Retail Marketing: 11 Major Retailers Weigh in On The Year Ahead
It should come as no surprise that 2014 is primed to continue ecommerce’s streak of record-breaking growth. The dynamic nature of the ecommerce and digital marketing space can, however, make it difficult to know which areas to focus on.
We got the chance to hear from 11 major players in the online retail space from a wide range of product categories to discuss their major retail marketing focuses for 2014. The ecommerce experts:
- Jonathon Ohayon | Brilliance.com
- Jason Falls | CafePress
- Dan Dillon | CleanItSupply.com
- Curtis Petersen | Coastal.com
- Jeff Lerner | Cricket Wireless
- Rich Brown | FarFetch
- Troy Eaves | FUN.com
- Megan Knisely | Karmaloop
- Jeff McRitchie | MyBinding.com
- Mike Kearns | Pro Athlete, Inc. / JustBats.com
- Vivian Tsai | Timbuk2
Jump to the Major Takeaways here.
Retail & Ecommerce Marketing Roundtable
Jonathon Ohayon – COO – Brilliance.com
What emerging e-commerce and retail marketing technologies are you most excited about?
We are really excited about the potential in targeting customers based on their interests, location or demographics. The kind of targeting that is becoming available gives us really powerful tools to target the most interested buyers.
This realization really came to light when I was listening to Pandora and I heard an ad from a local car wash. Whereas in the “old” Pandora days national brands had most ad spots, improvements in targeting are paving the way for local or targeted/niche businesses to serve relevant ads to potential customers with pinpoint accuracy.
With the recent purchase of WhatsApp by Facebook for $19 billion, you can begin to see how important and valued reaching targeted buyers can really be.
What’s the backbone of your digital advertising and online retail marketing efforts?
The backbone of our digital advertising efforts has always been a combination of product ads and a content rich site. Recently, we have put a lot more emphasis on social marketing. We have seen a shift from “searching” or “shopping” for an answer or product on Google to asking the same questions on social channels instead. Not to say that people will all of a sudden stop using Google, but the value of an answer from a contact or friend on a social channel is becoming a much bigger factor.
For example, our Facebook engagement is extremely important to us and unlike many other large companies we are highly involved in nurturing our followership (as you can see by the percentage of followers that are regularly engaged).
What’s the biggest challenge you face heading into 2014 and what’s your plan to tackle it?
The ever-evolving landscape of SEO! A large portion of our business is still organic traffic. Due to the many abused strategies (guest blogging anyone!) that have become prevalent, many search engines have adjusted their indexing measures to account for these “bad” practices.
Our strategy to tackle this challenge has always focused on fresh content written by our diamond and jewelry experts. Companies that are delivering great content that is new and adds value to their site will come out stronger than ever.
About Jonathon: Jonathon is COO of Brilliance.com, a leading online retailer of loose diamonds, engagement rings and fine jewelry. A graduate gemologist, he is involved in every aspect of Brilliance.com, from jewelry production to site development initiatives.
Jason Falls – VP Digital Strategy – CafePress
What emerging e-commerce and retail marketing technologies are you most excited about?
Relevancy is the key to optimal marketing so I’m really excited about tools and technologies that allow companies to dial in targeting at a very granular level. My definition of the relevancy bullseye is to send a relevant message to a relevant audience at a relevant time and in a relevant location. You do that and you’ve hit the Relevancy Bullseye, thus optimizing your chance at success.
Thanks to social graph data and targeting tools like Facebook and LinkedIn ad platforms, you’re going to start seeing more and more intimate targeting become available. I believe the level of granularity social graph data can provide will be so effective most consumers will appreciate rather than feel overly violated by the notion.
What’s the backbone of your digital advertising and online retail marketing efforts?
It has to be email marketing. The Direct Marketing Association continually rates email as the most effective channel for return on investment in the digital space, almost double that of the next most effective. If you get that invitation to someone’s inbox and can deliver a relevant message at a relevant time to that consumer, you get far greater action than in other channels. It’s because they’ve said, “Yes,” to you coming to the one area of the web they actually pay close attention to: their mail.
