Ecom Revolution
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January 4, 2014

Online Cyber Monday $1.7B Sets New Record Even As 2013 Holiday Season Falls Short
Martin (Marty) Smith

Not sure why ComScore expected strong online sales late in the season. With shipping concerns, weather and other December issues the holidays begin to shut down online around 1.15 and sales become very quiet by 1.20.

This year that trend was accelerated by the calendar with Christmas in the middle of the week. As we discussed in our Ecommies piece for Curatti (Is Ecommerce Stuck In The Mud http://curatti.com/is-ecommerce-stuck-in-the-mud/ ) ecommerce wasn't very inspiring this year.

Ecommerce merchants are caught in tectonic shifts in the mobile/social web. Online merchants are slowly realizing social marketing is more than one way communication. Social marketing is a conversation, but few online merchants treat social media marketing like an active two way conversation.

The mobile revolution is about much more than smart phones too, yet few online e-retailers are organized around a "mobile first" idea. Battles continue on free shipping, battles that should be all but over as leaders have adopted free shipping out and back (i.e. for returns too) especially in December.

Free shipping out and back is now a meme, a meme that will take over by 2015 (if not before) since it is easier to understand than using coupons or trigger points. If ecommerce is going to dig itself out of the mud embracing social/mobile will be a good first step.


Letting go of print catalog and bricks and mortar behavior online would be a great second step (though much harder to realize).

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December 11, 2013

Is Ecommerce Stuck In The Mud? - via @Curatti_
Martin (Marty) Smith
Is E-commerce Stuck In The Mud? After our first Holiday Ecommies Review of 30+ top online retailers (@Ecommies is a new ecommerce ratings, review and award site coming soon). It’s clear e-retailers are stuck in the mud.
Martin (Marty) Smith:

Fun writing this post for @ janlgordon new Editors of Chaos http://www.curatti.com. Conclusion after our first Ecommie Awards for Holiday 2013 is YES e-commerce is stuck in mud of its own making.

Online retailers seem stuck fighting battles that are all but over such as the adoption of free shipping out and back, deal-of-the-day and Buy More, Save More. The ocean runs red as competitors face off with each other with little regard to the unique characteristics of selling online.

There were bright spots in the more than 30 top e-retailers reviewed including REI.com and Williams-Sonoma, but even well established brands such as L. L. Bean seem to struggle this holiday selling season.

Not hard to see WHY ecom is in a rut. Mobile is changing everything though few seem to realize the magnititude or sweep of the change. In addition to the Ecommies Report card we created a Social Media Analysis showing most e-retailers follow less than 1% of their followers.

Clearly the conversational nature of the new web is as perplexing to retailers as mobile. The combination of these two big misses, mobile and social, made holiday 2013 lackluster and stuck in the mud. This Curatti.com post shares ideas for how to fix not least of which would be embracing social media marketing and joining a mobile marketing revolution that has little to do with phones.

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December 7, 2013

Ecommies Holiday 2013 Report Card
Martin (Marty) Smith

Ecommies - Identifying ecommerce trends, rate and review ecom tools and hold annual awards.

Holiday 2013 Awards
First Ecommies Holiday ratings are in. William-Sonoma & REI.com top the list in November and December.  L. L. Bean gets "most improved" award from November to December and several trends emerge:

* Free Shipping out and back is trending especially in December. 
* Free shipping all orders is trending. 

* Hiding free shipping behind either codes or triggers is declining.

* Deal of the Day is trending with majors like REI.com adding DOD.

* Standard credit card based loyalty programs prevalent. 

* Still many catalog and retail merchandising tactics such as "door busters". 


Ratings report card on Google docs: http://bit.ly/1bPhwz3 


Holiday ecommerce merchandising wasn't very inspired this year. December ratings went DOWN from November. Based on this year's performance ecommerce is clearly in a rut. 

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July 29, 2013

2013 The Year The Never Ending Sale DIED
Martin (Marty) Smith

End of the Never Ending Sale
What happens when we cry WOLF too many times? The villagers stop caring and wolves eat you. Our collective villagers are sending clear indication they are tired of the absurdity of the never-ending sale.

Content Marketing Benchmark Study
http://sco.lt/8eHui1http://sco.lt/8eHui1


Vision Purpose & Value Define New Social Media Marketing
http://sco.lt/6CXZ45 (via @BrianSolaris)

These two studies make it clear. Simply transferring brick and mortar's SALE SALE SALE online is a sure prescription for disaster. Content is KING and shouting SALE at the top of our lungs doesn't work anymore.

New Approach
Our new e-commerce approach must be consistent across channels, instantly relevant to a variety of customers, fun, easy to share and engaging.

Is saving money online important? Of course, but so is entertainment, knowing what my tribe of friends thinks (about anything especially as either price or novelty go up). So too is Save The World Marketing, that thing your brand does for the world that only it can do.

Today's Holiday E-commerce post is about how to create "Like Me" tribes (personas and segments) and then use your customer classifications to create great "Mobile First" marketing. 

The E-commerce teams that keep their content fresh and relevant will find mobile is a huge HELP to their marketing. Marketers whose emails look lousy on mobile or who aren't thinking like App Developers (i.e. lots of small cool games all relating to a goal and everything connected like Lego blocks) will find the holidays tough and not very rewarding. 

Turns out thinking like an App Developer is a good idea for every e-commerce merchant. Think small, fun and connected and your holiday marketing will win. Listen carefully and curate the winners and your holiday sales may set new records. 

THINK LIKE AN APP DEVELOOPER and diversity your holiday marketing, listen more than you talk, curate more than you create and make sure to share cool things across your entire ecosystem and your Holiday 2013 sales will set new records even if you aren’t/t screaming SALE at the top of your lungs :).

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