RareBird

• home
• about us
  • Why Rare Bird?
  • The Principals
  • Our Clients
  • Job Openings
• news
  • Blog
  • Releases
  • Web Reviews
  • Newsletter
• portfolio
  • Web
  • Email
  • Print
• contact
• login

Rare Bird Blog

In Case You Weren't Convinced: More Reviews Needed

Tuesday, February 19, 2008

Another recently released study cites the importance of consumer reviews for e-commerce sites. In fact, nearly nine people out of ten use consumer-generated reviews at least "some of the time" in their buying decision, and many -- 46% -- read several reviews before making a decision.

The study, performed by PowerReviews and the e-tailing group, surveyed more than 1,200 consumers who shop more than four times and spend more than $500 per year.

"This survey highlights the reception that reviews are receiving throughout the merchant world and how retailers are leveraging online review technology," said Jay Shaffer, vice president of marketing at PowerReviews.

[Read more]

The Secret Indicator of Business Health

Thursday, February 14, 2008

Harvey Mackay writes an interesting article today about the power of humor in the workplace to transform moods, heighten morale, and -- surprisingly -- act as a strong indicator of the true health of the business. "I've always felt that humor," says Mackay, "is the unrecognized indicator of any business' true condition." Turns out he may be right. An article in Harvard Business Review a few years ago labeled humor as the great, hidden metric for measuring a company's healthiness or lack thereof, but it's seldom recognized or considered when analyzing the strength of a business.

[Read the rest of Mackay's article]

What Do Cosumers Want Online?

Wednesday, February 13, 2008

So, you think you know what your customers want? Go ahead and list the top three, I'll wait...

Got it? Great! Now check your list against this reality: Forrester Research recently conducted a survey of more than 5,000 online consumers to find out what content and functionality is most important to them. Here's what they found out:

Consumers want user ratings and reviews the most. Sixty-four percent of consumers reported wanting to see user ratings and reviews. And nearly the same amount also wanted price-focused offerings, like special offers or coupons (61%) and product or price comparison tools (59%).

Interestingly, while the majority want to have access to ratings and reviews, only a few (23%) have any intention of writing one. Not surprising, there were differences in preferences based on age groups. Generation Y (18 to 27) are more interested in being entertained and sharing content. Younger Boomers are trying to get things done. And Seniors just don't want the clutter of extra information keeping them from getting things into their cart and getting on with it.

One final, revealing item: Overwhelmingly, consumers voted for ease of use.

So now you know what they want, the question is, what are you doing about it?

[See more from Forrester's North American Technographics Customer Experience, Marketing, And Consumer Technology Online Survey]

Labels: consumers, marketing, web development

If You Read Nothing Else Today, Read This:

Monday, February 4, 2008

Seth Godin, pitchman for common sense and a marketer's marketer, wrote a post recently that should be printed, laminated, and stuck on the wall of every single person who is even contemplating sending a 'promotional' email out to a customer or prospect. Marketers everywhere should read it every day (some, probably twice a day.) They should point to it every time someone walks into their office and says, "Hey, we have an email list, right?" They should print extra copies and have them on hand for marketing meetings, sales meetings, board meetings, and water cooler gatherings.

In a word, this is the truth, as hard as it is to hear and as hard as it is to follow. Do this, and reap the rewards. Don't, and, well... The world is full of people who squandered long-term opportunities in pursuit of short-term gains.

[Read Permission Marketing from Seth Godin's blog.]

Labels: branding, email marketing, marketing, permission marketing