What’s the biggest challenge you face heading into 2014 and what’s your plan to tackle it?
The biggest challenge is almost always staying ahead of the consumer demand, creating content that continually engages and entices them and keeps them on the hook with your brand. We live in an attention-deficit society.
Staying top of mind is increasingly more difficult and with Facebook, Pinterest and other social networks working against our ability to reach our audiences organically, we as brand marketers are forced to either pay for eyeballs or create incredible content. It’s not an easy task. As for a plan to tackle it? Develop a trump-yourself approach to content, but don’t be afraid to support a strong post with some ad spend.
About Jason: Jason Falls is an author, speaker and thought leader in the digital marketing space. He is the founder of Social Media Explorer, an agency specializing in digital marketing strategy and measurement, and currently serves as Vice-President of Digital Strategy for CafePress, a top-100 Internet retail site.
Dan Dillon – CEO – CleanItSupply.com
What emerging ecommerce and retail marketing technologies are you most excited about?
One of newest ecommerce technologies that we’re excited about in 2014 is watching the trend of subscription commerce. The set it and forget it convenience and flexibility commodity retailers are beginning to offer their customers makes it very clear the efforts put forth to ensure brand loyalty. It’s still early on but we believe consumers are beginning to embrace the idea of automatic ordering and convenience.
What’s the backbone of your digital advertising and online retail marketing efforts?
Our business especially likes the Product Listing Ad and email marketing space. Both channels consistently stand out because of the uniqueness of their ability to “speak” to the customer. PLA’s “speak” with product imagery and email campaigns can do the same if designed properly. Being able to strike a nerve with your potential customer and existing customer can only increase conversions.
What’s the biggest challenge you face heading into 2014 and what’s your plan to tackle it?
The biggest challenge we face headed into 2014 is getting into the good graces of Google from an SEO perspective. Organic search is probably the most difficult space to compete in today. Even the best of the best SEO professionals are puzzled on plans of actions. No one has the answer and no one can promise you results. It’s a huge guessing game out there and anyone could be wrong and anyone could be lucky. As for us, we will continue to do conventional marketing both online and off to promote our brand to our target audience as though Google didn’t exist.
About Dan: Dan Dillon is the Founder and CEO of CleanItSupply.com, starting the business in 2006 out of his garage with the goal to sell to janitorial services companies, office complexes and homeowners for their everyday supply needs.
Dan comes from years of janitorial experience and makes it his mission to help cleaning professionals and business owners choose the right products for their operation, ultimately saving them money while providing customers with superior customer service.
Curtis Petersen – VP Advertising – Coastal.com
What emerging ecommerce and retail marketing technologies are you most excited about?
Programmatic media buying – for Coastal, it will allow us to more effectively use our own 1st party data to improve target and cost for acquisition.
What’s the backbone of your digital advertising and online retail marketing efforts?
Email because it dictates how much you can invest to acquire a new customer.
What’s the biggest challenge you face heading into 2014 and what’s your plan to tackle it?
Growth, and the plan to tackle it is to use the data that we’ve gathered about our customers for better decision making and media buying.
About Curtis: Curtis is a proven developer of Customer Marketing and Internet Strategies. Curtis holds a Bachelor of Commerce degree in Marketing from the University of British Columbia and an MBA from Simon Fraser University.
Jeff Lerner – Director of Ecommerce & Digital Marketing – Cricket Wireless
What emerging ecommerce and retail marketing technologies are you most excited about?
I am probably most excited about the technologies I don’t even know exist yet. It’s a bit cliché, but given the advances in user targeting, ad serving, remarketing, and social integration, I can’t help but get excited for what comes next. Perhaps there will be a scientific solution to tracking online to offline conversions, new advances in combatting “showrooming” in stores, and so on.
