded experience to Heathrow travellers from around the globe, the custom magazine project will underscore the upscale targeting of HSBC's Premier Card, as well as highlighting the company's global presence. If extended beyond the pilot phase, such an initiative could also be offered as a perk to Premier customers. Either way, it's just one more piece of evidence that the world is becoming thoroughly personalized—let consumers have it their way, or they'll have it somewhere else!<br />Source:Springwise.com </p>Think I may have to take a little jaunt just to try this out. It's a great idea and reflects the innovative methods brands need to use in order to get resonance with an increasingly demanding & expectant consumer base...any of you flying during this time, please try it out, I would love to hear your thoughts and see the end results.Ziahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08676534191071415642noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4402844567291410805.post-34871787396796017442008-11-18T12:40:00.000+00:002008-11-18T12:49:10.179+00:00‘Social shopping’ in an economic downturn: Is the cart half empty?<p><span style="font-size:85%;"><i><b>"Four of the past five months have now seen negative like-for-like annual sales growth and in July every sector except food recorded falls. Frivolous shopping is off the agenda as most customers concentrate on value and durability and there are few signs the slowdown has yet bottomed out."</b></i> 1<br /><br /><b>- Stephen Robertson, Director General of the British Retail Consortium (August, 2008)</b><br /><br />‘News’ of the retail gloom we’re facing is hardly news anymore. So what does this mean for social shopping – long predicted to be the next wave in retail?<br /><br />Is social shopping ‘frivolous’? Or inevitable? Can retailers capitalise on its positives in a time of tightening budgets and cautious investment? If so, how? And how to navigate the field of aggregator sites like <a href="http://www.kaboodle.com/" target="_blank" mce_href="http://www.kaboodle.com">Kaboodle</a>, <a href="http://www.thisnext.com/" target="_blank" mce_href="http://www.thisnext.com">ThisNext,</a> and <a href="http://www.osoyou.com/" target="_blank" mce_href="http://www.osoyou.com">Osoyou</a>?<br /><br />First, let’s define the term, and take a quick look at where social shopping stands this minute. Has anyone got it right yet?<br /><br /><b>‘Social shopping’ isn’t a new idea. </b><br />To many, shopping has always been – and always will be – a highly social activity; social entertainment that’s fuelled by sharing, contemplating and debating with friends.<br /><br />In the digital space, social shopping is where online shopping and social networking meet. To date, it’s been primarily targeted at women and the net-savvy ‘Digital Class’ (18-24 years old). But its applications are far wider ranging. When it comes down to it, people everywhere, regardless of age or gender, want – and seek – reassurance about their purchasing decisions.<br /><br />Fine. So should every business with an interest in e-commerce have a social shopping strategy in place? Well, if they’re interested in building a stronger brand, acquiring new customers virally, improving conversion rates from web marketing and selling more – the answer is yes.<br />Most retailers today are recognising that shopping, online as well as offline, is a discerning process that requires connection; thus, they’re creating richer, more ‘social’ experiences.<br />But social shopping is an approach to e-commerce that’s yet to be done right. Most social shopping ventures have so far struggled to account for the overall experience. They’ve failed to move forward with a balanced appreciation of business requirements, brand management and user expectations and needs. The result: sites that offer one, two or even several ‘cool’, interesting or useful tools, but don’t create a unified brand experience that spans online and offline; that integrates the real-world and the virtual.<br /><br />First, let’s take a quick look at the lie of the land.<br /><i><b><br />Who’s doing what? And is anyone even coming close?</b></i><br /><br /><b>Individual retailers</b><br /><br />High street retailers are taking online shopping seriously. They’re starting to offer experiences that move beyond simply displaying products in a virtual shop window for customers to select, click and buy. But while various brands are offering interesting functionality, so far the UK high street has been fragmented in terms of delivering on an ‘overall experience’.<br /><br />Just a few examples of the kinds of interactions and experiences standalone retailers are creating:<br /><br />• Oli’s <a href="http://www.oli.co.uk/" target="_blank" mce_href="http://www.oli.co.uk">‘LookBook’</a>. With it, users can discover, share and compare products, and put together collections which they can send to a friend or buy.<br /><br />• The <a href="http://www.diesel.com/" target="_blank" mce_href="http://www.diesel.com">Diesel website</a>. It offers a wish list, send to a friend functionality and the ability to embed products in external blogs or websites. It also has a brand blog called ‘The cult’ which serves to strengthen and build cultural significance.<br /><br />• The <a href="http://www.yoox.com/" target="_blank" mce_href="http://www.yoox.com">Yoox Dreambox</a>. It’s one of the more sophisticated brand ‘share and compare’ functionalities. It lets users collect, send to friends and compare and rate items. It also acts as a profile that allows users to make friends with similar interests.<br /><br />• Topshop’s Facebook application (called ‘Topshop fashion Fix’) It’s no surprise Topshop has a presence here. However, the company uploads only about three items a week for users to vote on (with a simple yay or nay). Interesting, yes, but what’s the real reward for the consumer?<br /><br />Some retailers are, at least ostensibly, beginning to bring the in-store and online experiences closer together. Last year, Bloomingdale's in Manhattan tested a ’Magic Mirror’ concept for three days. When shoppers stood in front of the mirror wearing tagged clothing, the mirror displayed other sizes or colours in stock, or recommended suitable accessories. Notably, however, no attempt was made to link this experience to the Bloomingdale's online community.