A story in USA Today examined the debate between the physiological and psychological benefits of social networks. The piece attempts to debunk notions that too much time spent connecting with friends online detract — and devalue — the benefits of physical interaction (an argument akin to what people say about the change from snail mail to email, or from honking a car horn to texting “im outside”). The positive outlook on social networking can be summed up in this passage:
For the most part, being part of a social network is good for you, research suggests. For example, a study in this month’s Scientific American Mind finds that social support and social networking offer benefits, from additional resilience to greater life satisfaction to reducing the risk of health problems. Other studies in the past two years have found that feeling like a part of a larger group helps in stroke recovery and memory retention and boosts overall well-being.
Phewf! That’s a relief.
The opposition — as there always is — contends that social networks are “programmed to make money,” under the guise of bringing individuals closer (isn’t that also what can be said about fraternities and sororities…or many groups for that matter?) The problem, though, appears to be serious, marked by the opening of the first U.S. residential treatment center for Internet addiction this summer in Washington state.
Among members of the Gen Y generation who regularly use social networks, 55 percent are more likely to self-report happiness compared to 35 percent of nonusers. Moreover, 60 percent of Gen Y social networkers were reportedly dating or in a relationship, compared to 30 percent of nonusers.
This video was featured at the Shop.org Annual Summit earlier this week. It shares a lot of statistics around social media and consumer use of social media in an attempt to answer the ultimate question — Is social media a fad?
I recently had the opportunity to take a week-long vacation around the Labor Day holiday. You know, one of the prime shopping holidays of the year. I was looking for some fall clothes with the American Express gift cards I received due to my being a loyal member, accruing enough points for a $25 and $50 one.
I used the $25 one with no issue. When I was in line at Express buying sweaters using my $50 card, the fun really began. The order could not be completed. Obviously, this was annoying on all fronts. There was a line of people behind me, and the cashier got his manager to come over and call American Express, trying to get the issue ironed out. After being on hold for 15 minutes, a live person finally took the call and refused to talk to the manager. He wanted to speak with me.
I take the phone, and the agent says that there is a “technical glitch” with my gift card through no fault of my own. I say, OK, fine — authorize my purchase over the phone and send me a gift card for the remaining balance. I didn’t think this was an overly complicated task. Credit card companies authorize charges over the phone all the time. It goes with the territory.
Well, apparently this is not the case with American Express gift cards. He refused to do it, saying it was not possible. He said he would send me a new gift card. He was missing the point: I needed the money now. At that moment. At the point of sale. This sale wasn’t going to last the three-to-five days it would take to send me a new card.
I informed the agent of this obvious point, that I was on vacation, and wouldn’t be able to get the card until I returned more than a week later to my apartment. He said that he would have the card expedited. It was seriously like talking to a brick wall.
…Ok, maybe it didn’t take me exactly 12 minutes, but I’ve got to jump to some sessions here at Shop.org’s Annual Summit in Las Vegas! Resource Interactive’s President and Chief Experience Officer Kelly Mooney (also author of The Open Brand) was the conference’s final keynote and shared a bunch of insight on moms and (the second wave of) Millenials.
Look for a news story on the keynote on destinationCRM.com, but for now, I wanted to share Mooney’s closing list of tips on how to making online shopping a better experience:
Support social marketing & merchandising.
Offer more ways to pay that also ensure security online (e.g., PayPal, Twitpay).
Monetize your Facebook page (It’s not just a place for socializing!).
Auto fill codes, points, and special offers identified customers .
Get more personalized and relevant at the online “shelf” level.
Add “raves” to your ratings & reviews (Mooney cites how studies in neuroplasticity proves that if a consumer sees another happy consumer, it can rewire them to have positive feelings, too).
Use messaging to tap into thrift mentality. Consumers, especially moms, are wearing frugality like a “badge of honor.”
Make meaningful service changes based on feedback. Solicit feedback, then make sure customers know that you’re acting on those insights through explicit communication.
Use social networks to encourage users to share shipping codes or offers instead of just making the offer available to any and everyone.
Offer new utility and fun ideas to help users engage with each other around the products (e.g., create your dream room), or come up with news ways to use the products.
Introduce new products and price points (e.g., Recession Denim, which, according to its “About” page, “was born in New York City amidst the economic chaos of September 2008. Creator, Daniella Siri set out to establish a premium-quality denim brand that offered irresistibly trendy, yet classic denim without the premium price tag.”)
Shift the dialog (e.g., Hyundai’s Assurance Program addressed the challenges of making big purchases in a difficult economy and gave customers the assurance that the company has their “back for one for year.”).
K! Gotta run!
[Pssst! If you want a copy of Kelly Mooney's presentation from this morning, send an email request here: Rewired@resource.com]
Allan Dick, chief marketing officer and senior plumbing evangelist at Vintage Tub and Bath, evaluated 85 potential speakers to fill 18 spots in the two-part session “40+ Specific Things You Can Do to Make More Money Next Week” at this week’s Shop.org in Las Vegas. Preparing for the sessions took 3 months of seemingly endless conference calls, but the result was an crash course in search engine optimization and e-commerce best practices.
Tired of hearing e-commerce being described as the “bastard step-child” and going to conferences where speakers only gave “inspirational” talks, Dick wanted to lead a session that provided actionable insight retailers. He wanted an a power-packed session that would give retailers tips they could immediately begin putting into place once they got back to the office. Each speaker was given exactly 8 minutes to deliver their choice of best practices (If speakers weren’t finished by 8:10, the microphone was turned off, and the audience could vote whether or not the speaker should continue–luckily only 2 speakers went overtime, only one of which got the extra minute).
A bunch of speakers touched upon these fundamentals, most of which are changes pertaining to site usability and Web design:
Make important information & calls-to-action buttons bigger, more noticeable (i.e., different color, size, shape), more descriptive (e.g., “Buy,” not “Submit”).
Increase consumer confidence with security icons, customer service contact information, and concise return, warranty, and privacy policies.
Avoid distracting shoppers from the shopping experience by taking away from the product pages — use modal windows or pop-outs instead.
Remove the mandatory registration page for new users (tests have shown as much as 38 percent dropoff after consumers have clicked the “checkout” button — Lance Loveday, Closed Loop Marketing)
Display at least 20 items per page.
Claim search listings that include [your company name] and the words “coupon,” “voucher,” “discount,” etc., to ensure that you’re claiming searches that might otherwise go to your affiliates.
Retailers are too intimately tied to their sites — go into a store and watch real users interact with your site.
Have clear, specific, pinpointed error messages. Instead of “Invalid Variable,” highlight the field that was filled in incorrectly and say what’s missing in plain language (e.g., “At least one address line must be supplied”). Or better yet, be proactive about helping consumers fill in forms and provide instructions that follow consumers as they fill out the from (check out Restaurant.com’s registration form)
Use positive language (e.g., “Orders received by 2 PM will be shipped out today!” vs. “Orders received after 2 PM will not be shipped until the next business day.”
Be specific in your product descriptions. Customers aren’t searching for “cute” boots, they want “black, knee-high, leather” boots.
Allow users to sign up for emails on every page with an embedded field — eliminate the extra click, ask only for email (you can get more information later).
Use positive language like “Join Now” or “Sign Up,” rather than “Submit,” which has a negative connotation.
Be clear about the benefits of receiving company emails.
Immediately engage new subscribers with a “Welcome” newsletter.
Email pre-header should immediately reveal: who’s the email from; what’s the advantage gained; and how to take action.
Use progressive profiling to enhance personalization of emails based on on-demand data through surveys to collect needed information.
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