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| 2009 Shop.org Annual Summit Post-Show Special Report | The Shop.org 2009 Annual Summit ran from Sept. 21 to 23 in Las Vegas, and it proved to be the must-attend event for online and multichannel retailers.
As always, the Summit offered plenty of opportunities for networking, learning from experts and peers during the educational sessions, and listening to inspiring keynote sessions. Attendance grew 9% this year over last year, and there were more than 2,600 attendees.
Check out Shop.org's official recap of the event. You can read more about the events and conversations that took place, as well as get a glimpse of the EXPO floor, by perusing the Shop.org blog. You can also take a quiz to see how much you remember from this year's Summit.
If you are not already a Shop.org SmartBrief subscriber and this kind of timely, relevant summary of the most important digital retail news is what you need, sign up to receive our daily Shop.org SmartBrief -- FREE. | | Multichannel and Cross-Channel Strategy |  |  | | - Power of e-commerce made Macy's CEO a believer
Speaking at the Shop.org Annual Summit in Las Vegas, Macy's CEO Terry Lundgren explained that he was slow to embrace e-commerce because he knew consumers liked to try on and touch a product before buying. Over the past decade or so, Lundgren said, he has realized that the Internet has changed the way people shop, and he discussed the effectiveness of "multichannel integration." Macys.com has gone from generating $30,000 in annual sales to $1 billion in annual revenue. Las Vegas Review-Journal (9/23)      - J.C. Penney exec says series of events has changed retail
Richard Last, vice president of new business development at J.C. Penney, said several events in the past two months have changed the retail landscape and prompted industry executives to think more optimistically about the future. Speaking at the Shop.org Annual Summit, Last said the events, including Amazon's acquisition of Zappos.com and the partnership between Yahoo! and Microsoft, highlight the importance of e-commerce. Multichannel Merchant (9/22)  | |  | | | Great Meeting You at the 2009 Shop.org Summit!
The Amazon Payments team appreciated the opportunity to connect with so many of you at the Shop.org Annual Summit and we hope you are enjoying your free copy of Trust Agents or Why She Buys. Learn more about Checkout by Amazon™, and be sure to visit the Shop.org blog for exclusive content from Bridget Brennan and Chris Brogan. | |  |  ADVERTISEMENT | |  |
| Emerging Retail Technologies | | | | - Experts say online retailers must offer useful features
At the Shop.org Annual Summit session called "Innovations in eCommerce," panelists discussed ways online retailers can improve, including offering useful features to boost conversions and build loyalty. For example, Peter Cobb, co-founder of eBags, said online retailers need to integrate guided options that help consumers quickly find what they are searching for, which can boost conversions. WebProNews (Lexington, Ky.) (9/24) - Video allows online retailers to engage consumers
Video, whether it be on social-networking sites, YouTube or a retailer's own Web site, has become an increasingly vital component of successful e-commerce. More retailers are learning how to use video to its full potential and are finding it no longer optional. "Retailers who don't have video will be at a disadvantage," said Gordon Magee, of Drs. Foster & Smith. Internet Retailer (9/2009) - Retailers attempt to maximize potential of mobile market
With mobile phones, particularly smartphones, advancing at a rapid pace, online retailers are eager to embrace the mobile market. At the Shop.org Annual Summit, participants discussed how best to tap the growing market. Ted Hong, chief marketing officer at Fandango, offered a glimpse at the potential of the market when he explained how the launch of the company's iPhone app bolstered ticket sales. WebProNews (Lexington, Ky.) (9/23)  | Studies show that customers find re-entering a credit card number cumbersome, while using an alternative payment method with payment information already on file is quicker and easier. Jockey.com has found that over 30 percent of customers using Checkout by Amazon™ are brand new customers. Learn more about adding Checkout by Amazon to your site. | | Natural and Paid Search Tactics for Conversion | | | | - Search marketing tips help online retailers boost revenue
At the Shop.org Annual Summit, search engine marketing experts offered advice on ways to bolster near-term revenue. For example, Brian Klais, an executive at Netconcepts, suggested that marketers embed product reviews by customers on product pages. He also suggested using short, branded URLs and to increase keyword traffic by organizing page titles with a category/product/brand sequence. InternetRetailer.com (9/24) - Column: Advice for improving natural search performance
Brian Klais, executive vice president of search at Netconcepts, says organizations typically do not resource and value natural search strategies because practitioners lack a business framework based on quantifiable metrics. Klais is striving to offer natural search practitioners advice on systematically enhancing the performance of their natural searches, specifically by showing how metrics can help practitioners gain necessary resources. Search Engine Land (9/25)  | Customer Retention | | | | - Retailers grapple with value of social media
Retailers have developed their Facebook pages, and they're twittering and using other forms of social media. However, they are finding it difficult to discern how their efforts in the social-media sector are paying off. Speaking at the Shop.org Annual Summit, Forrester Research executive Sucharita Mulpuru said Facebook, Twitter and other social-networking sites remain mysterious to retailers. Multichannel Merchant (9/22) - Resource Interactive's Mooney suggests engaging customers
Resource Interactive's Kelly Mooney explains how and why retailers should conduct research by engaging their customers. For example, Mooney says retailers should strive for more face time with their customers to understand their wants and desires, but also to show them products. She said companies can quickly get an idea of whether a product will work by spending some time showing the new product to consumers. Shop.org Blog (9/23) - Time has come for e-mail marketing makeover
At the Shop.org Annual Summit, Stephanie Miller explained how e-mail marketing, which is often a successful element in a company's marketing campaign, has not been given the attention it needs. Miller suggests that it is time to overhaul e-mail marketing campaigns. For example, she says the economic downturn has prompted some retailers to woo customers, and consumers are liking it. No longer is it sufficient to blast out numerous e-mails. Merchants need to customize their messages, she says. Shop.org Blog (9/23) | | | 
Product announcements appearing in SmartBrief are paid advertisements and do not reflect actual Shop.org endorsements. The news reported in SmartBrief does not necessarily reflect the official position of Shop.org. | This SmartBrief was created for fashionarchive@gmail.com | | | | Advertise | Sales Account Director:
Dena Malouf 202.737.5500 ext. 282 | | | | | | | | | | Recent Shop.org SmartBrief Issues: - Tuesday, September 29, 2009
- Monday, September 28, 2009
- Friday, September 25, 2009
- Thursday, September 24, 2009
- Wednesday, September 23, 2009
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