Purchasing decisions are increasingly made online, particularly among young consumers and mostly in social networks. Via online, social and mobile media, modern brand communication, high-reach target group appeal and the development of new sales potential are possible.
A huge potential that fashion brands and retailers increasingly want to take advantage of. But who’s ahead on the Web in the future? And what new themes and trends will determine the future of online fashion shopping?
These questions are the focus of the Sportswear International E-Fashion Summit, held for the first time on December 2, 2010 in Frankfurt.
The Highlights:

- More than 25 international success stories and top speakers
- 3 parallel sessions on the trend themes: Online, Mobile and Social Media
- Grand Finale discussion on the future of E-Fashion
- Afterparty by Levi’s® Curve ID
Detailed information and registration at: www.conferencegroup.de/efashion10

Discover the latest E-Fashion trends and hypes and secure yourself one of the last places!
Register now for a special price – Projektwerk users save EUR €200.00!

A while ago we read an interesting article about how social media and e-mail traffic can increase conversions. The example is Delight.com, a successful live shopping portal from the USA. In an interview with stylecampaign.com,  Lynda Keeler, Co Founder of Deslight.com, says the following: “E-mail and social media work like a tag team. My own experience is that I’ll send out a newsletter, carry on the conversation on Twitter, often via DM then end up back on email. This is mostly due to the frustration of only 140 characters and because e-mail feels more private.” Furthermore she says: “The Social Media group has shown a 20% increase in conversion compared to other traffic drivers.” See the whole article on stylecampaign.com.

In 2009, many more shop operators are attending to the marketing of their offering using Google AdWords. The activation of Google AdWords is a form of keyword optimisation that, in contrast to search engine optimisation, isn’t free but facilitates significantly higher click rates and targeted traffic. Read about the basics of activating AdWords and how its effect can be measured on the shopping basket.

What Are AdWords?

Google AdWords are short advertisements that aren’t free and activated at Google for specific search terms and inserted at prominent positions in the organic index. The advertisements either appear on the right side of the page or directly above the organic results and are discreetly labelled as “Sponsored links”.

“Pay per Click” is the principle according to which the AdWords campaign is calculated. You select a certain number of keywords for a campaign and determine the price that you are willing to pay for it. The minimum offer per keyword amounts just a few pence. The more popular a keyword is and the higher up you want it to be displayed in the index, the more expensive it is. A keyword is less expensive if the associated landing page (see below) is appraised by Google as very relevant.

Advantage of AdWords

Since AdWords are displayed at the very top in search results, they are clicked on relatively often. In the individual case, the estimation of AdWords frequently has a much higher degree of effect than a good ranking in the organic index.

Implementing AdWords Campaigns

To start a Google AdWords campaign, you’ll need to have a Google AdWords account. When you set up your account, you need to directly specify the keywords, the advertising text as well as the maximum amount that you would like to spend for the campaign. If you have not yet completely defined the content, you can, at any time, edit the information you entered at the beginning.

The Right Keywords for the AdWords Campaign

With any form of search engine optimisation, the right keywords are always the highest priority. It is essential not to use keywords that are too general or too specific for an AdWords campaign.

Problem with general keywords (e.g. “Online shop”):

• Strong competition
• Expensive keyword
• Lots of traffic but small conversion rate

Problem with specific keywords (e.g. “aluminium spinner”):

• Kewords seldom searched for but high conversion rate
• Campaigns with a clickrate <0.5 % (percentage of search requests generated per keyword and month) are deactivated by Google.

The keyword tool from Google AdWords is recommended for searching for the correct keywords. This tool can show you, at light-speed, how often or seldom certain terms and phrases are searched for and how high the competition is for them.

Always create a pool of keywords that is neither too general nor too specific and which generates good or targeted traffic. Then select those that are matched for your campaign. In the beginning, you should start with just a few keywords and test these in different advertising versions.

Creating an advertisement

Often, the favoured advertising texts are not those that are clicked on most frequently. Here, a few notes on designing headings, advertising texts and URLs:

Headings:

Headings must grab the attention of the user, speak to the right target group and create interest for the product or service. Use one or multiple selected keywords already in the heading. Keep the total number of keywords per advertisement low. Use only keywords that also appear in the heading of the advertisement.

Advertising text:

Describe what you are offering in a short, precise, and pleasing way. It won’t do you any good to attract visitors to your website using wilful misrepresentation. If the user doesn’t find what you have advertised, the user will immediately leave your website again.

Try out different text versions. With limited space available, it is unrealistic to get the most effective text at first go. Always integrate several keywords in the description.

Attention! Google has strict rules. Many special characters such as “>” or “+” are forbidden. Carrying over of text into a URL is also not allowed, e.g. “You can find tips on the … www.epages.com/en/blog”. Also, do not use multiple punctuation marks such as “???” or “…”. Google will not tolerate any of these little wording tricks. However, if you do use these, it will lead to the deactivation of your advertisement.

URL:

The URL is one of the most important elements of every advertisement with Google. The user will only click on your ad when the Internet address is a logical continuation of your ad. All the ads tested by us received 50% higher click rates with the URL “www.shopurl.com/catgory/product” than with the normal address “shopurl.com/category/product”. Therefore, be absolutely sure to test different domains and URLs.

