Reactions to story from The New York Times

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  Brick-and-Mortar Stores Need Uninformed Customers

  http://www.zoliblog.com/2008/07/19/brick-and-mortar-stores-n...
  136 days ago in Zoli’s Blog · Authority: 261

  $49.99 $5.36 I moved my printer and need a longer USB cable.  Options: - Drive to Best Buy, hoping they have the 15ft cable in store.  Cost: $49.99 + gas + an hour of my time. - Order on eBay. Cost: $5.36, shipping included + 5 minutes research and
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  August Sessions Per User: Journal Sentinel in Top 10

  http://www.naa.org/blog/digitaledge/1/2008/09/August-Session...
  71 days ago in Digital Edge Blog - Newspaper Association of America: Advancing Newspaper Media for the 21st Century · Authority: 1

  The Drudge Report kept its No. 1 spot in August in monthly sessions per user among Nielsen Online’s Top 30 Current Events & Global News Destinations, slipping again from 20.5 sessions per user in July to 19.4. Daily Kos jumped up several spots to No. 2 with 11.2 sessions per user. The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel moved into the top 10 in August, with 6.1 sessions per user, up a full session per user from July. Thirteen newspaper Web sites are now on the top 30 list from Nielsen, including newcomers Politico and the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. MediaNews Group returned to the list after a brief absence. Notable newspaper moves this month: Cox Newspapers moved from 30th place to 20th place, increasing their sessions per person from 3.6 to 4.2. Hearst Newspapers moved from 19th place to 12th place, increasing their sessions per person from 4.3 to 4.9. The Star Tribune and Media General Newspapers dropped a few places, and The Buffalo (N.Y.) News and the Salt Lake Deseret Morning News both exited the list. Nielsen Online provides these numbers to the Newspaper Association of America on a monthly basis, showing traffic and sessions per person* to the top 30 sites in the “News” category based on July 2008 numbers. It takes into account U.S. home and work Internet usage, and it shows both unique visitors to each brand or channel and sessions per person. * Note on the following numbers: Auto-refresh features on Web sites (i.e. when a Web site page reloads automatically) does not increase the number of sessions. For more information about the metrics, go to www.netratings.com. ^ Indicates Home and Work audience duplication projections did not meet minimum sample size standards. Combined home and work audience estimates for these sites may exhibit increased variability month-to-month as a result. Brand or Channel Sessions Per Person Unique Audience (000) 1. drudgereport.com 19.4 3,661 2. Daily Kos 11.2 1,189 3. Fox News Digital Network 8.4 13,902 4. CNN Digital Network 8.3 38,821 5. AOL News 8.1 23,114 6. Yahoo! News 7.4 40,787 7. MSNBC Digital Network 6.3 52,212 8. Google News 6.1 12,137 9. Milwaukee Journal Sentinel 5.4 1,295 10. Breitbart.com 5.2 2,588 11. Zwire^ 5.0 1,018 12. Hearst Newspapers Digital 4.9 8,428 13. TWC News Websites^ 4.7 848 14. Real Clear Politics 4.7 1,478 15. Gannett Newspapers and Newspaper Division 4.6 14,454 16. WorldNow 4.6 8,030 17. Media General Newspapers 4.5 1,762 18. NYTimes.com 4.5 19,862 19. Star Tribune 4.4 2,578 20. Cox Newspapers 4.2 4,935 21. Netscape^ 4.1 1,331 22. Pittsburgh Post-Gazette 4.1 1,188 23. Politico 4.1 3,630 24. USATODAY.com 4.0 10,403 25. Tribune-Review Online^ 4.0 639 26. MediaNews Group Newspapers 3.9 7,485 27. National Review 3.7 1,016 28. St. Louis Post Dispatch^ 3.7 1,192 29. IB Websites 3.6 5,753 30. Belo Television 3.6 3,601
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  Digital Resarch for Online Sales Reps

  http://www.naa.org/blog/digitaledge/1/2008/09/Digital-Resarc...
  74 days ago in Digital Edge Blog - Newspaper Association of America: Advancing Newspaper Media for the 21st Century · Authority: 1