As for what is out there today, I am looking forward to deeper integrations between social and shopping. There are endless possibilities for advertisers to reach customers, friends of customers, people similar to their customers and so on using social channels. These targeting tactics will only improve with time, resulting in better conversions, fewer wasted impressions, and a better experience for everyone.
What’s the backbone of your digital advertising and online retail marketing efforts?
Paid search continues to be the foundation of our marketing efforts to drive ecommerce growth for Cricket. A strategic paid search campaign is designed to capture the demand for products and services at the exact moment a user is looking for it, and this holds true for Cricket as well.
However, despite paid search being the “backbone” of our marketing efforts, it would not be nearly as effective if it was not for other marketing channels that help generate that demand for what we offer. Targeted display ads, social media, and even email blasts play a vital role in overall marketing attribution. It is rare that a user would only be exposed to one element of the marketing mix and become a customer. Paid search may drive the last-click sale, but it didn’t act alone.
How do you see Google playing a larger, perhaps different role in ecommerce and commerce as a whole in the next 3-5 years?
Having worked at Google for 7 years, the one thing I will always expect is for Google to play a larger role in our lives, and that includes marketing and ecommerce.
Over the last few years, Google has made improvements to their shopping engine, added product listing ads and extensions, integrated Google+ seller rankings into search and other advancements to become more deeply entrenched in online shopping behaviors.
Over the coming years, I expect Google to innovate in this area and find ways for both marketers and users to include Google products as they shop – even offline.
About Jeff: Jeff Lerner is the Director of Ecommerce and Digital Marketing at Cricket Wireless. Jeff joined Cricket in December 2012 after 7 years in various roles at Google as well as serving as VP of Digital Media at a New York based ad agency.
Rich Brown – Head of PPC – Farfetch
What emerging ecommerce or retail marketing technologies are you most excited about?
For us, wearable technology is something that we are keeping a very close eye on. With designer wearbale tech already being produced such as Tory Burch for Fitbit, we’re now at a stage where we are moving away from wearables being just about the technology and equally about the design. Wearable tech enables consumers to have consistent and richer mobile experiences regardless of the actual device.
These devices are not just being used for communication but also to access data and information such as map directions or fitness data. At Farfetch we are working towards an omnichannel experience for our customers and we need to be aware of all the touch points available to a consumer.
For a marketer, wearable technology does create yet more challenges in terms of measuring the influence of multiple mobile device touch points and attributing value but as the technology develops we will have a better idea of what is possible.
What’s the backbone of your digital advertising and online retail marketing efforts?
It’s difficult to pick just one channel to stand out as each one has a reason in itself to be picked. Search (Both PPC & SEO), affiliates, and email all contribute significantly to our business in different ways. However, the most exciting developments for us have been retargeting and Google Product Listing Ads.
Over the last 12 months both retargeting and product ads have been our fastest growing ad formats and are increasingly playing a bigger role in our marketing efforts. Both ad formats are very visual which is extremely important when marketing our products and this has definitely had a big impact on what we have been able to achieve.
What’s the biggest challenge you face heading into 2014 and what’s your plan to tackle it?
In 2014 we are launching three new international sites. Each come with their own challenges in terms of technical infrastructure and marketing considerations so we want to ensure that we give people the same experience and carry the look and feel of our brand throughout each new site. We have dedicated resource internally to tackle all the challenges we may face whether its technical, PR or marketing related. Everyone has a clear picture of what we are trying to achieve and we can react quickly to challenges and and opportunities that we are faced with.
About Rich: A results-driven digital marketing professional with 8 years’ experience driving strategic growth and profitability for leading organisations across travel, finance, retail, and charity sectors within paid search & digital marketing. Joined Farfetch in May 2012 as Head of PPC to define, manage, and execute the global strategy for paid search.
Troy Eaves – VP Marketing – FUN.com
What emerging ecommerce or retail marketing technologies are you most excited about?