Additional information:

• Mention keywords and central product advantages already in the heading
• Phrase sales promises which differentiate from the competition in a positive way (no exaggeration or untrustworthy promises such as “80% cheaper”)
• Be short and succinct: Represent sales promises concisely and clearly
• The URL of the target page should contain the company name and keyword

Where to Link to?

The start page is not always the ideal place to link to from your AdWords campaign since it is often too general. For optimising the conversion rate, use pages that pick up the visitors exactly from where they entered when they clicked on the adword link. In order to directly locate the advertised products, so-called landing pages that are matched exactly to the product are best suited.

If you are offering skiwear for men at half price, interested parties should be taken directly to a page with mens’ skiwear for 50% off when they click on the advertising text. The best way is to tie in the keyword again so that users know they are in the correct place. The landing page should be completely free of content that could distract the user from the offer (e.g. web banners).

Observing Success Daily

If an AdWords campaign was activated, it should be checked on a daily basis: How many users get to your site this way? How high is the conversion rate (i.e. how many users send off their shopping baskets)? In this way, you can directly intervene in your campaign, test versions and gather experience.

Data Overview

If you have set up a Google AdWords account, you can display all relevant information for all keywords under “Campaign summary”, such as the current status of the activated ad, the current offer, the previous number of clicks, the impressions (how often an ad was displayed in the search results of Google), the CTR (Click-Through Rate -> how many users who saw the ad actually clicked on the link?), the CPC (Cost Per Click), the total costs and the average position in the search results.

” Animated by the same love for beauty and creativity, we are constantly looking for people and places that are unique, authentic and unusual (Barbara&Sean)”

Every day in Berlin is a new discovery that we want to share with you! Our Blog covers fashion, design, styling, culture, shopping, food, places to stay, things to do and everything else that makes Berlin so alive and enticing.

Berlinsixsenses is our unique guide to the city of Berlin, as well as a source of inspiration for free interpreters and pursuers of style who greatly appreciate creative finds.

Complete with extensive fashion editorials and videos featuring people who keep the city alive and enticing, Berlinsixsenses also presents monthly looks and makeovers that embody the nomadic, ever changing bohemian spirit of Berlin.

If you are tasting, hearing, seeing, touching, smelling Berlin and just can’t get enough of it, then try Berlin sixsenses!
Our languages are English, Italian and German.
Live specials from Brooklyn N.Y. and Shanghai are following soon.

www.berlinsixsense.com

In contrast to printed text, websites are not read, they are “scanned” because reading on a monitor is tiring and the huge offering of similar sites leads to impatience. For this reason, websites and online shops need to supply content that can be quickly understood. We have put together a list of 10 golden rules you should follow.

1. Simple and self-explanatory: Short, understandable sentences; activity-oriented phrases (e.g. “Proceed to Checkout” instead of “Checkout”)
2. The shorter the better: Don’t make headlines longer than 40-60 characters; reduce the first version of texts by half
3. Get to the point quickly: No long introductions like “Welcome to our shop…”; no play on words in headlines and introduction texts; keep the most important part at the beginning (in every headline, in every text, in every sentence)
4. Good language: Avoid mistakes; take care to use phrasing that sounds pleasing (if necessary, ask people who have a good sense of language for help)
5. Well-known terms: Internet users will intuitively search for well-known words instead of extravagant ones (e.g. “Electronics shop” instead of “Electronics bazaar”; for search engines as well “Electronics shop”, since words placed together are often entered separately)
6. Link content: Link to external sites to appear credible and to get points with Google
7. No marketing bla bla: Avoid phrasing like “The best product of all time”; supply “hard facts” instead
8. Emphasise key words: Visually highlight central words and phrases sparingly (!) (e.g. by using bold or linking; do not underline or use italics; colour without risk of mix-up with links)
9. Use lists: Subdivide longer passages into lists to make scanning easier
10. Use numbers instead of numeral words: Use the pull of concrete numbers (“Top 10″ instead of “Top ten”)

In the “Social Media Optimisation I – Corporate Blogs” entry, we have already done the heavy lifting for the utilisation of corporate blogs. A survey by the German Online-Marketing Blog  found that corporate blogs are often not regarded as authentic or believable. From the reasons listed for this, we can derive 12 suggestions for making company blogs more successful.

12 suggestions for increasing the success of corporate blogs:

1. Update the blog regularly
2. Go into detail about current topics in the industry
3. Create source transparency: State information sources and reference external sources
4. Give names of the blog authors
5. Create contact options for blog users
6. Provide feedback to comments and, most importantly, take critical comments seriously
7. Give your opinion about criticism from other media
8. Ensure simple and comprehensible menu structures
9. Give entries a personal note
10. In particular, allow employees from lower levels in the hierarchy to write
11. Let recognised experts have their say as guest authors
12. Avoid political topics and entries about business activities

Pumproom provides different occupational and interest groups of the fashion industry with an attractive form of presentation, communication and developing business relationships. The core element of the platform is the marketplace, which combines supply and demand.