  In just about every edition of the Online Publishing Update, I’ve been including interesting research nuggets about the online audience that might be useful for online ad sales reps to keep in their arsenal. Here’s a roundup of the most interesting ones from the past few months: Research for Sales Reps Media multitasking is less common than you think: Although young people are more likely than older adults to media multitask, less than half the people read the newspaper or surf the Web simultaneously do other things. This research shows that Web site visitors and newspaper print readers are engaged with the product. According to Mediamark Research & Intelligence, Among all adults, 55 percent of those who read a print newspaper at home do so "without involvement of other media." When surfing the Web at home, 53.8 percent of adults do not media multitask. (More information from MediaWeek) Newspaper site visitors are more likely to act on ads than other local site users:Consumers generally trust local advertising on newspaper, magazine and TV Web sites, according to a new survey from the Online Publishers Association. More than 40 percent of local online media users said they are likely to take action after seeing a local ad on one of those sites. “Newspaper [Web sites] rank first with 46 percent of consumers taking action – including making a purchase, going to a store, conducting research – after viewing a local ad,” according to the Online Publishers Association. (More information from OPA) Ads on branded content sites more effective than ads on portal sites: According to the Online Publishers Association, “major content sites, by dint of the familiarity and distinct identity they have with users, can improve brand favorability and purchase intent more than other sites,” PaidContent.org reported. OPA President Pam Horan said, “It's an absolute fact with online advertising: environment matters. In nearly every category measured, ad effectiveness scores on branded content sites were numerically higher than on the Web in general, on portals or on ad networks. Whether it's the trust they engender or the audiences they attract, branded content sites deliver better advertising results.” (More information from the Online Publishers Association) Web coupon usage is increasing: Although the Sunday newspaper still reigns supreme for grocery coupons (27 percent of Americans clip grocery coupons each week), Internet coupons are quickly gaining popularity. Internet Retailer reported 11 percent of consumers got coupons from the Web last year, up from 8 percent in 2006, according to data from Scarborough Research. comScore reported visits to coupon sites increased 21 percent in the past year. (More information from Internet Retailer) “Integrators” and “net-newsers” rely on newspaper Web sites: Although newspaper print readership is generally down, the number of people going online for news at least a few times each week is still increasingly. The majority of Americans say they “check in” on the news from time to time during the day – which means they are repeat newspaper Web site visitors. There are four segments in today’s news audience: integrators, net-newsers, traditionalists and disengaged. Integrators are 23 percent of respondents to a Pew survey this summer. Integrators “who get the news from both traditional sources and the Internet, are a more engaged, sophisticated and demographically sought-after audience segment than those who mostly rely on traditional news sources.” Integrators spend the most time with news on a typical day of the four segments. Net-newsers are 13 percent of respondents with a median age 35 (youngest segment). “Net-newsers not only rely primarily on the internet for news, they are leading the way in using new web features and other technologies.” (More information from Pew) High gas prices are encouraging people to shop online: The high cost of gas is encouraging more people to shop online. At many retailers where brick-and-mortar store sales are slow, online sales are up. (More information from The New York Times) The Web is more interesting to pre-teens than TV: The Internet is winning out over television for children ages 10 to 14, according to a study recently released by DoubleClick Performics. “The study found that 83 percent of Internet users in that age bracket spent an hour or more online a day, but only 68 percent devoted that much time to television,” according to The New York Times. “The study found that the children often did research online before making a purchase -- or bugging their parents to make one.” (More information from The New York Times) Also, this is a great blog entry from the Online Journalism Blog’s Paul Bradshaw. The full blog entry has a lot more information and details you can use, and the comments on the blog entry have additional advice. This isn’t research-based, but it’s interesting and useful anyway: 10 Ways Ad Sales People Can Save Newspapers The Online Journalism Blog published some frank advice for newspaper ad sales people this week. The blog's “10 Ways Ad Sales People Can Save Newspapers” entry focused on digital media and included the following (see the blog for details on all 10 items): 1. Stop treating web ads as second class. 2. Stop selling adverts on static pages. 3. Sell advertising against search terms. 4. Give ad sales people access to the Internet. 5. Enable the long tail of small businesses to advertise without you doing it for them. 6. Think beyond the banner: get creative about online advertising. 7. Think about vouchers. 8. Sell advertising aimed at the non-local market. 9. Sell video ads as well as the production of video content. 10. Work in networks. Bonus: Don't take digital growth for granted. NAA’s Moving to Mobile "Moving to Mobile" is a growth and development guide from the Newspaper Association of America that covers the many aspects of mobile for newspapers. Articles include the following and more: Mobile Advertising: The Next Big Thing Hasn't Arrived (But It's On Its Way) SMS Programs: Potential in 160 Characters or Less How Newspapers Can Cell Themselves to Youth Go to www.naa.org/mobile. Note: We have a Webinar on mobile advertising coming up Sept. 30. Click here to register and get more information! NAA’s Zooming In on Online Video While still a small percentage of total and local online advertising, online video represents an enormous opportunity for newspapers to grow revenue and audience. “Zooming In on Online Video: A Development & Growth Guide for Newspaper Web Sites” is intended to help newspapers of any size develop profitable video applications. Go to www.naa.org/onlinevideo. NAA’s Local Search Opportunities for Newspapers (Plus Webinar on Monday!) Newspapers are finding new and varied ways of tapping into the search space. Some are blending news and targeted advertising content with more sophisticated search tools. Learn more about newspaper's efforts at local search with case studies from Boston.com, Ottoway Newspapers, GateHouse Media and others. Go to www.naa.org/localsearch. And don’t forget about this: Local Search: Strategies for Audience and Revenue Growth Webinar After much experimentation, newspapers are finding ways to serve smaller advertisers online, some through enhanced local search capabilities, some through SEO services and others through interactive business directories. This Webinar will explore two successful models for capturing non-traditional advertisers, one from a small-market newspaper and one from a larger market organization. This Webinar is Monday at 2 p.m. (ET). Register here!
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  How Does Your Site Hold Up Against Gas Prices?

