(ARA) If youve been anywhere near a mall on a weekend, you cant help but notice the crowds. The parking lots are packed and there seem to be people everywhere.
Gay Reese of Scottsdale, Ariz., used to be one of the faces in the crowd, but not anymore. Shes now among the growing number of Americans who rely on the Internet for something they cant find in stores: good bargains on luxury gifts. Unless you live in or near Manhattan, youre not going to find discounts on designer brands in a retail store. For me, shopping online is the next best thing.
More people than ever before are expected to shop online for their for luxury goods this year, due largely to its convenience and competitive pricing. People are becoming more comfortable shopping online, they want to avoid the big crowds and long lines, so the Internet is a convenient place to go, says Abha Bhagat, a senior analyst with Nielsen Net Ratings.
According to a Nielsen Net Ratings eSpending Report, online spending jumped from $11 billion in 2001 to $13.7 billion in 2002, a more than 24 percent increase. Shopping online also allows you to make price comparisons without having to run around town. People like that, says Bhagat.
If last years sales figures are any indication, traditional items, such as toys, books and music will do well again this year. Analysts also expect to see a jump in spending on high ticket items such as consumer electronics and designer clothing. Luxury items make great gifts. They make the recipient feel special, and a gift of quality is always welcome, says Ken Seiff, CEO of Bluefly.com. But luxury isnt just for the super-wealthy anymore.
Bluefly.com is one of the few places consumers can find designer mens and womens apparel online, at discount prices. It wasnt so long ago that people were hesitant to shop for clothes online, but weve made it easy for them — and at discounts of up to 75 percent, weve made it very affordable, says Seiff. Not only does shopping on the Web offer round-the-clock access and safe transactions, our customers know theyll find whats hot and in fashion featured on our site.
Blueflys recently redesigned Web site allows consumers to shop by designer, category, price or size. There are pictures posted with each item along with detailed information about the designer. The site is easy to navigate. Shoppers can zoom in on the merchandise to see details, and for shoppers who arent exactly sure what they want, theres a keyword search function that can help them narrow down their choices, says Seiff.
So what will the hot sellers in apparel be this year? I think cashmere sweaters, leather and suede items, shearling and faux shearling, designer handbags and designer boots are going to do well. They all make great gifts, says Ellin Saltzman, Bluefly.coms fashion director.
Saltzman also notes that luxury home accessories are expected to do well this year. Bluefly.com offers cashmere throws, 600 thread count cotton sheets, placemats, pillows, and crystal glassware all at competitive prices.
For more information on Bluefly, call (877) BLUEFLY or log onto www.bluefly.com. You can shop 24 hours a day, seven days a week. In addition to providing shopping assistance and personal recommendations, Bluefly’s customer service representatives (called Flyreps) are available to assist customers from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. (EST) Monday through Friday and from noon to 5 p.m. on weekends. Flyreps also provide technical support and take orders over the phone.
Courtesy of ARA Content
About the author:
Courtesy of ARA Content
Why Split-Run Testing Does Not Work… for those who are doing it wrong.Konstantin GoudkovCopyright 2004 Konstantin Goudkov
There is a wealth of information out there about the benefits of split-run testing or how to conduct such tests, and a huge selection of software solutions that help to implement it.
I’m am not going to attempt to describe the concepts of testing, nor will I pitch any software solution.
I want to talk about why so many people fail in their attempt to improve the conversion rate of their sites while using split-run testing techniques.
I often hear things like:
“The only thing that seems to affect my conversion rate is the headline.”
or
“My visitors don’t seem to react better to any changes I make besides lowering the price.”
I would say that 90% of people never bother to start testing content or offerings. And out of 10% that test their content, 90% fail to produce any positive changes – for one simple reason. I’ll tell you the reason in a little bit.
To understand the obviousness of the mistake that most people make, read the following paragraph and tell me if it makes any sense.
Every day, you randomly change some attribute on your site. On Monday, you move your newsletter sign-up box from the bottom left to the top right corner. On Tuesday, you flip a coin and if it comes up heads then you leave your changes, and if tails then you move the sign-up box back to it’s original place. On Wednesday, you remove all testimonials from your site, and on Thursday, you flip a coin again to determine if you should put the testimonials back where they were before. And so on. You do not measure the performance of your site, but simply change stuff around without thinking about it too much. You use your lucky coin to determine if the changes you made should be kept or not.
