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MANAGING AN ORDER FROM START TO FINISH

network, market or website that ran the advertisement. The system was built to integrate information from media agencies, fulfillment centers, customer service centers, payment processors and websites in order to give comprehensive data back to clients.

Data Collection
Although how a product will get from the warehouse to the customer is an important part of the order process, collecting data on the purchase itself is vital to the survival of marketers and their clients. Now, more than ever, clients demand a vast amount of information from their marketers – and quickly – so that campaigns can be adjusted to maximize return on investment. Clients of Digital Element leverage both historical and real-time data for online marketing strategies. “From a historical standpoint, geo-location data allows retailers to gain new insights into the makeup of their online channel,” Friedman says. “By understanding where their customer base is located, and then overlaying this data on top of sales data, they [clients] can then move from analysis to action in order to better stock their virtual shelves, identify areas where sales are weak, and thus run campaigns such as coupon offers or promotions to visitors from poorperforming areas.” Friedman says there has been a major shift in the last five years in what the client is looking for. Previously, the ability to target by state or region was sufficient, but today, clients want increasing granularity in order to target users even closer to where they live. For example, a major hardware retailer with independently-owned retail locations was able to increased foot traffic in local franchises by as much as 30 to 40 percent by tracking and leveraging ZIP and postal code data.

at GSI Commerce, clients are looking for ease of data availability and access to data systems. In other words, GSI is tasked with interpreting the data for the client and then posting it on a site for the client to access. “Most clients want daily or weekly reports,” Johnson says. Marty Fahey, CEO of OrderMotion, Inc., says the keys to reporting data are timeliness and usability. All of the information available now makes it easy for customers to test offers and campaigns and review the results in real time so that they can move quickly to identify what works and what doesn’t. “Additionally, by understanding repeat buyer behavior and then targeting them with specific offers and campaigns, you can dramatically leverage your initial cost of acquisition over multiple orders to drive your profitability,” Fahey adds. The difference in analytics reporting today versus five years ago is speed and reach. According to Fahey, modern coding techniques encourage open systems that can talk to each other. This allows for an easier consolidation of data. Also, with systems like those at OrderMotion, which are delivered via the web, it is now easier and faster to offer that consolidated information to the client. “We find our customers get very comfortable with any new technology that makes it easier for them to drive growth,” Fahey says. LookSmart is pay-per-click search advertising agency that provides analytics to advertising clients and integrates reporting based on customers coming to client sites and purchasing. “Whatever an advertiser wants to track, we track,” says Michael Campbell, vice president of product at LookSmart. “Whether they incorporate that information into their site or share with their customers is up to them.”

What’s Hot, What’s Not Data Reporting
Once collected, analytics need to be reported to clients – the faster, the better. According to Kris Johnson, vice president of business development 46 While a large portion of orders today are being placed over the Internet, there is still an audience for shopping over the phone and in brick-and-mortar stores. The balance between selling online

and offline is one that each marketer must work on with individual clients in order to compete in today’s retail environment. Shopatron is an e-commerce platform that helps large companies to sell on the web. The company has been around for 10 years and now has thousands of brands and stores on its platform. “We allow them to sell on the web and not compete with their retailers,” describes Mark Grondin, senior vice president of marketing at Shopatron. Often, web sales are in direct competition with sales made at brick-and-mortar stores. The idea behind Shopatron is to take orders and award them to the closest stocking retailer if it has the product. The company does not fulfill any orders, which means no packing or shipping, but is instead an online order-management system that helps clients outsource to retail. “We can manage from 12,000 retail locations around the world,” Grondin says. “There is a ton of complexity to order management. That’s one of the things that we are constantly innovating is how to leverage it.” Another growing trend is in-store pick up, which is up between 300 and 400 percent from last year for Shopatron’s clients. For the consumer, this move is about saving on shipping costs and getting the product almost instantly. Plus, it’s convenient. If the size or style of the product isn’t to the customer’s liking, the buyer can exchange it right then and there. “Now that taxation on the Internet orders is just about there – and then add shipping costs – picking up at a retail location is starting to seem a lot more sexy than it did,” Grondin says. LookSmart’s Campbell notes the rise in the ROBO effect, which stands for research online, buy off line. In this rising trend, consumers go to the website to look into the product, but they actually enter a store to touch, feel and see it in person before making the purchase. It’s driving consumers to the store, especially those purchasing at a higher price point or making a more considered buy.