I think the online shopping experience will continue to come full circle for the customer. After you’ve purchased something, technology will help companies stay in communication and not online maximize your experience with the product, but keep you interested in the brand and buy from them again.
I think more customer data will allow eComm to communicate more timely to them; through email/text/revisiting the site for relevant & new content that again, maximizes your use with the product.
What’s the backbone of your digital advertising and online retail marketing efforts?
Because our industry specifically is so image-centric, people want to know what things look like and they want ideas on how to use the products. For that reason, the picture heavy channels always win for us – PLAs & Pinterest.
What’s the biggest challenge you face heading into 2014 and what’s your plan to tackle it?
Brand development and off-setting seasonality (of Halloween). We’re going to tackle by promoting what we believe in – Having fun.
About Troy: Troy is the VP of Marketing at FUN.com and has an extensive background in eComm and Search Marketing. He is currently focusing on growing FUN.com, HalloweenCostumes.com, and T-Shirts.com (Soon to be rebranded as: Shirts.com) as the best offering available online in their respective markets.
Megan Knisely – Director of Marketing – Karmaloop
What emerging ecommerce and retail marketing technologies are you most excited about?
With mobile traffic and revenue growing at such a rapid pace, we’re excited about all of the new developments in the mobile space. For the longest time, mobile has been somewhat of the “wild wild west” for us, so we’re eager to test some new partners to help us with getting more efficient and targeted with our mobile campaigns and learning more about customers who are utilizing their mobile devices.
What’s the backbone of your digital advertising and online retail marketing efforts?
Karmaloop is a lifestyle brand, so social media has always been one of the most important channels for our company. Social Media channels like Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram give us the opportunity to showcase what makes Karmaloop different than most other retailers, but they also convey our sales messaging in a place where we know to find our customers. Marketing pushes typically start and finish with our social media channels and disseminate from there.
What’s the biggest challenge you face heading into 2014 and what’s your plan to tackle it?
With the ecommerce landscape becoming more and more developed, it’s becoming increasingly important for us as marketers to not only understand our individual channels but also how the interact with one another. The biggest challenge for us as a company is developing an attribution model that works for our company and gives us a clear understanding of each channel and how it truly performs.
We have all of the data at our fingertips, it’s figuring out how to bridge the gaps between it all that will be our biggest challenge.
About Megan: Megan is the Director of Marketing for Karmaloop, a lifestyle apparel retailer.
Jeff McRitchie – VP Marketing – MyBinding.com
What emerging ecommerce and retail marketing technologies are you most excited about?
All of the new technologies for personalization are really exciting. It wasn’t too long ago that it took an investment of millions of dollars for a site to provide a highly personalized shopping experience. Now there are tools, technologies, and partners to allow for dynamic retargeting, cart abandonment, customized recommendations, automated emails and dynamic offers and merchandising.
At MyBinding we are just beginning to explore these new technologies and we are seeing awesome results so far.
What’s the backbone of your digital advertising and online retail marketing efforts?
Until recently I would have definitely answered this question with SEO. However, with all of the changes that Google has made in the past year we have been searching for growth elsewhere. Currently text ads still drive more revenue than any other channel. However, comparison shopping channels are growing faster with better ROI numbers. Specifically, PLA’s have shown the best growth and ROI this past year. I am excited to see them continue to grow and to see what might be possible as Bing launches their answer to PLA’s.
What’s the biggest challenge you face heading into 2014 and what’s your plan to tackle it?
In some ways it is really exciting to be an online retailer in 2014. However, in other ways it can be really scary. Expectations of retailers are rising and they are rising fast. Consumers expect an amazing, personalized shopping experience with ultra-fast free shipping and rock bottom low prices. Search engines expect highly relevant, unique and engaging content.
These things are pushing us to be better at what we do. We expect to make significant improvements to our site experience, usability, and content this year. We are also making big moves to better engage our existing customers. All of these things should help us to be a better brand which we really see as the key to our continued success.