Do you really believe such course of action will achieve any positive results?
I didn’t think so.
And yet, most of the people who perform split-run tests do just that.
Here is a specific example.
Let’s imagine that you ran a small campaign for two versions of a sales letter (control and test).
Once you finished the campaign, you got the following results:
control group:
12 orders for 619 visitors – 1.94% conversion rate
test group:
15 orders for 567 visitors – 2.65% conversion rate
Based on such test, you will probably conclude that your test group performed better and will make that content your new control. After all, 2.65% seems much better than 1.94%, and the total of 27 orders seems enough for a solid conclusion. It’s pretty close to the popular belief that 30 orders (or 1000 visitors) is enough to get solid data.
Well, the moment you turn your test group content into the primary version of your site is the moment you flip your lucky coin to make a decision.
You see, based on those numbers, the probability that your test does not represent the reality is 44.16%. In other words, you might have as well sent visitors to two identical versions or a page and got the similar results almost half of the time.
44.16% is pretty close to 50%. And the way I see it, 50% is just as good as flipping a coin without doing any measurements.
How did I get this number – 44.16%?
I did not use any rules of thumb, nor did I employ my gut feeling. I used statistics to calculate the exact answer to my question: How certain can I be that my test data is reliable?
I will show you a quick and easy way to get such answer in a moment, but before that, read a few words of caution that might save you a lot of time and money in the long run.
It seems that if you make enough changes with at least a little improvement added by each change, you are bound to make your content convert better. That would be true if all (or most) of your changes resulted in a positive improvement, but in reality they don’t. At least not when you flip a coin to decide the fate of a modification that you are testing.
Once you start calculating statistics and see the real numbers, you will be tempted to stop your test half-way and accept unreliable results as
“g
ood enough.” You might start fantasizing about how much more money you will make with the improved conversion rate just to get disappointed by the lack of real improvement because you decided to cut the test short.
If you do this, you will end up making changes without any substantial proof that those changes increase the conversion rate. So you will no longer be testing, but simply guessing.
The significance of your changes depends on a combination of several factors such as the difference in conversion rate, total number of visitors, and the number of sales in each group.
So how did I come up with that number?
I’m not going to give you a set of lengthy and boring statistical formulas. Instead, I’ll give you a free access to a calculator that was created for this specific purpose.
It does not cost you any money, and I don’t require your e-mail address to use it.
Here it is:
http://calc.in-the-name-of-profit.com/86429/ab_test.jsp
I hope is saves you at least as much time and money as it saves me, day after day.
Good luck with your testing!
About the author:
If you would like to receive more of my tips, ideas, articles, and reports about testing, tracking, conversions, marketing, and sales – send an e-mail to:
newsletter@in-the-name-of-profit.com
Konstantin Goudkov,
bcc@in-the-name-of-profit.com
Libbey 16-Piece Polaris Glassware Set
Libbey 16-Piece Polaris Glassware Set Take the edge off with the Libbey Polaris 16-pc. glassware set. The unique, thick base of each tumbler appears to be completely round but is stabilized underneath with a discreet flat bottom. The 16-pc. set includes eight 16.25-oz. coolers and eight 12.25-oz. double old-fashioned glasses. Dishwasher safe. Not recommended for use in the microwave. Made in USA.
Customer Review: Pretty, practical and sleek looking
This is a really beautiful and sturdy set of glasses. I was worried when I ordered them that they would look too rounded (weird, futuristic?) at the bottom but they don’t at all. Look at the second and third set of pics to get a better idea of the shape. The first picture seems to make them look much more rounded than they are. The rim does not flare which I like. The base is 1′ thick (heavy!) and the glass is straight up and down from there. Only the very bottom of the base rounds and even then it it’s not extreme, it just looks sleek and pretty. The glasses overall are very clear, pretty and sleek looking. They are nice and heavy and appear much more expensive than they are.
Customer Review: Lots of Compliments
I bought a set of these at Target last year and have received lots and lots of compliments on them! They’re not only interesting to look at, but they’re comfortable to use. The bottom is thick and sturdy. I have broken a few of them, but likely because I sent them flying. You can safely knock these over a few times before you lose one. Nice glassware set.