The initial upload for most businesses should just be the beginning of a feed enhancement process. Very rarely is a perfect feed uploaded first time round and even if it is, it may not match the records Google is using to index its own product entries.

The quality and degree of completeness of your submission will affect how much traffic your products attract. Over the past few months we’ve seen drastic increases in traffic and returns from Google Shopping for many clients simply through adding and nurturing the data being submitted. The data quality in the feed is directly linked to the placement of the products which enables in certain cases ensuring that products feature in ’price comparison’ boxes.

By getting each product either placed as high as possible for the highest populated search query and/or entered into a comparison will ensure a higher traffic volume through the channel.

Our new Feed Manager™ Product Optimizer allows clients to review their products as they are positioned in Google Shopping and then find, change and include additional data being submitted to Google with the greatest of ease in order to achieve the best results possible.

Given Google’s recently published articles on listing quality, it is more important than ever before to ensure that your submissions meet that standard – without them your traffic will die away and so will the resulting sales activity.

Now real time adverts are being trialed on 1% of users profiles (more than 5million people)– a service which allows immediate targeted adverts based on what they are posting about, or updating their status about at the time. So if someone posted “I’d like to go to the cinema tonight”, an advert from Vue or Odeon may instantly appear alongside their Facebook homepage.

Similarly, real time targeted advertising has been pioneered by Twitter, which houses promoted Tweets – paid-for brand tweets – next to relevant topics of conversation. Twitter are also trialing geo- targeted adverts, which allows advertisers to narrow down their promoted tweets to users within a specific geographical location, and this is being closely monitored to measure its successes.

This is definitely something that businesses need to be looking into because they could be missing out on something big!

Online reviews are valuable because they can help a business discover what it is doing well, and highlight areas where it may need to improve. Great reviews will also drive sales, and the reassurance of their peers is particularly valuable to a younger demographic – reports of personal experience speak to people much more than biased adverts.

Recent research shows that 53 % of shoppers have decided against making a purchase based on a negative online review – that shows the potential that reviews have to lose retailers half of their potential business! Half of those asked also indicated that online recommendations are the most influential factor in their buying decisions, more so than any advertising campaign or promotion *. Elsewhere, further research has showed that retailers that embrace reviews and recommendations into their online strategy can show expect an uplift of up to 18%, which is an unprecedented potential in the current climate **. I think this illustrates the true potential of how managing reviews effectively can establish increased customer confidence, increase traffic and improve return customer figures.

Meanwhile whilst negative reviews are unfortunate, but the way in which it is dealt is key. The catch with social media means that brands need to be transparent, as on sites like Twitter, all users can see your responses. A good reply is invaluable to send the message to customers that your brand cares, but each answer must be considered to help to reinstate your brand’s message.

There have been examples in the past of brands who have responded to customer criticism inappropriately, and the result has been a public relations disaster. It is without doubt that the Internet is a powerful tool, and has given everyone a voice, and many resources with which customers can communicate directly with companies and brands. The democratic nature of reviews may scare many retailers, but handled correctly, it can be invaluable to drive sales and really project the right image and give a voice to your brand.

* http://realbusiness.co.uk/sales_and_marketing/social_media_smes_must_wise_up

** http://www.realwire.com/releases/8bn-up-for-grabs-in-UK-online-retail-sales-social-commerce-data-shows

The most unique angle of social media is its ability for consumers to speak directly to an organisation – it suggests transparency to customers and when used correctly will help to reinforce a strong image for a brand. I understand, like many others do, that social media is a key way for businesses to listen to what people want and if they are savvy, adapt accordingly. It also allows you to speak directly to your target audience and this means it’s important to get it right with your brands social media representation. Social media isn’t a fad, and it won’t disappear – in a few years it will be so deeply engrained in every aspect of our lives that it will become a second language.

It can also help businesses gain global recognition, and reach customers in more obscure locations. The benefits are countless – the challenge is applying the right technology to make keeping your social media up to date as easily and time effectively as possible. There are a number of new innovations which optimise communication opportunities with minimum input from the organizations themselves. Our own Social Media Manager was developed with this at the forefront of its design – an innovative piece of software which automatically sorts, loads and precisely schedules a bank of tweets and posts to minimise the effort required to keep social media such as Twitter and Facebook up to date. Social Media Manager is an integral part of Feed Manager and is specifically designed to incorporate daily information about our clients’ products, across multiple social media platforms.

Innovations like these are the best way of using social media as a retail business – they are simple to use, and our service simplifies and shortens the business effort required. I believe that it is vital for businesses to assess their social media, and use the available means to make it as effective and successful as possible.

The history of loyalty schemes has a proven track record of success, however by combining incentives with mobile phones and social media, companies will be reaching out to consumers directly through channels they know and use on a daily basis. There is potential to reach customers at every stage of their purchasing journey – to drive footfall, to raise brand awareness, to ensure repeat custom and tailor a personal discount.

A personalised and targeted voucher based upon browsing activity or registered interests means a relevant voucher which is far more likely to be used. In the same way that supermarkets tailor their vouchers based on the purchasing history of customers, it is likely that this will continue but move to a paperless email or downloadable voucher.

