Gas prices been hitting you hard? Are you not wanting to get out and drive? This seems to be a common theme in the market place as of late. The reports of traffic to malls is on a steady decline and businesses are seeing a lot less foot traffic to their stores. But don’t fret. According to The New York Times, consumers are giving up their car keys for a mouse.
A large number of retailers are reporting a large increase in their online sales. Companies like J.C. Penny, Victoria’s Secret and Gap are feeling the joy of double-digit increases from their sales online. In contrast, their sales from brick and mortar stores are on a steady decline.
The Gap’s 21% increase in internet sales was one spot of good news for the company when looking at an 11% decline in their ground store sales. J.C. Penney had an 8.7% growth in internet sales during Q1 2008, while the exact store sales had a 7.4% decrease.
“So how do I get a piece of this online stuff?” you might ask.
Here are a few tips:
Discount of free shipping: this is a great way to get people that are looking to save on gas to buy online.
Online coupons: according to research, online coupons are up 56% from the same time last year. Post a coupon on your site to give your customers an incentive to buy. Try www.oneminutecoupon.com
More exposure: Get your company more online traffic though listing your company in online directories. The more listings that you have the better chance that people will find you no matter where they search.
“As consumers become more and more conscious of saving money, they’re exploring new ways to cut costs without giving up too much of what they love, which includes shopping,” said Scott Kluth, founder and president of CouponCabin.com.
CouponCabin also gave the following tips for online shopping:
Be Safe — Only Shop at Secure Websites: Secure websites are definable by a yellow padlock in the status bar. By shopping at a secure website, it ensures hackers are unable to obtain any of the shopper’s personal information.
Save On Shipping — Search for Discounted or Free Shipping Coupons: Sites like CouponCabin.com have entire sections dedicated strictly to coupons for discounted or free shipping.
Let The Sales Find You: Register for e-newsletters to stay constantly informed of sales and discounts.
Stack For More Savings: Stacking is an online shopping trick that allows shoppers to use multiple coupons at once, providing extra savings. If there are two promotional code boxes, make sure to use two different coupon codes to maximize savings.
Shop For The Things You Want: Check listings for coupon codes that pertain to specific items you are interested in. Sites like CouponCabin.com have a link for “favorite deals,” which allows shoppers to browse by category to view products with discount codes that may peak their interest.
A common misconception among businesses that cater to a local consumer base is that there is no reason to market on the Internet or to have any kind of website at all. “Internet users buy on eBay and Amazon.com. Nobody uses the internet looking for local services,” they might think.
Let’s bust that myth right now. The truth of the matter is that millions of people search for local services every day! They use it to find the nearest restaurant, find recommendations for a local dentist, check the local computer store’s inventory and pricing, find the number for the town’s local plumber, find someone to take pictures of their kids, and pretty much anything else you can imagine.
The good news is that because there are so many people searching for local businesses on the Internet, local Internet marketing can be very effective. The bad news is that if you’re not taking advantage of it, your competition could be getting the business of all the local internet users that should be yours!
If there is a product or service that somebody offers, then there’s a good chance there is somebody searching the Internet for a local business to provide that product or service. For the ever increasing number of people who have grown up with the World Wide Web as an integral part of their lives, using the phone book to find information on local businesses is tantamount to communicating through snail mail instead of email, text messaging, or instant messenger.
But why would somebody search for a local computer store when they could just go to Dell.com?
Sometimes people want to be able to look at, play with, and see the actual product in person before forking over their hard-earned money for it. Sometimes it’s about immediate satisfaction. Consumers are an impatient crowd. When they want something, they don’t want it shipped 2nd day air, they want it right now! Maybe it’s a trust issue. There are still a percentage of people who don’t trust the internet to keep their credit card information safe.
Another reason is that you can’t try on clothing or shoes over the Internet. You can’t get your picture taken, try on makeup, or listen to the booming sound of the latest high-tech speaker system over the Internet.
And these days, local Internet marketing is a breeze! Services such as those provided by local Internet marketing experts like OrangeSoda have the technology and expertise needed to regionally target your Internet advertising so that only local internet searchers will see your ads. This not only prevents someone in another country from viewing your ad, wasting advertising dollars that you can’t get back, but it also means that you can target your ads to searchers in a particular state, county, or even a single city.
If you’re a local business targeting an exclusively local market, now is the time to get your name into cyberspace. Incredible opportunities are being missed by local marketers who are ignoring the vast power of local internet marketing. People in your town are searching right now for your services. Make sure you’re not missing out on the potential to get their business.
Gas prices been hitting you hard? Are you not wanting to get out and drive? This seems to be a common theme in the market place as of late. The reports of traffic to malls is on a steady decline and businesses are seeing a lot less foot traffic to their stores. But don’t fret. According to The New York Times, consumers are giving up their car keys for a mouse. 