Our 8th Annual Merchant Survey is hot off the Internet with input from 190 senior executives about e-commerce merchandising and marketing (view table of contents).
Among the questions on email, we asked what kinds of content their email solutions contained. Not surprisingly, an overwhelming majority stated sales & specials (86%), followed by their own branding (83%), seasonal messaging (79%), and new product introductions (77%).

As you peruse the examples we have chosen, observe that to push purchasing the best-in-class often deploy a one-two punch. Most often a traditional tactic is teamed with a promotional offer from branding + sale to what's new + free shipping.

1.   Get creative to inspire shoppers moving beyond standard promotions 2.   Segment your email list to best target your customer base 3.   Combine tactics to elevate the total offer 4.   Keep seasonality in mind to be timely with selling strategies 5.   Test both single channel and cross-channel offers for greater reach

BUY THE REPORT
$595

 Contact Lauren Freedman to pay by credit card
email: LF@e-tailing.com; phone: 773-975-7280

• Feedback from 190 senior executives with e-commerce responsibility; representing a cross-section of major B2C and B2B product categories
  
• A robust compilation of aggregated responses and anonymous commentary to a 45-question survey completed in 1Q 2009
  
• A comprehensive resource when planning and prioritizing site upgrades and enhancements
  
• A reference source for strategy, merchandising and marketing trends online
  
• More charts and tables for benchmarking website performance than any prior e-tailing group Merchant Survey (57 vs. 43 in '08) 
  
• Insights from the e-tailing group's 15 years of e-commerce and 50+ years of retail experience

TABLE OF CONTENTS

I.      Introduction
II.     Profile of Participants
III.    Executive Summary
IV.    Internet Strategy
V.     Merchandising Features and Functionality
VI.    Up-Sells and Cross-Sells
VII.   Shopping Cart Abandonment 
VIII.  Marketing Strategies
IX.    Email Performance, Usage and Challenges
X.     Segmentation, Customization and Personalization
XI.    International
XII.   Cross-Channel Initiatives
XIII.  eCommerce Platforms
XIV.  Mobile Initiatives
XV.   Merchants' Commentary
XVI.  Checklist
XVII. About the e-tailing group

 
CHARTS AND TABLES

Internet Strategy & Analytics
•  Online sales penetration
•  Merchant sales channels
•  Internet revenue change 2009 vs. 2009
•  Impact of the current economic climate on e-commerce investments
•  Dedicated employee counts
•  Management satisfaction levels
•  Current and year-over-year conversion rates
•  Rankings of strategic goal initiatives
•  Initiatives planned for improving website performance
•  Marketing and customer service tactics for retaining customers
•  Contribution of gifting to overall sales
Merchandising
•  Sources of information used to make merchandising decisions
•  Merchandising and navigational tactics for retaining customers
•  Rankings of value and presence of 52 merchandising features
         o Search
         o Visualization/Rich Media
         o Product/Content Features
         o Multi-Product Selling
         o Promotional Tactics 
         o Seasonal/Gifting Features
         o Customer Service
         o Suggestive Selling
         o Viral Strategies
         o Email as a Merchandising/Customer Service Vehicle
         o Customization/Personalization
         o Cross-Channel
•  Rich media impact
•  Gifting vs. personal consumption as a percent of sales
•  Up-sell/Cross-sell contributions to overall website revenue
•  Up-sell/Cross-sell conversion rates on product pages and in the shopping cart
•  Policies on merchandise left in the cart
•  Communication tactics post cart abandonment
•  Current cart abandonment rates
Marketing
•  Sources of e-commerce demand
•  Customer acquisition expenditure determination
•  Email frequency and content
•  Rankings of top email uses and challenges
•  Improving email performance
•  Level of customer segmentation sophistication
•  Personalization defined
•  Merchandising products to personalization them on the web
•  Shipping/selling internationally
Cross-Channel
•  Time frame for coordinating marketing across channels
•  Timeline for providing cross-channel features including in-store pickup
•  Measuring cross-channel behavior
•  Integrating the web into the store experience
•  Advantages of offering multi-channel/cross-channel conveniences
eCommerce Platforms
•  Timeline to change e-commerce platforms
•  Consideration when looking to switching platforms
•  Ranking of most important criteria in selecting a new platform
Mobile Initiatives
•  Current customer engagement in mobile
•  Level of involvement with mobile merchandising and marketing
Merchants' Commentary
•  Areas of focus