Jaeger has released stats relating to its use of interactive hotspot technology within footage of its Spring/Summer 2010 collection.
A linkto player allowed visitors to the retailer’s website to ‘shop the catwalk’ by encoding three full-length catwalk videos from London Fashion Week. In this case, products were highlighted by a subtle, greyed-out box and tracked as the model moved down the runway, each of which is then clickable to purchase.
The videos saw an average engagement rate (viewers clicking on at least one hotspot) of 27% across all videos, a click through rate of 13%, and an increase in basket size onsite of over 300% from people who purchase via the video.
More at: http://econsultancy.com/uk/blog/9226-jaeger-sees-basket-size-grow-by-300-using-interactive-hotspots?
Many brands have spent the past several years getting consumers to ‘like’ them on the world’s most popular social network, Facebook. And for a seemingly good reason: when it comes to location, location, location in social, you can’t beat Facebook, which may surpass the 1bn registered user mark this year.
But after a recent lavish event Facebook held for brands in New York, brands may be asking whether Facebook is working for them, or they’re working for Facebook.
As AdAge details, Facebook used the event to remind brands that only 16% of their Facebook fans actually see the content they post organically on the social network. That’s because, in an effort to protect the user experience, Facebook’s EdgeRank algorithm filters out content that may not be relevant.
But in the run up to the social network’s IPO, Facebook is willing to give brands a greater ability to ensure that their marketing messages reach a much larger audience. For a price of course.
AdAge explains:
Facebook unveiled a tool, Reach Generator, that will let marketers buy all the reach they want. Priced according to the size of a brand’s fan base, the tool is designed to take a piece of content and amplify its reach by resurfacing it as an ad.
The pitch is that just 16% of fans currently see organic content posted by brands: Most of it is weeded out by Facebook’s EdgeRank algorithm, designed to enhance users’ experience by putting only the most relevant content in their news feeds. Using the paid ad tool could increase a brand’s exposure percentage to as high as 75%.
As PHD USA’s chief digital officer, Craig Atkinson, told AdAge, “Many [clients] have spent significant sums to generate these fan bases, and many of them thought of those people as though they’re an owned asset, almost like an email list … but now it looks like rented media.” Rented media indeed.
Brands really shouldn’t be surprised. After all, this has been Facebook’s modus operandi for some time. From the numerous privacy changes it has foisted upon its users to the promises it has made to developers and then broken,
Facebook rarely does favors for others. Now that it’s going public and needs to put the pedal to the metal in the drive for revenue, brands are being taken on a ride many of them didn’t see coming, or didn’t want to see coming.
More at: http://econsultancy.com/uk/blog/9211-with-ipo-looming-facebook-reminds-brands-all-your-fans-belong-to-us?
Social commerce company Reevoo has released research that suggests bad reviews are good for business.
The company found that 68% of consumers trust reviews more when they see both good and bad scores, while 30% suspect censorship or faked reviews when they don’t see anything negative at all.
Not only this, but shoppers who go out of their way to read bad reviews convert 67% more than the average consumer.
Reevoo CEO and founder Richard Anson said that though this may seem counter-intuitive, negative user-generated content is actually one of the most effective conversion tools.
This is because shoppers who seek out bad reviews are highly engaged with their pre-purchase research, viewing almost four times as many products as the average visitor to a site, and staying considerably longer.
The company discovered that three times as many consumers actively seek out and read negative user-generated content as look for positive content: negative reviews are even more popular than ‘most recent reviews’, or ‘reviews from people like me’.
Figures quoted are from data collected across Reevoo’s network of 150 UK and international partners and from Reevoo.com, the company’s consumer website, as well as from independent consumer surveys.
The results contrast with a study last year, which found that reading between one and three negative reviews would deter the majority of customers, though much depends on whether there are any good reviews to outweight thr bad.
More at: http://econsultancy.com/uk/blog/8638-bad-reviews-improve-conversion-by-67
New research about digital marketing trends published today shows that social media engagement is rated as both the top priority and most exciting opportunity for companies this year.
But while the fourth Quarterly Digital Intelligence Briefing, published by Econsultancy in association with Adobe, shows a huge appetite for social media programmes, there is a worrying lack of commitment to investment in associated analytics and measurement.
Research for this report found that, along with content optimisation, social media engagement is rated as the top priority for digital marketers out of a range of digital-related marketing activities and disciplines.
Asked to indicate their top three priorities for the year ahead, companies surveyed by Econsultancy and Adobe found that these areas will be more important in 2012 than other disciplines including conversion rate optimisation, mobile optimisation and content marketing.
Social media analytics lagged behind in ninth place.
More than 600 companies surveyed for this report were also asked about the ‘most exciting’ digital-related opportunities for their organisations in 2012.
More than half of client-side respondents (54%) said that social media engagement featured among the three most exciting opportunities, way ahead of mobile optimisation (38%) and content optimisation (37%). Again, social analytics is much further down the pecking order, this time in eighth place.
Yesterday, Google rolled out yet another new feature for Google+ that lets you start a conversation directly from search results - and contribute to a topical Google+ stream.
In a post on Google+ (of course), associate product manager Alex Unger said that if you search for a keyword of phrase like basketball from within Google+, you can then create a post directly from the results shown.
He added that all you need to do is look for the share box, and you’ll see an opportunity to “join the discussion” about whatever you’ve searched for.
This means that when you post from the search results page, it automatically includes a link back to the original search stream. This way others can join the active conversation as it unfolds.”
This is yet another move to position Google+ as a central hub – as well as more closely connecting search and social functions.
Up until the announcement of this new feature, you could only comment on an existing post or share an item when searching for something on Google+.
This now removes one step in the search and share process, which makes it easier to start a conversation and keeps people in the Google loop.
Burberry has made its first attempt at ‘mass customisation’ by launching Burberry Bespoke, a programme that allows people to design and purchase their own, personalised version of the company’s iconic trench coat.
Though prices are expected to start at $1,800 and extend to $8,800, those that can’t afford to buy can still create a design and share it on Twitter and Facebook, extending the reach of the programme.
Currently live in beta on Burberry.com, the service takes four to eight weeks to deliver a finished coat and will launch officially in 2012. While certain combinations won’t be allowed to ensure that the brand’s design reputation isn’t tarnished, Burberry calculates that this there are almost 12 million potential outcomes.
Now well-known for not only pushing the boundaries in terms of engaging with people online within the luxury industry, but for brands as a whole, this seems to be the next stage in Burberry’s plan to hand more control to their customers and fans.
Just like it did with the website Art of the Trench, which provides a platform for those passionate about the brand to upload pictures of themselves wearing a Burberry coat, email to friends and appear alongside official imagery.
More at: http://econsultancy.com/uk/blog/8227-burberry-attempts-mass-customisation-with-burberry-bespoke
