In a previous blog, the team at NetSphere Strategies covered the importance of tools for analyzing website data, focusing on Tealeaf, IBM's new customer experience manager. Today, however, we'll take a deeper look at what Tealeaf has to offer in more effectively pulling down actionable data related to how users interact with a website.  Any company with an eCommerce focus needs to ensure the visitors to their website are experiencing a smooth, hiccup-free interaction. Consumers have come to expect their web...

We know consumers are remaining keen to do a majority of their shopping at the retailers’ brick-and-mortar stores. However, a growing number of consumers are taking to their computers and mobile devices to make their purchases. According to the National Retail Federation’s Holiday Consumer Spending Survey, the average shopper planned to do 44 percent of their holiday-related buying online. Most Americans have a choice when it comes to shopping online or going to the actual retailer. For retailers looking for bigger...

The push to find out how consumers interact with their favorite brands has proven to be a catalyst for vendors to deliver website analytics tools. Most companies are done trying to push products onto consumers because they realize (unless you’re Apple) that it doesn’t work. Instead, they’re more focused on learning what consumers actually want and deliver on those desires. eCommerce companies have a wealth of information at their fingertips, but only if they have the tools to collect and analyze...

Most retailers are familiar with “shopping bulimics” – the consumers who make purchases and promptly return their merchandise. Retail consultant Kurt Salmon told the Wall Street Journal in an article last year that one third of all Internet transactions result in returns. While this might not be the best-case scenario for retailers, some of whom lose millions a year on returns, it’s important to note that consumer behavior often dictates best practices for retailers. Just as marketers will seek out many...

Take a guess on what days are the busiest for the U.S. Postal Service and FedEx, and you might be surprised. It’s not the days leading up to tax day – it’s the days just before Christmas. In fact, both shipping entities are expecting to break records this year on the amount of packages being shipped from coast to coast. The U.S. Postal Service estimated that they would process more than 640 million holiday cards on Monday, Dec. 15. On the...

With the holiday shopping season in full swing, U.S. retail trends are coming to full light. As digital door-buster deals continue throughout the month of December, it's clear to see that retailers aren’t as reliant on the post-Thanksgiving weekend as they used to be. Many retailers, like Amazon and Walmart, extended their door-buster deals beyond the typical shopping period. They started prior to the Thanksgiving holiday and are pushing further into December. According to multiple sources, however, Cyber Monday could still...

The likelihood of experiencing a technical issue on an eCommerce website during the holiday shopping season is high. No matter how much planning or preparation an online retailer does, online shoppers will inevitably encounter something that doesn’t seem quite right. Whether some products are showing available when they’re actually out of stock or whether pages are taking too long to load, consumers won’t be pleased. No matter the issue, when unforeseen problems arise, it’s important for the alerted team member to...

eCommerce is one of the fastest-growing industries today. New competitors are constantly entering the arena, and current business owners are feeling the squeeze. To stay in the game, businesses must be able to quickly scale to meet customers’ ever-growing demands. Implementing new features and functionality is a great way to enhance the customer experience, but it can also take a toll on a website’s performance. Therefore, as a website takes on more content, the No. 1 priority is to ensure that...

The upcoming holiday season should provide plenty of cheer for retail businesses and their employees in 2014. According to a recent forecast, the National Retail Federation is predicting a jump in sales of more than 4 percent as compared to sales from the previous year. NRF president and CEO, Mark Shay, expressed cautious optimism, citing moderate growth in consumer sales over the course of the year.  “Retailers could see a welcome boost in holiday shopping, giving some companies the shot in...

eCommerce sales have grown exponentially over the last decade, nearly reaching $300 billion in 2014. Retail consumers are now spending half their shopping time online, whether it’s via computer, tablet or smartphone, to research their purchases before they make them. Because of the ramp-up in time spent shopping online, consumers are demanding a better experience. Part of those expectations include a more seamless, immersive experience across all retail channels. With the volume of online sales increasing rapidly, however, so has the...