Similarly Smartphone and tablet Apps are being used to target customers with information to increase their loyalty and spending, as well as driving footfall into stores and providing easy mobile enabled access to online stores. I believe that any form of virtual loyalty will be proven to be an extremely effective marketing tool in driving business to both the high street and etail if used effectively.

Mobile phones, iPads and interactive digital media is undoubtedly the future of advertising and brand awareness, and utilising this tool now means that building on its potential in the future will be immeasurably easier.

While the technology is undoubtedly imminent, for it to infiltrate shops could take years – it would be a gradual process which would happen over many years. Although some places have been trialing the technology, it has been mostly coffee outlets, and they can only take payments under £15, and their successes have been moderate.

While it may be easy for the manufacturers of smart phones to introduce the technology to all their upcoming model designs, retailers on the high street are unfortunately probably not in the position where they can afford to deploy new, and albeit slightly unnecessary technology. Following the VAT rise, retailers are already struggling to absorb the costs to their business; installing new technology is hardly likely to be a priority.

I also imagine there will be many questions raised about security – there are risks that the signal could be infiltrated, and there are also worries that losing your phone could now be akin to losing your wallet – thieves and hackers may have access to your banking details. Similarly, there are concerns from retailers that similarly to the elevated cost of accepting card payments to retailers, there will be similar costs incurred by the retailer for accepting mobile payment.

While there were similar concerns with online shopping in its infancy, it is established enough, and has proven secure technology which mean it is trusted as well as safe. This also misses the key benefit of new retail related technology – it is unlikely to be cost efficient and does little for the retailer.

There are however, plenty of positive results coming through for mobile phone shopping, which allows payment online, is still convenient and available “on-the-go”, and works to drive footfall and loyalty into stores as well as revenue online.

With use of smartphone and tablet PCs rising all the time, it seems very likely that this will play an important part of online shopping activity, once the security aspects are more comprehensively covered off.

Their success relies on cutting the price dramatically to secure a quick sale – and higher spends tend to be feasible as the time incentive means people are unable to search for comparisons and feel pressure to move quickly. The concept relies largely on impulse buying, and there is often a hype surrounding the sale if the goods are particularly desirable and hugely undercut.

Another way of maximizing the flash sales is that many sites will not allow participation until signing up to a mailing list – meaning a customer database can be formulated and then targeted for further sales, also providing data capture and sales insights. Marketed well, flash sales create hype and brand awareness but rely entirely on websites functioning to their full capacity to deal with the large flow of traffic, and the right payment methods in place to ensure fast and successful sales. Product listings also need to be updated on a minute by minute basis to ensure the most up to date availability is shown at all times.

I think that flash sales have huge potential to continue to grow in popularity; high street retailers are beginning to introduce ‘pop up’ sales to their websites and offer consumers a chance for a bargain. Retailers keen to try the trend need to ensure their online site is functioning to maximum capacity to ensure satisfied customers and sell out sales. As the recession saw a dramatic decline in the impulse purchase, the flash sale seems to be introducing the concept back, maximising the fluid and fast paced nature of the Internet and its rapid turnaround time. Excitement and a fresh idea are always welcome in the online sector, and the flash sale seems to be offering just that.

They were alerted today of an email phishing scam targeting some sellers on other Shopping.com markets with the subject line “Important NOTICE: Registration Suspension”.

This email is NOT from Shopping.com. The login page that you are being redirected to, as well as the email address that it has come from are also NOT part of Shopping.com

As a precautionary measure they are alerting all of our clients. Don’t become a victim of phishing, in which a fake site that mimics a legitimate site is set up to harvest login credentials. By following the tips below, you can avoid such a scam:

Be on alert of wording in emails that require urgent action, confirmation or information about a transaction.

Always view the webpage address you are on especially when clicked directly from an email.

Opt to manually type in a webpage address or use a bookmark.

Upgrade your browser version and enable the anti-phishing feature.

Remember, legitimate online services will not ask you for sensitive information via email.

All very sensible advice. At this time of year, these scams multiply to cover comparison sites, Google Adwords accounts, Affiliate marketing accounts etc, not to mention the usual fake bank notices.

At a pressurised time for e-tailers the temptation to click on a link from a genuinely good fake is easy to do – but take the extra bit of time to log in on what you know is the real page, saved from a bookmark or a typed in address. We have seen horrible things happen when advertising accounts are compromised so we hope that this does not happen to you.

Similarly, the stress of shopping is being removed by Blue Dot technology, which allows customers to check the availability of individual products in nearby locations through a Google shopping search whilst on the move. This is utilised through the GPS signal on the iPhone, palm pixi or android enabled mobile phone, and will tell you the nearest shop to have the product in stock, eliminating the frustrating search for a something particularly hard to find. Following its stateside success by retail giants including Best Buy and Pottery Barn, the launch of this tool in the UK is perfect for both shopaholic consumers who are desperate for the latest must-have item, and those who want to minimise their shopping time. I also regard it as an example of why we must look toward technology to drive footfall back onto the high street: it is proving a great way to revitalise a flagging sector.

The inclusion of Blue Dot in the Google search engine shows that the mobile phone is being taken seriously as a tool in both retail and online success, and as our mobile usage increases, it is key to continue to discover how the retail sector can make the most of these new opportunities in e-commerce and as part of their internet marketing strategies.

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.