Shoppers Still Searching but Where They are Searching has Shifted.

I just read an article on Google’s 4th quarter earnings for 2008 (up 18% from the same period last year) that confirms users are still looking to the Internet for products that fit there needs. It might sound surprising to some given the current economic downturn but it is true.

In fact, as a result of these tough economic times, Google discontinued products such as Google Print Ads, mobile social network Dodgeball, micro-blogging service Jaiku, and Google Catalog Search.

However, in spite of these now defunct services, the product submit portion (Google Base gets your products included in that) of Google remains in tact, and shoppers are using it more than ever.

So it’s not so much a matter of if the consumers are still searching, it’s more a matter of where they are searching which you may be overlooking.

You see, the current economy has consumers much more price conscience than they may have been in the past and they want to make sure that the money they spend goes as far as possible.

The “spend less” mentality has consumers turning more to comparison shopping than ever before. In search of the best price they utilize shopping comparison sites like BizRate, PriceGrabber, Shopzilla, Nextag, and more.

Ultimately, the shopping behavior of consumers during this time is of most importance if you are looking toward sustaining business sales. Overlooking the search patterns of consumers during these times can leave you scratching your head and wondering “are there any shoppers even out there?”

The answer is there are. They may be fewer and they may be more price conscience, but knowing that you can take advantage of a few things to help keep your store afloat.

1) Add “Google Base” to your current Google Account if you have not already and begin to submit a product feed to them for inclusion in shopping comparison results. It’s not that difficult and Google provides nice instruction on how to build a feed and submit it. If you need help with this I am available for hire.

2) Consider “slashing” your prices during this time through the use of creative sales (which easily allows you to bring prices back up to typical areas when the time is right) and offer something that is just unheard of. As long as you are not losing profit as a result (although your profits may not be as high) you should be able to ride the wave to the other side of this economic disaster and come out ready to grow again (and with a bigger customer base to boot!)

I’ve tested the “price slash” theory with a number of the clients I coach and in all cases it showed an increase in sales over what they were getting without the offer in place. Not astronomical in all cases, but an increase none-the-less. Beats losing business!

3) Consider building and submitting product feeds to some of the sites mentioned in this article (and this is just a few) to gain exposure in other areas consumers are comparison shopping in.

Building a sustainable business often means going through tough times. Those companies which adapt and change to meet those demands survive to sell another day. The companies which often do not want to adapt end up out of business and wondering why it didn’t work.

These are tough times for a lot of retailers. You are not alone. Yet you can do something about it if you know where the shoppers are searching and target them in those places.

To your success!

1 in 3 Shoppers Look for PayPal Payment Option

I’ve written articles in the past about the importance of offering paypal as an alternative payment option.

Recent studies show that PayPal has a pretty good hold on the market and according to PayPal, 1 in 3 internet shoppers look for and even prefer to pay using PayPal payment method. Even with a variety of payment methods available today, Paypal has a 21% market share of all consumer internet payments (source: UK Payments Market 2008, Payments Council). This is a 5% increase over the previous year.

If you sell to the UK market, you should know that a whopping 30% of UK shoppers prefer to checkout using PayPal over any other method offered. If you aren’t offering PayPal as an option to this group, you most certainly are losing sales.

Why PayPal?

So, what’s the fascination with PayPal? Well, it might not necessarily be so much a fascination thing as it is a security issue. Shoppers are still concerned about identity theft and are hesitant at times of typing their credit card details into ecommerce sites. For those with that mindset, PayPal offers them peace of mind that their financial information is not shared.

On the flip side, I’ve often heard PayPal shoppers (those that pay using there PayPal account) say “It doesn’t feel like I am spending any money because I just take it out of my PayPal account (which acts like an escrow account to some degree — the funds sit in that account until asked to be withdrawn.) This attitude can often lead one to spend even more than they typically would because they are not as “conscience” of the amount of money actually leaving their pocket.

What has changed with PayPal?

