Archive for October, 2009
October 31st, 2009
Shopping comparison engines are an increasingly important way for retailers to reach their customers and drive website traffic. I recently caught up with Maricki from Become UK to talk about their offering and plans for the future.
Tell us a bit about your company
BecomeUK is a comparison shopping engine operated by Become, Inc. Become, Inc. is a global leader in comparison shopping and lead generation spanning several verticals, including product shopping and education. Become, Inc. delivers qualified leads to businesses and helps consumers find products and services using its world-class search engine. Headquartered in Silicon Valley, CA, with offices in Tokyo, London, Karlsruhe (Germany) and Milan, Become Inc. operates numerous sites including become.com, become.co.uk, become.co.jp, and education.become.com. Become, Inc. was founded in 2004 by Michael Yang, who was also a founder of comparison shopping engine MySimon. Investors in Become, Inc. include Texas Pacific Group, Transcosmos, and European Founders Fund.
What makes Become different from other online shopping channels
Become Inc. has differentiated itself from other shopping channels through the use of comparison shopping technology and features, such as colour search and Percent Off, which are intended to simplify the online shopping experience and assist the shopper in identifying the best products for them.
We also operate www.shopaholic.become.co.uk, our shopping blog. We try to give customers news, advices, opinions, reviews and helpful tips about particular products. Our blogs are written by product specialists who familiarize themselves with both the products and the market trends they report on in order to deliver reliable and professional blog posts to online shoppers.
How do you produce your results? Is it purely on a PPC basis. Any free listings?
Our business model is strictly CPC, and on our shopping portal each retailer is reviewed prior to approval; we do this to ensure best quality control.
What are Become’s strongest categories
Become UK has a variety of categories to suit our wide online audience. Home and Garden/Technology and Clothing are typically large categories in online shopping and we find that Become’s largest categories tend to reflect the online retail market as a whole.
How do you market Become.co.uk?
Through our functionality including colour search, percent off and the number of products on our site means we get a large amount of repeat visitors. Also for a comparison shopping engine, search relevancy is very important, and our team strives to produce relevant search results which reflect the needs of online users trying to shop for products through our site.
Do you offer any tracking functionality?
For our retail partners, Become UK offers a free ROI tracker in order to optimize their campaign with us. For more information on this, US retailers can contact sales@become.com and international retailers can reach out to sales@become.co.uk.
Plans for the future?
Become, Inc. has recently acquired the German CSE company Pangora, which will assist in our European expansion and continued improvement of our service and features for online shoppers worldwide.
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October 31st, 2009
This is BANANAS! I think Kelly’s Taylor is even better than her Rachel.
October 31st, 2009
eBay has revealed that they are going to launch a multi-media (TV, print and certainly online). The over-arching them is: "Come to think of it, eBay." This is not only news-worthy, but a big deal for eBay sellers so let's dig in by first reviewing the last 5+ years of eBay ad campaigns and then do some initial thinking about the new campaign.
A brief history of eBay TV campaigns
This is the first eBay campaign in 18+ months and the history of the pre-Donahoe era campaign has been less than stellar. Here's a quick synopsis with links were still on-line and the general feeling out there in the eBay seller base about the campaign.
- 2004 – The Power of All of Us - Too touchy feely – nothing about selling things.
- 2005 – Find IT on eBay – Pretty decent, hit on the variety that eBay offers.
- 2006 – Do it eBay - Fun, but probably too kitschy.
- 2007 – Shop Victoriously - The last effort of the Meg era – we were 100% focused back on auctions and this was an attempt to talk about how fun that is (well, was).
- 2008 – No ad
- 2009 – Come to think of it, eBay
Come to think of it…
I've embedded the first video here in the blog for your viewing enjoyment:
eBay is saying there's another video on the way and that there are two print ads with these themes:
- "Get the same new bag as celebrities with money left over for a tiny dog." – hits on the
- “last year’s music player will still play this year’s music." – hitting on the eBay secondary marketplace theme.
Initial thoughts on the concept
The idiom dictionary describes "Come to think of it" as "I just remembered". When I first watched the ad, something bothered me about it that didn't click until I saw that definition.
There are lots of great stories that I think eBay could be telling as they come through this turnaround like:: "We should be your first destination", or "we are the source for the best deals" or "we had trust problems and we've solved them", or "Hey you know us for auctions, now we have some great fixed-price deals!", they are saying – ", but instead, eBay is saying: "hey please don't forget us" or even worse, "You probably have already forgotten us.
So while I like the ad content (his wife gets a dress for 40% off), the tag line is kind of weak to me. eBay is a $60b marketplace and their big come back ad campaign positions eBay as an afterthought.
The jury is still out, but I'm surprised at the weak positioning of the campaign. Come to think of it, you'd think they could have come up with something a little stronger? What do you think – let us know in comments.
SeekingAlpha Disclosure – I am long Amazon and Google. eBay is an investor in ChannelAdvisor where I am CEO.
