November 17th, 2010

Making Corporate Shopping Easier

Giving corporate gifts particularly during the Christmas period is regarded as a vital marketing tool to build and maintain business relations. Sending a gift during the festive season is crucial as it places the business in the mind of the clients for the upcoming New Year. The right gift can reinforce brand identity, as well as rewarding the client for their business therefore the gift needs to be desirable and useful. It is becoming increasingly difficult to find an original, cost effective gift which fulfils all these criteria, and does not take an enormous amount of time to create.

Many businesses are resorting to gift cards and vouchers which somewhat defeats the intent of a gift, as it may have no clear brand identification and may give an impression of impersonal laziness. To avoid this, the process of searching for an original and effective gift would need to be easier and more comprehensive. The continued development of Internet Search engines makes online shopping increasingly easier, and will save valuable time when trawling product listings for ideas.

Product extensions within Google is one such feature. When adverts contain a + symbol in the bottom left hand corner, the browser is able to turn current text-only based AdWords text adverts into a selection of image-based ads displaying a full range of products from a specific retailer. This enables the presentation of more detailed information, including pricing. This new feature is set to dramatically decrease online shopping time, and maximize efficiency as it allows browsers to cut through sites straight to the product listing, making it ideal for those with little time to spend.

The easier it is visualize supplier products available and the quicker the route through to a potential supplier, the more likely it is for a supplier to engage with a potential customer. As with all things Internet, providing visibility of your products in the right way for a typical search, will provide better results.