In general, not a lot. Long ago, in order to use PayPal, one needed a PayPal account themselves. That is no longer the case and has not been the case for quite some time. PayPal still offers the buyer the option to quickly pay using their PayPal account and with just a few clicks they are on their way. However, they also offer the seller (with the right account) the option of allowing customers who do not have (or do not want to have) a PayPal account the ability to checkout.

From the sellers perspective, PayPal offers the ability to accept a wide variety of credit card types as well as echecks (if activated). From a buyers perspective PayPal offers an alternative to the traditional payment methods and the security they need to feel comfortable making an internet purchase.

I’m not saying that offering PayPal (IPN) as the only option is right. I am saying as I have in the past that it is wise to offer it in addition to other options. The statistics here only further bolster that thought.

I have seen a gradual shift in the amount of orders coming through PayPal (vs. traditional on site methods) from a number of clients I work with over the past 6 months or so. I attribute it to a combination of offering the option in the first place and making that option readily available during checkout.

If you have yet to setup a PayPal account you can do so for free in a few simple steps. I personally feel it is best to choose one of the “business” account types (not a personal PayPal account) so you can offer the credit card option to your customers as well.

Promote using PayPal as a checkout option as much as you do other methods and you too will likely see a difference reflected in sales.

Top 100 Retail Websites of 2009

We can all learn a lot from what those around us are doing. One thing I tell the clients I work with is if you can’t lead, then follow a leader. Often (not always) you can learn a few tricks by looking at some of the “big guys”.

The list of top 100 retail websites for 2009 was released by Internet Retailer and it includes a variety of sites across numerous industries. I’ve listed the top 100 and the industries they are each in so you have a resource you can come back to and look at from time to time. There should be something in here for just about everybody.

Here’s the list of the top 100 in order of industry from A-Z.

Apparel & Accessories

American Apparel
American Eagle
Antrhopologie
Athleta
Avelle
Bluefly
Cusp
Design by Humans
Eddie Bauer
Gap
Karmaloop
Lands’ End
Levi’s
Martin and Osa
NikeID
Nine West
Shoe Line
Roxy
Under Armour
Under Gear
Vans
Wet Seal
Zappos

Books / Film / Music

Blockbuster
Borders
Chapters Indigo
iTunes
Pop Cuts
Scholastic

Computers / Electronics

Best Buy
Cable Organizer
CDW
Crutchfield
Garmin
Ritz Camera

Flowers / Gifts / Jewelry

BlueNile
Delight
Gold Speed
jtv Watches
Organic Bouquet
Think Geek

Food / Drug

Avon
CVS
Dunkin’ Donuts
Estee Lauder
Fragrance Net
Godiva
Gourmet
King Arthur Flour
M&M’s
Scentiments
Stila
ULTA
Walgreens

Housewares / Home Furnishings

CSN Stores
Land of Nod
Max Furniture
Smith and Noble

Mass Merchants / Department Stores

Amazon.com
Buy.com
ElderLuxe
Meijer
Overstock.com
QVC
Sky Mall
Walmart

Specialty / Non-Apparel

Action Envelope
Beckett
Diapers
Doctors Foster and Smith
eBags
Expressionery
Eye Buy Direct
Fat Brain Toys
Fathead
Faucet
Gaiam
Gardener’s
Lion Brand Yarn
MoMA Store
Music Notes
Muttropolis
Novica
Oakley
Organize
Dog.com (Pets United)
SamAsh
Staples
Sweetwater
Timbuk2
Tool King
VistaPrint
Zazzle

Sporting Goods

Gander MTN.
Journeys
Nascar Superstore
Orvis
Running Warehouse
Skis
The North Face

So the next time you are stuck trying to figure out how to approach your website marketing strategy take a look at each of these. This list should stir your ideas and get you moving in the right direction … even if that means asking the right questions or getting the right help in place to implement.

Remember though, plan carefully, choose your course wisely, and always test before saying “it works”. What is good for one industry may not work in another.

PRWeb – Get your news to consumers, journalists and bloggers. Get seen on Yahoo! News and Topix. Drive traffic to your website.

To your success.

« Previous Page — Next Page »