October 31st, 2009
Government numbers on retail sales came out this morning falling 0.5% in one month. If it keeps up, that works out to a 6% annual rate. This comes on top of consumer confidence numbers out earlier in the week that were so bad it took the stock market down almost 200 points. The GDP economic numbers that showed 3.5% growth fueled a brief rally of 199 points on the DOW, until today’s numbers came out starting another 200+ point rout in the DOW.
What does this all mean for online sellers? There is no question that the high number of job losses and pessimistic consumer confidence will impact holiday sales, but there in one offsetting possibility –The Swine Flu.
No one likes to make money from other people’s misery, but it is a fact that swine flu fears are already responsible for some of the drop in retail sales. Amazon just reported its best quarter ever and eBay’s sales were only down 1% when many analysts were expecting a larger drop. Nielsen numbers on website sales will be out soon and it will be interesting to see if online sales are growing or declining. My bet is that we will see some growth –probably not much but as people fear the holiday crowds in the malls, I think online shopping will offset some of the retail sales lost to brick and mortar stores.
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October 30th, 2009
<a eBay Motors and eBay.com made a small but significant enhancement to the share functionality on listings this week. Until now, the only sharing capabilities provided on individual listings was via email. In an age of tweeting, online nudging, poking, digging and blogging it is nice to see that Facebook and Twitter have been added to the list.
I really believe that eBay’s (and any ecommerce platform’s for that matter) embrace, or lack thereof, of social media tools into its core marketplace will dictate its future relevancy. I wrote about it for the BBC Digital Revolution Blog back in August:
The advent of the social web has built upon that original eBay ideal – connecting people online – creating virtual villages that introduce individuals with similar likes and views to one another, regardless of geography. The ubiquitous aspects of the new social web, although perfectly positioned for the personality of the eBay community, actually currently goes directly against the existing makeup of the eBay Marketplace infrastructure (currently no external links or social media widgets are permitted on individual listings).
This new functionality is still very much one-way but it’s a significant step in beginning to realize the true capabilities of social sharing for ecommerce solutions.
Cheers,
RBH
October 29th, 2009
Halloween is just around the corner and I’ve picked out a few goodies for the kids in your life.
The number one priority for us parents is to keep the little ones safe while running around in the dark – so lighting is key. Of course flashlights are an easy way to let people know you’re coming, but now there are all kinds of cool looking ones available like little kitties, flower wands and even tigers (some of which are below). Kids can even light up those little fingers with cool finger lights or add reflectors to costumes.
Now that they’re all lit up, let’s keep track of ‘em. We can keep tabs on their whereabouts a few ways, both include attaching a device to the child. The first is called the Loc8tor and it’s a tracking device for household items like keys, the remote or your cell phone. On Halloween night you can take one of the 4 tabs and attach it to the child’s costume. If all of the sudden you notice someone’s missing simply press the location button for the assigned tab on the handheld device and the screen will show an arrow pointing towards the tab. A beeping noise along with the arrow will lead you to them. If you’re not the parent walking with the kids but still want to know where they are? A child locator GPS enabled device will allow you to pull up an online map and literally watch where the kids are scoring their loot.
Lastly here are a few more cool treats for the scariest night of the year.
A hot glue gun that casts webs while decorating. It instantly adds that spooky feeling to any home. If you’re looking for a quick fix to get the decor up in a hurry or don’t want to hang anything, check out a decoration projector that flashes spooky images on the side of your house. Having a party? These Jello molds are shaped like different icky looking body parts and once you add different colored Jello to them they make the perfect trick or treat!
Here are some links to examples of ghoulish goodies – have fun!
Finger Lights
Kids Flashlights
Flashing mouth lights
Costume reflectors
Child Location Devices
Webcaster Gun
Decor Projector
Jello Molds
October 28th, 2009
Over on sister-blog, Comparison Shopping Engine Strategies (csestrategies.com), we have the first in a two part series around mobile e-commerce (m-commerce) This is a hot topic and even if you are eBay-only, I think as a retailer you need to keep an eye on it so recommend you hop over there and give it a gander.
October 28th, 2009
There’s a pretty interesting report out this week from FFP Global, entitled 10 eCommerce Trends for 2010.
The report says that online shopping is moving from a transaction mentality to one that also embodies discovery, entertainment and social bonding experiences. Something that I’ve witnessed first-hand in the 2 years I’ve been here at eBay.
Five of the report’s key ecommerce trends for 2010 include:
1. A Smarter Mobility:
Smartphone growth with its wider screens and compelling applications will continue to accelerate in 2010. Just as ecommerce sites have contributed to sales in physical stores, we will see more aggressive pushes by mobile applications to drive ecommerce sales. One emerging way will be through Augmented Reality (AR), where information is overlaid on images or video.
We’ve seen this already in 2009, let alone 2010. eBay says that shoppers will spend $400 million on eBay using its iPhone app by the end of this year.