About Jeff: Jeff McRitchie is the VP of Marketing for MyBinding.com and has been responsible for the site since its inception in 2003. A passionate entrepreneur, Jeff has helped to lead the company to ten consecutive years of double digit growth and to three appearances on the INC 5000 list of fastest growing private companies in the USA.
Mike Kearns – Director of Ecommerce – Pro Athlete, Inc. / JustBats.com
What emerging ecommerce and retail marketing technologies are you most excited about?
A couple of things. Video customer service is a huge value-added differentiator for ecommerce retailers who have a long sales cycle, high return rates, or require consultation to sell their product or service. There’s also the concept of assisted navigation that been around for years.
Think of it as a personal butler who assists with every unique customer in a personal way. Yoyo’s toy finder, Target’s gift finder, and JustBats.com’s bat coach are examples of pages setup to assist the customer in navigating to products they have a higher probability of purchasing. It’s not new, but very effective and there needs to be more of this.
What’s the backbone of your digital advertising and online retail marketing efforts?
Going all the way back to the goto.com days, PPC was and still is the number one channel for JustBats.com in terms of visits and sales. On any given day, however, I can see it’s certainly a mix of organic, email, comparision shopping, PPC, and other campaigns driving all our traffic. What’s really exciting is to see our direct visits grow year-over-year and we all know direct visits are free visits. There’s a consensus among JustBats.com management that the intense advocation placed on maximizing our customer service loop helps to deliberately create a consistent customer experience which drives the brand.
What’s the biggest challenge you face heading into 2014 and what’s your plan to tackle it?
Brick and mortar retailers have faced customer erosion due to ecommerce. Now, ecommerce shops who have been comfortable in niche markets for far too long need to be aware there are many players vying for market share. Some players are new and some are old. The plan for all, whether brick and mortar or online, should be to do whatever it takes to be hyper-focused on understanding your customer’s needs and differentiating your product or service to maximize the relationship. JustBats.com will be evaluating and testing many new website features to elevate the customer experience in 2014.
About Mike: Mike Kearns is Pro Athlete’s Director of eCommerce. As Director of eCommerce, Kearns’ main focus is making sure the customer has the best possible experience while navigating our many brands. Mike, a native of Kansas City, Missouri, holds a B.S.B.A. in Computer Information Systems from Central Missouri State University (now University of Central Missouri).
Vivian Tsai – VP of Ecommerce & Retail – Timbuk2
What emerging ecommerce or digital advertising technologies are you most excited about?
Facebook Ads are interesting for us with different ad types serving as customer acquisition tools vs customer retention tools vs customer engagement tools and really being able to drill down on certain characteristics that are speak to our core consumer groups. There’s a lot of room to play here and I don’t think anyone’s nailed down a formula for this so experimenting continues to be constantly important and educational.
What’s the backbone of your digital advertising efforts?
We still heavily rely on text ads and with mobile growing exponentially in importance in traffic, we need to make sure we are relevant for that smaller screen size.
What’s the biggest challenge you face heading into 2014 and what’s your plan to tackle it?
Mobile, mobile, mobile. Both tablet and phone, but particularly phone. It’s about the whole experience: how you get noticed by the customer and the site experience once they come to you. It all needs to be easily and quickly understandable, relevant and load super fast in bad reception!
About Vivian: Vivian Tsai is the VP of eCommerce and Retail at Timbuk2 Designs with more than 15 years experience in retail – both online and brick-and-mortar. Her experience is in General Management, Merchandising/Buying, Strategy and Store Operations at Timbuk2, Macy’s West, and Gap.
Retail Marketing: Major Takeaways
After hearing from all 11 retailers, it’s clear that:
- Capitalizing on mobile traffic is a strong pain point
- Product Listing Ads and PPC text ads can provide the backbone for any solid digital marketing strategy
- Email marketing continues to be a vital asset for retail marketers
- New advancements in customer segmentation and targeting will open up new ad opportunities
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