  http://hiringtheinternet.com/2008/08/22/how-does-your-site-h...
  102 days ago in Hiring The Internet · Authority: 29

  For months now, high gas prices have made headlines, spawned dozens of new sites that locate the cheapest stations, and changed the behavior of millions of Americans. How? Well, for one, Americans are driving less despite recent drops in prices. This may be due to the higher transportation costs that hike up the prices of everyday goods found at the supermarket. It also seems that higher gas prices are getting people to reconsider their vehicle purchases and residential location, cancel summer vacations, and… shop online! How to Accommodate Bigger Sales Online Yes, big retailers like the Gap and Victoria’s Secret have experienced higher online sales while in-store sales have suffered a decrease. Last year, online shopping amounted to $175 billion, but some experts like Forrester Research expects that number to swell up to $200 billion by the end of 2008. If you run a business only online, this is great news. But if you are both an online and offline vendor, then take care to adjust to these new trends! Make sure that all of your in-store inventory can be easily found on the site, with menu and navigation options that are intuitive and sensible. And for those shoppers who are new to web-based purchases, do little things to make the experience easier for them. Offer multiple and magnified views of a product (especially if its look is important to browsers). Give them different product options so they don’t feel they’re missing out by not going into the store. Offset Shipping Costs to Compete with Driving Most importantly, relate to the customer when it comes to shipping costs. As stated before, shipping cost is a big factor that can make customers retreat when they see the final price breakdown. Alleviate this concern by offering a low rate for slower shipping. After all, some consumers may end up saving money if they pay for $5 shipping instead of driving to the outlet mall! And of course, provide your customers the option of paying more for expedited shipping. You can also encourage more purchases by offering free shipping for bulk purchases or orders that meet a minimum, such as $100. There’s something satisfying about seeing, “You qualify for FREE shipping!” as if you’ve won a small prize. How does your site hold up against gas prices?
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  E-commerce News Around the Web…

  http://www.neowave.com.my/sellmore/index.php/2008/08/03/e-co...
  122 days ago in Sell More Online · Authority: 14

  To Save Gas, Shoppers Stay Home and Click To go shopping these days, more Americans are trading in their car keys for a keyboard.   Online shopping is gaining at a time when simply filling up a gas tank to head to the mall can seem like a spending spree. A number of retailers — including Gap, Victoria’s Secret and J. C. Penney — are experiencing double-digit sales growth at their shopping Web sites, creating a surprising bright spot during an otherwise gloomy time for sales in brick-and-mortar stores… Read more here >> Brit Embrace E-commerce In UK, adoption of e-commerce is growing at the expense of high street shopping. According to the report, both top-end and low-end retailers are feeling the effects of the shift to internet shopping. The online sales index from IMRG-Capgemini has discovered that 17p in every £1 spent by UK shoppers goes to internet retailers, with £26.5 million spent on the web in the first half of 2008. Read more here >> High Gas Fueling E-commerce Research firm eMarketer has some good news for online retailers: high gas prices are fueling more Web shopping. In a July 25 report senior analyst Jeffrey Grau points to several consumer polls showing more shoppers are opting to spend online and save at the pump.. Read more here >>
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  High Gas Driving Online Shopping Higher

  http://www.marketerinsight.com/online-marketing/gas-driving-...
  123 days ago in Online Marketing Strategies from MarketerInsight · Authority: 7

  According to a recent article in The New York Times, Internet sales are expected to surpass $200 billion this year, up from $175 billion in 2007.  Online sales werew already growing faster than total retail, but now consumers are cutting down on car trips by shopping on the web. Busy lifestyles combined with hefty gas prices makes one-stop shopping an extremely attractive option for consumers especially when that one stop can be done without ever leaving your home.  Most retailers offer their products online, with many offering exclusive products available only online.  Some stores, such as The Limited are arriving “fashionably late” to the online trend.  However, due to the tremendous spike in sales, are now rushing to get their wares available in an online forum. Many online stores have offered discounts on shipping to further entice would-be drivers to shop with a keyboard instead.  Even when stores aren’t offering shipping specials or discounts, often the cost is still less than that of a gallon or two of gas.    As more consumers search and shop online, the opportunity grows.  As online marketers we have the opportunity in a significant way to connect shoppers with the experience and products they expect and want.  Perhaps there is some good from higher gas prices…  I welcome your comments below.

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