November 04, 2009

Dirks on Strategy airing on WTBQ New Jersey interviews Thomas Harpointner, CEO of AIS Media, Inc., on the topic of leveraging the Internet to turbo charge online sales for the holiday shopping season. Harpointner asserts that in this economic climate consumers' online shopping expectations are demanding, which forces a 'new way of thinking' for retailers. Harpointner's comments included:

 "On the Internet, your website 'is' your business. With a [strong] web presence [retailers] have the opportunity to attract more customers than would ever come into [their] brick-and-mortar store. A well-built and sophisticated website isn't cheap, but with [this] economy, can you afford not to have a web presence?"

"There is an array of strategies and techniques [retailers] can implement to help drive traffic to their website. If you have a database of email addresses, use them. You're making a big mistake if you don't," says Harpointner. "The single most sought after coupon this holiday season is free shipping. You can communicate that offer through email campaigns of targeted lists and have results of the campaign in real time...the process of sending out emails can be intimitading, but email marketing should be a part of your overall marketing strategy."

The Main Message To Retailers:

• Internet Usage On The Rise: 11% of people shopped on the Internet 10 years ago. Today that number has grown to 88%. Every age group in the world is using the Internet to do their research and shopping to save time and money.

• Online Sales Show Strong Growth: Macy's recently reported a 15% increase in online sales in the month of September. Online retail sales are predicted to be up by $44 billion dollars in November and December 2009. Retailers who are not yet online --driving sales-- will miss out on revenue.

• User Friendlyness Is A Must: Successful E-tailers' inventory is easy to find, view and purchase.

• Promote Online: Give consumers incentive to shop online and at brick-and-mortar location by promoting with coupons: most consumers look for coupons prior to making a decision.

• Embrace Mobile: Nearly a 5th of Americans are using Smartphones. Consumers price shop on their mobile handsets while inside the retail locations which creates an opportunity to close the sale.

AIS Media has been helping businesses cut costs and increase productivity since 1997. With consultants worldwide, AIS Media assists retailers with ecommerce websites and their Internet strategy and development. To contact an AIS Media consultant in your area click here.

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About AIS Media:
AIS Media, Inc., an Interactive marketing and web solutions company, is a leading provider of Internet strategy, award-winning web site development, email and search engine marketing, lead generation, and interactive public relations services. The company has developed a suite of Web-based applications under the proprietary “Excerpo” brand, which focuses on email marketing and e-commerce. AIS Media’s solutions are available directly and through its global network of certified partners. For more information, or to locate a local consultant, visit: www.aismedia.com.

© 2009 AIS Media, Inc.