The marketplace lives on the active collaboration of its members.

The more active you are on the marketplace (placing requests, tenders, job openings, projects etc.), the more frequently customers, principals, investors or staff may come across and contribute to your success. You will also find service providers, manufacturers or suppliers who implement your ideas quickly. To offer our participants even more range, the target groups will receive a regular newsletter containing information about the latest offers available on the marketplace.

At the news section you can announce any events and projects, expansion, new partners, fashion shows, awards, trade show dates, job openings as well as any other interesting worth knowing.

Pumproom offers you the possibility to present yourself and your services in your own “room”. You can imagine this “room” to be like your own business inside a virtual mall. Information should find the addressee who is intended for as soon as possible. This approach is supported by Pumproom with its clear structure, grouped by different sectors of priority. Information is, on the one hand, kept centrally on the marketplace, and, on the other hand, it is grouped by and assigned to different priorities. Due to the clear structures, each visitor can get his bearings quickly, while being encouraged to stay and take a look around.

Pumproom is the place to use synergies through streamlined processes, transacting business and realising creative ideas. We are looking forward to our new partnership

Scepticism is one of the deciding factors as to why customers give the cold shoulder to online merchants. It’s not only missing contact information, non-functioning pages or difficulty when paying that also give reason for doubt. In the first part of this series, we take a closer look at the importance of good customer service.

Customer service is more than a call centre. More than anything, good customer service includes transparency and a real human touch. And that is challenging to convey on the Internet. Here are a few tips to help you:

1. Show a Face

Show who you are, what you do, what your claims are and how you can be reached. After all, you should have nothing to hide. ‘About us’ and ‘Contact’ pages are the best suited for this purpose. Actively encourage the visitors of your shop to express their comments and criticisms on these pages. When someone is asked for their opinion, they feel that they are being taken seriously. In addition, you will get a good impression whether you are well positioned with your offer.

But nice words are not everything by a long shot. Images or short film clips from your business or production facilities, from your employees or from satisfied customers help to create a special closeness. This imparts your shop with an individual look.

2. Short Response Times

Always be there for your customers. Online shopping isn’t any fun when the answering machine is the only response and writing mails feels more like Russian roulette. Customers expect a quick response. You should respond to e-mails within 24 hours and phone calls should be answered immediately. If a prompt service is not possible, you should explain why or provide information about your business hours. The text could read:

‘If you have questions, problems or suggestions about how we can improve our service, please call or e-mail us. We’re looking forward to hearing from you. Here’s how to reach us:

Sportswear International is the only global industry publication that focuses on denim, sportswear, casual, sophisticated and contemporary fashion. Providing inside information, trend reports, stories about top stores and most influential players and labels, stunning fashion shoots and invaluable insight into the workings and offerings of an ever-changing industry, Sportswear International is the must-read style bible of anyone, anywhere who works in the casual fashion sector. Retailers, designers, manufacturers, marketers, agents, importers, ad agencies and trend makers are our readers.

Founded in 1975, Sportswear International with it’s six annual issues and specialty supplements and several books serve as must-have tools for thousands of fashion insiders worldwide. Now distributed on all six developed continents and with more than 30 years of reporting experience, Sportswear International the only magazine of its kind. We are sure that a lot of information for our fashion projektwerk users will be inside.

www.sportswearnet.com

Sharing knowledge, rating knowledge, making knowledge available yourself – this is the social Internet. Your online shop’s offering is also knowledge which needs to get into the heads of your customers. In our last article on social media optimisation, we already called your attention to corporate weblogs. In this article, we’ll examine social bookmarks.

Social Bookmarking? Never Heard of It.

Social bookmarks are bookmarks that are placed for websites with social bookmark services and which can be publicly administered. Equipped with keywords (tags), social bookmarks can easily be found by other users of the bookmark services. The more frequently a bookmark is placed for a site, the more popular it is and the further up it consequently appears in the search results of the services for certain keywords.

Through this social component, social bookmarks are a good alternative to the automated ranking algorithms from Google.

But social bookmarks can also easily be used privately for managing your own favourites. You simply mark them as ‘private’ in this case.

Some of the well-known and important bookmark services are Del.icio.us, Digg, StumbleUpon and Technorati (for blogs).

How Does This Benefit My Shop or My Website?

Your online shop or website can also benefit from social bookmarking. Just imagine the users of your site being so thrilled with your offering that every single one of them places a social bookmark at Mister Wong or Del.icio.us, thus making more and more people aware of it. The result would be an increase in the link and domain popularity of your online shop or website, which in turn would make Google happy and which would be rewarded with higher page ranking or a more prominent position in the search results. Wouldn’t that be swell?
How Does My Shop or My Website Get Bookmarked?

For one thing, you yourself should place bookmarks for your site with the named services and your employees, friends and family should do the same.

For another, the visitors of your shop or website need to be motivated to want to bookmark it. Integrate the social bookmarking services into your site, preferably by using a small clickable icon. Visit socialmarker.com and copy the “All-in-one Bookmarking Button code”  under “Code for blogs and websites”.

Copy the code that you get on your website to autmaticly enable the social bookmarks of your choice.