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April 28, 2007 |
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AFFORDABLE ONLINE TOOLS TO MANAGE AND GROW YOUR BUSINESS: PART 2
by Chip Arndt
 Miami, FL (April 28, 2007)—This edition is continued from the March 15, 2007 newsletter.
You have decided you want to work with a tool-based solution (Click here to download the Case Study "2 Steps to Increase Return on CSE Ad Spend" by MerchantAdvantage) but you are unsure how to analyze if it’s worth your time and money, and then you want to ensure that you have the “know how” to use it properly.
The following analysis is an example of how one tool-based solution can help market products on the various comparison shopping engines such as Become.com, JellyFish.com, PriceShaker.com, Pronto.com, Yahoo! Shopping and many others.
Case Study:
MerchantAdvantage's Channel Management with
Chanalytics(sm): Value Assessed
Approach working with a new tool-based option as a two step process. The two steps are:
A: Decision Process:
- Does using this tool help me solve an issue right now?
- Does using this tool answer my short and long term strategic business needs?
- Does using this tool bring in new revenues?
- Can I afford this tool?
- Can I afford NOT to use this tool?
- Is the company selling me this tool credible and does it offer me support?
B: Implementation Process:
- What do I need to do to start?
- What do I need to do on an ongoing basis?
- What else can I do with the tool?
- What if I have problems?
Click here to download the Case Study "2 Steps to Increase Return on CSE Ad Spend" by MerchantAdvantage to view how to apply these two steps with the MerchantAdvantage Solution.
Click here to review "Affordable Online Tools to Manage and Grow Your Business: Part 1"
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Sometimes More is Not Better
by Scott Chen
 A Googlebase feed should be a must. Not only is it free, you actually get pretty good search results, especially for products that are more unique and special.
More is not always better. There is one common mistake I often see; merchants tend to feed the product file way too often. Googlebase gets tons of feeds all day long, therefore, you have to give them a chance to digest the enormous amount of feeds and index your items so they can be searchable.
I’ve found that it works well feeding once a week or once every two weeks.
Here is the general rule of thumb: if you have a crucial update, you should send a new feed as soon as possible by going into Channel Management and finding the channel. Then click run now; if not, let the Channel Management’s scheduler pick up your feed and set up your schedule to run at a low traffic time (figure out what day and time of the week you convert the least sales- for many, late Saturday night is the lowest conversion time).
What if you must update your feed everyday or even more than once a day?
Well, no worries. Notice the second part of Google’s FAQ answer. If you upload the file through Googlebase’s user interface, the items will get indexed quicker. You can simply change the protocol under Channel Method in the Channel Management application to save the file locally and use the output file to upload through Google’s user interface.
This is a quote out of Googlebase FAQ section:
How long will it take for my item to be searchable?
Items submitted via bulk upload: Once your bulk upload processes and your file status displays Success on your Google Base dashboard, it can take up to 24 hours for your items to appear on Google Base and Froogle (if applicable).
Items submitted directly through the user interface will take 15-60 minutes to be searchable on Google Base and Froogle (if applicable).
MERCHANTADVANTAGE MERCHANT OF THE MONTH
We’re thrilled and inspired by all the Channel Management success stories you share with us. Now we want to turn the spotlight on you! Send us your best Channel Management success story and you could be selected as our Merchant of the Month.
If chosen, your company will be exclusively showcased in an edition of our monthly newsletter, eTail dTail. Best of all, your monthly MerchantAdvantage fee will be waived in the month you are selected. Submit your Channel Management success story today to stories@merchantadvantage.com. We look forward to hearing from you!
(Note: MerchantAdvantage reserves the right to use any or all of your story, whether or not your article is selected as the winning entry.)
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About MerchantAdvantage
Merchantadvantage.com is an ecommerce software solutions company committed to championing and helping the small to midsized online ecommerce Merchant address complicated online issues and take a systematic, controlled and proactive approach to online product marketing. MerchantAdvantage provides long-term, cost effective software tools that enable an online business to grow by reaching the widest audience possible via online, broadband, and wireless devices. MerchantAdvantage's applications are designed to thoroughly connect the online retailer to their marketplace partners in a seamless motion of communication allowing Merchants to take control of their ecommerce channels, marketing strategies, IT solutions, and online order management demands. These software tools specifically help ecommerce retailers bridge the gap created by non-standardized data feeds to various online market places, shopping comparison engines, and other online shopping destination sites.
MerchantAdvantage is changing the macrocosm of ecommerce by staying ahead of the curve in providing business solutions to the growing online retail marketplace: We're here because America's commerce future is online.™
MerchantAdvantage, the premier software for on-line retailers looking for an efficient and effective method of online product marketing, order and customer service handling, introduces Channel Management with Chanalytics(sm). Channel Management helps online retailers save time and money while maximizing their return on investment and marketing budgets by allowing them to easily connect with shopping comparison sites. MerchantAdvantage is for online retailers wishing to better manage their online marketing efforts and increase their sales volume. |
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Do you have any issues, concerns or interests you would like to share?
Email us at:
tip@etaildtail.com
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• Comparison Shopping Engines Continue to Evolve.
In addition to providing more creative ways to market to buyers, some engines are now looking to include inventory from local stores to include with online merchants. Engines like PriceRunner.com are beginning to show such inventory so a potential buyer can see if the local electronics store offers a good price compared to the store thousands of miles away.
• A $100 Client Discount on Internet Retailer 2007 Registration:
As an existing or prospective client of MerchantAdvantage, LLC we are pleased to provide you with an exclusive $100 discount off the current registration fee for the Internet Retailer 2007 Conference & Exhibition, America's largest e-retailing conference.
View Full Story>>
• Leading Comparison Shopping Engines:
Recent research shows the rankings of leading shopping comparison engines. Shopping.com sites lead the way with 21,000,000 million visitors in January 2007. The below listing shows the top 10 sites with the percentage of change compared to January 2006:
1) Shopping.com sites +6%.
2) Shopzilla.com sites -4%.
3) Yahoo Shopping +1%.
4) Nextag.com sites -16%.
5) MSN Shopping 6%.
6) Mezi Media sites +453%.
7) Froogle -15%.
8) Shop.com sites -16%.
9) AOL Shopping +36%.
10) PriceGrabber -27%.
• Adjusting Product Selection
for CSEs:
In other news, more studies came out showing the value of adjusting product selection based on performance when using comparison shopping engines. Many top retailers consistently report the key to listing products, in addition to adjusting product data, is to scale selection based on ROI. If the return is not there, a product should be removed, but if the ROI is strong then adjusting bid amounts may further enhance returns.
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"MerchantAdvantage is here to be your partner in growing your business in the multi billion dollar and complex world of online shopping. We are here because you are online.sm"
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Michael Lambert, CEO |
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For information on how MerchantAdvantage may help your business grow, please contact us:
Chip Arndt
Executive Vice President
Business Development and Strategy
305.895.9466 x113
partnerships@merchantadvantage.com
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