Stores Magazine - December 2007 - (Page 66)

NUTS AND BOLTS / MARKETING tomer adoption, media buzz and edge, she says. “There was investor value creation.” The some engineering time in the becompany was also named a Conginning to make sure the Disnected Innovator by Supernova. covery window was pulling the In addition to Pique Onsite Discorrect information from our covery, network offerings insite. Now, we just need to make clude e-mail marketing personalsure that our site stays up and ized with product suggestions running to ensure Onsite Disbased on aggregate purchase hiscovery works.” tory (but without personal data), Next up for Vinfolio will be a product discovery across multinew tool from Aggregate ple sites and affiliate advertising Knowledge that will provide promotions. Banners on affiliate recommendations on the home websites include personalized page based on customer purproduct suggestions based on bechase and browsing history. havior and preferences rather “Vinfolio’s motto is ‘Fine wine, than the usual “one product atfiner service,’” Blatt says. tracts all” approach. Through the use of Onsite DisWhen a company joins the netcovery, “we feel we can truly work, a system called Discovery support that by helping our cusIgniter is installed to observe the tomers discover wines most relBuying and browsing behavior of customers anonymous actions of the webevant to them.” is recorded over a short time to build behavior site’s visitors. The aggregate buyPique Onsite Discovery can connections among products on the site. ing and browsing behavior of prevent costly “click-backs” to customers is recorded over a short time search engines, automatically keeps a finite resource,” Blatt says. “Most of to build behavior connections among pace with breaking news and trends and the really good bottles are sold upon reproducts on the site. This allows generpersonalizes results on home and catelease and held in cellars. Demand for ation of suggestions such as: “Cusgory pages to help users find what they fine wines has soared while available tomers who looked at this item also want. Since relevant content suggestions product supply has decreased. We tap looked at this” and “Customers looked are posted automatically with every into the supply by buying from these priat this item but bought this.” click, Onsite Discovery also allows comvate collections.” There is no software involved. “We Founded in 2003, the site now has panies to stop manually linking online are a web service,” Peterson says. “Very more than 20,000 registered wine content together. lovers. Vinfolio uses Onsite Discovery to little customer effort is required. We Aggregate Knowledge’s product also provide wine recommendations based handle maintenance in the backworks across multiple sites. “We comon the aggregated choices of all cusground.” All of Aggregate Knowledge’s bine things we’re doing with over 30 tomers who visit the site. If a customer discovery offerings are on a pay-per-percustomers across the network and help looks at the description for a bottle of formance basis. customers by getting their products Stag’s Leap, for example, a list titled placed on media company sites such as “People who looked at this, also looked Using Onsite Discovery washingtonpost.com,” he says. at this” pops up to encourage additionOnline wine store Vinfolio features The unique approach to e-mail maral purchases. more than 2,500 bottles of unique and keting “can drive direct product place“The Onsite Discovery window is rare wines, including hard-to-find new ment,” Peterson says. “The second the completely based on our design,” Blatt releases and vintages held in private cele-mail is opened, we place specific prodsays. “Aggregate Knowledge offered lars for as long as 40 years. uct suggestions in front of the reader. their input but let us determine what “We target high-end wine collectors,” These are what’s happening on the site would work best on our site.” says Rachel Blatt, marketing vice presiat the moment the customer reads the eThe Discovery window is shown only dent for the San Francisco-based commail, no matter when they read it.” on the wine detail page. but that will StORES pany. “Wine collectors can access aucsoon change, Blatt says. “Soon, custion-grade wine on our site, and we have tomers will see recommendations on D. Gail Fleenor, a Virginia-based freea host of collector services to help with every page.” Vinfolio does not have to lance business writer, has 18 years their buying and storage needs.” maintain the recommendations or proexperience in retail and consumer Approximately half of Vinfolio’s stock vide ongoing data to Aggregate Knowlresearch. comes from private collections. “Wine is 66 STORES / DECEMBER 2007 WWW.STORES.ORG http://WWW.STORES.ORG

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Stores Magazine - December 2007

STORES - December 2007 Contents Executive Editor's Page President's Page Holiday Shopping Extravagance What Shoppers Think 10 Things You May Have Missed Numbers Worth Counting Full Price/Markdown Retail People Niche Marketing Eight Predictions for 2008 Concept2Watch Merchandising Strategy Sourcing E-Commerce Supply Chain Warehouse Management Software Contactless Payments Marketing Marketing Online Loeb Retail Letter ARTS Update Point of View NRF News Retail Industry Calendar Last Laugh

Stores Magazine - December 2007

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