electronicRETAILER | June 2011



Electronic Retailer - June 2011

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Electronic Retailer - June 2011

Electronic Retailer - June 2011
Contents
Calendar of Events
Your Association, Your Bottom Line
Industry Reports
FTC Forum
eMarketer Research
IMS Retail Rankings
Jordan Whitney’s Top Categories
Lockard & Wechsler’s Clearance & Price Index
Ask the Expert
The Evolution of a Global Business
UK Home Shopping Finds Its Niche
Guest Viewpoint
Brendan Condon Wants it All
Managing an Order from Start to Finish
Radio
Legal
Support Services
Fulfillment
Member Spotlight
Advertiser Spotlight
Bulletin Board
Advertiser Index
Classifieds
Rick Petry
Electronic Retailer - June 2011 - Electronic Retailer - June 2011
Electronic Retailer - June 2011 - Cover2
Electronic Retailer - June 2011 - 3
Electronic Retailer - June 2011 - Contents
Electronic Retailer - June 2011 - 5
Electronic Retailer - June 2011 - 6
Electronic Retailer - June 2011 - Calendar of Events
Electronic Retailer - June 2011 - Your Association, Your Bottom Line
Electronic Retailer - June 2011 - 9
Electronic Retailer - June 2011 - Industry Reports
Electronic Retailer - June 2011 - 11
Electronic Retailer - June 2011 - 12
Electronic Retailer - June 2011 - 13
Electronic Retailer - June 2011 - FTC Forum
Electronic Retailer - June 2011 - 15
Electronic Retailer - June 2011 - eMarketer Research
Electronic Retailer - June 2011 - 17
Electronic Retailer - June 2011 - IMS Retail Rankings
Electronic Retailer - June 2011 - 19
Electronic Retailer - June 2011 - Jordan Whitney’s Top Categories
Electronic Retailer - June 2011 - 21
Electronic Retailer - June 2011 - Lockard & Wechsler’s Clearance & Price Index
Electronic Retailer - June 2011 - 23
Electronic Retailer - June 2011 - Ask the Expert
Electronic Retailer - June 2011 - 25
Electronic Retailer - June 2011 - The Evolution of a Global Business
Electronic Retailer - June 2011 - 27
Electronic Retailer - June 2011 - 28
Electronic Retailer - June 2011 - 29
Electronic Retailer - June 2011 - 30
Electronic Retailer - June 2011 - 31
Electronic Retailer - June 2011 - UK Home Shopping Finds Its Niche
Electronic Retailer - June 2011 - 33
Electronic Retailer - June 2011 - 34
Electronic Retailer - June 2011 - 35
Electronic Retailer - June 2011 - Guest Viewpoint
Electronic Retailer - June 2011 - 37
Electronic Retailer - June 2011 - 38
Electronic Retailer - June 2011 - 39
Electronic Retailer - June 2011 - Brendan Condon Wants it All
Electronic Retailer - June 2011 - 41
Electronic Retailer - June 2011 - 42
Electronic Retailer - June 2011 - 43
Electronic Retailer - June 2011 - Managing an Order from Start to Finish
Electronic Retailer - June 2011 - 45
Electronic Retailer - June 2011 - 46
Electronic Retailer - June 2011 - 47
Electronic Retailer - June 2011 - 48
Electronic Retailer - June 2011 - Radio
Electronic Retailer - June 2011 - Legal
Electronic Retailer - June 2011 - 51
Electronic Retailer - June 2011 - Support Services
Electronic Retailer - June 2011 - 53
Electronic Retailer - June 2011 - Fulfillment
Electronic Retailer - June 2011 - 55
Electronic Retailer - June 2011 - Member Spotlight
Electronic Retailer - June 2011 - 57
Electronic Retailer - June 2011 - Advertiser Spotlight
Electronic Retailer - June 2011 - Advertiser Index
Electronic Retailer - June 2011 - Classifieds
Electronic Retailer - June 2011 - 61
Electronic Retailer - June 2011 - Rick Petry
Electronic Retailer - June 2011 - Cover3
Electronic Retailer - June 2011 - Cover4
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