A NO Isn’t a NO for Everything
You may have a subscriber who subscribes to your newsletter and then unsubscribes. You could just let them go, or you could do this:
First-Time Experiences Matter
Caesar’s Entertainment (the casino) noticed something peculiar: The majority of first-time visitors to their properties didn’t return. There are a number of reasons why a customer may not return but a big one is their first visit experience. If the customer has an experience they like, it greatly increases their chances of becoming a regular (thus making Caesar’s Entertainment a …
Why I Love eCommerce …
… because it allows for an infinite number of interesting business models. My friend Mike Johnson pointed me to something new. Scott Keyes is the Scott behind scottscheapflights.com. Scott’s Cheap Flights is a subscription service that sends out email alerts to subscribers on international flight deals. It’s basically a human-powered flight price alert system. But what makes it stand out …
Your Free Sales Army
Having a sales force is expensive, which is why only large businesses have them. But, even little ecommerce sites have access to a sales force; their customers. This dormant force can triple the visibility of your brand, and they don’t even need a sales commission. But, to activate them you need to establish an authentic relationship first. And it’s not …
Quizzes Can Be Irresistible
The human brain is wired to notice questions. The ? symbol has a magnetic appeal. Sunflowercamo.net manufactures a hunting camo designed for sunflower fields. Apparently, dove hunters need it. In order to advertise the effectiveness of their invention they ask this simple question … … and when you give up (which you will) they reveal the answer. Scroll down to …
Stop Being Boring
Mirrormate is in the business selling mirror frames. Their tagline is FRAME THAT BARE MIRROR: Nothing remarkable about that. What is remarkable is that they use the spirit of their tagline to introduce their team: Your customers have a sense of humor. Don’t be scared to show them your playful side.
Timing
While listening to a song I really love I was shown this Spotify review request popup: How cool would it be if Spotify knew I liked this song (I’ve played it multiple times) and timed the review request popup to the very moment when my endorphins were kicking in listening to the song?
As Few Words as Possible
Lightstock.com uses 4 words to describe their business. Brilliant:
Divide and Conquer
Supermeat.com is a startup that sells cultured meat. Cultured meat is made from animal cells, without the use of the animals themselves. It is biologically the same as the meat that comes from animals, but way better for the environment. Their homepage is genius. They show one question with 2 choices: 2 noteworthy observations: 1: Our brain is designed to solve problems, …
Let Your Customers Do the Talking
Hat tip to Paige Kusmierz for sharing this. Expedia is in the business of maximizing profits (you should be too). And the highest margin item one can sell is insurance. So Expedia pushes hard for it. But instead of just pushing it they show a real customer story to drive home their point: Shoppers care way more about the opinion …
Reducing Terms and Conditions Friction
Most sites have a checkbox for Terms and Conditions: This increases friction because the user has to take an action (clicking the checkbox). On Indeed.com the message just states that if the main action button on the page is clicked (in this case Send) user is automatically accepting terms:
Difficult Choices Kill Conversion Rates
We think choices are good, but if you don’t clearly describe the differences between choices you are most definitely hurting conversion rates. Consider this: A shopper is looking to buy a wireless temperature sensor for their grill. They land on https://store.weber.com/accessories/category/igrill-products/1640 product page: The item sounds impressive and within their price range. But now the shopper notices a second option …
Show Your Personality Every Chance You Get
John Bonini is a copywriter. He uses his site johnbonini.co to market his copywriting services (it’s all serious business stuff). The site lists testimonials. One of those testimonials is by his mother: It’s such a sweet touch. Lesson: Just because you are in the all serious business of being an online retailer doesn’t mean you shouldn’t use humor and humanness …
Breaking Convention is Really Hard
In 2007 1% Google users clicked I’m Feeling Lucky button: I’m sure that number is even lower today. Yet, all rational reasoning aside, Google still leaves it there. Why? Because I’m Feeling Lucky was there from the earliest days of Google. They’re attached to it. What widgets and features do you have on your site purely for nostalgia? Should they …
Prices Go Up
Most sites that are running an ad say something like- Sale ends October 22nd. Wonder what would happen if they changed that line to- Prices go up October 22nd?