<br /><br />Leading among fashion retail and social shopping are brands like <a href="http://www.urbanoutfitters.co.uk/" target="_blank" mce_href="http://www.urbanoutfitters.co.uk/">Urban Outfitters</a> and <a href="http://www.anthropologie.com/anthro/index.jsp" target="_blank" mce_href="http://www.anthropologie.com/anthro/index.jsp">Anthropologie</a>. The latter is currently conducting a pilot of an offline desktop boutique – a computer application that lets users browse the retailer’s catalogue and post orders through a desktop button. It’s an attempt to enhance the brand and tailor offerings to individuals.<br /><br />But cool tools and interesting applications alone won’t suffice. How does everything link up? Where’s the experiential synergy?<br /><br /><b>‘Aggregators’</b></span></p><p><span style="font-size:85%;"><br />Over the last few years, there’s been a proliferation of social shopping websites that aggregate information about products, prices and deals, and provide a platform where users can communicate about their favourite things. Sites like <a href="http://www.kaboodle.com/" target="_blank" mce_href="http://www.kaboodle.com">Kaboodle</a>, <a href="http://www.thisnext.com/" target="_blank" mce_href="http://www.thisnext.com">ThisNext,</a>, <a href="http://wists.com/" target="_blank" mce_href="http://wists.com/">Wists</a>, <a href="http://www.osoyou.com/" target="_blank" mce_href="http://www.osoyou.com/">Osoyou</a>, <a href="http://www.shopstyle.com/" target="_blank" mce_href="http://www.shopstyle.com/">Shopstyle</a> and <a href="http://www.stylehive.com/" target="_blank" mce_href="http://www.stylehive.com/">StyleHive</a> are spearheading this trend.<br />These sites don’t sell directly but rather serve as product sharing and recommendation engines. They allow users to create custom shopping lists and share them with friends, reflecting the general trend towards and proliferation of UGC (User Generated Content) online.<br /><br />Aggregator websites can serve to bridge the gap between shops and their consumers, often providing (at least from the customer’s perspective) a more integrated experience than single-store transactional sites. They provide platforms for shoppers to congregate, communicate and validate each other’s decisions. So why are most products that are socially endorsed online still being purchased offline?<br /><br />That question aside, there’s no denying the value of these sites, and large and influential ecommerce companies are realising it. Which explains why we’re seeing Microsoft acquiring <a href="http://blogs.conchango.com/controlpanel/blogs/Jellyfish.com" target="_blank" mce_href="http://blogs.conchango.com/controlpanel/blogs/Jellyfish.com">Jellyfish</a> and Hearst buying <a href="http://www.kaboodle.com/" target="_blank" mce_href="http://www.kaboodle.com">Kaboodle</a>.<br /><br />At the same time, more recently, larger social networks that attempt to cater for everyone are beginning to see a decline in popularity, with an emergence in the shopping realm of more niche networks such as <a href="http://www.etsy.com/" target="_blank" mce_href="http://www.etsy.com/">Etsy</a> and <a href="http://www.fashionspace.com/" target="_blank" mce_href="http://www.fashionspace.com/">Fashionspace</a>.<br /><br />Capitalising on both worlds (the uber-popular and the ultra-specialised), interior design site <a href="http://mydeco.com/" mce_href="http://mydeco.com/">MyDeco.com</a> aggregates products from 500 partners, including massive players such as Marks & Spencer, John Lewis, and Argos – and niche retailers like ’Canvas R Us’. Users can create a furnished room, publish it for other customers, and buy the decorations and furnishings within a matter of clicks.<br /><br /><b>Where do we go from here?</b><br /><br />For retailers right now, it’s time to do some serious soul searching. One of the first questions: How much do you invest in building a community on your site versus creating a strategy around existing social networking sites and aggregators?<br /><br />The answer: it depends, and it involves a lot more questions. Like:<br />• How do your customers feel about your products? How good are you at finding out, and staying up on it?<br />• How transparent are you as a company, and how transparent are you willing to be?<br />• What kind of social shopping profiles do your customers (and your prospects) have? How deep can you dive to find out how they’re participating in social media?<br />• How much do you know about what people are saying about your brand? Not as of last month or last week, but as of this morning? Whether or not you’re participating in the conversation, how and where is your offering (and your competition’s) showing up in conversational media?</span></p><p><span style="font-size:85%;"><br />In the next few months, we’ll see a proliferation of new developments based on the power of community, individualisation within these communities, and new technologies: new approaches to personalised recommendations, better interactive chat, higher quality editorial video and improved access to social shopping across multiple channels and technologies, to name but a few.<br /></span></p><p><span style="font-size:85%;"><b>How do you know what’s right – for your brand, for your customers, in the current climate? </b></span></p><p><span style="font-size:85%;">The answer is in experience planning. Innovating smartly, in a way that balances business requirements, brand management and user expectations and needs. </span></p><p> </p><span style="font-size:85%;">Want to know how? Experience.Planning@conchango.com<br /><br />_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________<br />1 Hall James, “<a href="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/newsbysector/retailandconsumer/2794664/Worst-spell-in-three-years-for-high-street-sales.html" target="_blank" mce_href="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/newsbysector/retailandconsumer/2794664/Worst-spell-in-three-years-for-high-street-sales.html">Worst spell in three years for high street sales</a>,” The Telegraph, August 11, 2008, </span>Ziahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08676534191071415642noreply@blogger.com0