2. Fulfillment Rules:
More retailers will consider regional fulfillment centers because of the volatility of fuel costs and marketplace demand for accelerated delivery times. To minimize inventory, drop shipping from manufacturers will gain traction. Reverse logistics will also be a point of emphasis as recapturing the value of goods not only fits into heightened environmental concerns, but for businesses represents an opportunity to reduce costs, increase customer satisfaction and increase marketing opportunities by offering refurbished products.3. Customer Service is Everywhere:
As consumers utilize an increasing number of communication channels – from texting to responding to YouTube videos, their expectations to access information, express themselves, and receive feedback in an immediate time frame, poses a complex challenge that e-retailers are beginning to take very seriously. As a result, Call Centers are being replaced with Customer Experience Centers that deliver consistent superior touchpoints with consumers over a wide spectrum of communication channels.4. Being Relevant is Virally Important:
Whether they like it or not, e-retailers are expected and valued as more than suppliers of goods and services. Accordingly, they must proactively take on personalities that their market segments feel comfortable with. This relevancy requires e-retailers actively listen, converse and engage in a variety of areas such as online destinations and social responsibility forums,
I see this every day when I’m on Twitter, Facebook, the blog, YouTube, Flickr, etc. – you name it. I’m communicating directly with individual business owners; people making a living online through sales, and supplementing that online business with online communication; having an open dialogue with their existing and potential buyers. The actual transaction has become only a part of a much larger, relationship-building process.
5. Business Intelligence Meets Business Process:
While companies retain a wealth of data, they often lack the capture tools, analytical processes and personnel bandwidth to turn this information into actionable activities. In 2010, there will be a greater commitment to unleash the intelligence residing in data banks to create sophisticated marketing and sales business processes that provide competitive advantages.
My personal belief is that consumers have evolved to the point where they want the best of both worlds when it comes to shopping online. Not only do they want exceptional service, great value and an overall smooth transaction from beginning to end, they also benefit from having what is perceived to be a direct relationship with the individual or business from whom they are making the purchase. As an online consumer myself, I would like the relatively hiccup-free shopping experience I’d expect to get from a large, faceless big-box retailer all while getting the personal relationship and attention that I get from shopping at my local Mom & Pop store.
I realize I’m just one person though. So, having read the “eCommerce trends for 2010″, what do you think? How many of them are in line with your business plans for the year ahead? Were there any surprises? Anything glaring there that you hadn’t thought of? Also, where does eBay sit in all of this? We know the company is doing well with regard to mobile ecommerce (or “m-commerce”) but what about the other trends? Maintaining relevancy for example?
Would really love to hear your thoughts on this one.
Cheers,
RBH
October 28th, 2009
Kijiji.com, eBay’s free, local, family-friendly classifieds site, today announced a partnership with Petfinder.com, an online, searchable database of adoptable animals who need permanent homes. The partnership means that users will now be able to browse more than 200,000 Petfinder adoptable pets via Kijiji.com.
From the release:
“We are thrilled to partner with Petfinder.com as part of our ongoing dedication to connecting pets with loving and healthy homes,” said Martin Herbst, General Manager of Kijiji U.S. “Kijiji.com strives to be a safe, family-friendly resource devoted to the humane treatment of animals and safe pet adoption. Our partnership with Petfinder.com and our proactive customer service team helps us achieve this goal.”
I sat down with Martin earlier this year to talk about the site and the enhancements they made back in April. I’ve used Kijiji a few times over the past year and have had nothing but good experiences to date. I also know a few people that have found their pets through Kijiji, including a colleague of mine that sits next to me at work.
I had a beautiful golden retriever from when I was 12 until I was 26. I’ve been pushing my wife for a dog ever since but she has (wisely) resisted my requests because she knows she’ll end up having to be the primary care giver in the week. However, I’ll be checking Kijiji out if and when I get the greenlight.
Cheers,
RBH
October 28th, 2009
Apparently you can still make money selling on eBay.
HIAWATHA, Iowa (CNN)– As Dr. Jennifer Lickteig examines patients at the Linn Community Care Health Center in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, she’s also earning money from a second career that has nothing to do with medicine.
Dr. Jennifer Lickteig started her online clothing business while taking time off from medicine to raise her family. 1 of 2 Lickteig runs a clothing store on eBay, where she’s a “Gold PowerSeller,” ranking among the top 1½ percent of merchants on the online marketplace.
The 35-year-old family practitioner says she earned $120,000 last year on eBay, more than she did practicing medicine. Read the full story at CNN.
Yes, eBay is not as easy as it was a few years ago –and yes, fees are higher and their policies are more strict. But hundreds of thousands of small and large sellers are still making money on eBay today.
When it comes to learning how to make money online, eBay has several advantages for the small or new seller. First of all is a built-in audience. eBay gets the eyeballs to your listings. Although eBay has lost its first place in shopping traffic to Amazon, there are still millions of people who visit eBay every day and type what they are looking for into the search engine. If you know how to optimize your listings for eBay search, then you will get your products in front of buyers.
Making money selling on eBay.
The tricks are pretty simple:
- Use good searchable keywords in your auction titles.
- Use good photographs that show off your item
- Write complete thorough descriptions that give the buyer all the information they need
- Deliver good customer service to earn a great feedback rating and high Detailed Seller Rating stars
The other thing about eBay is the skills you will learn are translatable to selling in other venues including Amazon, other auction sites, fixed price stores and even your own website. In fact eBay is a great place to secure customers so you can market to them in other ways.
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