For eBusiness & Channel Strategy Professionals

Online-Influenced Sales Exceed Direct Sales In Financial Services

How The Internet Influences Sales In Other Channels

by Brad Strothkamp, November 20, 2009

In 2008, the majority of US online adults who researched a financial product did so online, and the majority of those online researchers applied in a channel other than the Web. These cross-channel shoppers illustrate the importance of online-influenced . . .

For eBusiness & Channel Strategy Professionals

Depicting European Shoppers' Complex Purchasing Decision Path

Retailers Must Implement Strategies That Facilitate Research And Purchase Across Channels

by Lauriane Camus, Patti Freeman Evans, November 5, 2009

There is no longer a clear purchase path for consumers. Thirty-nine percent of European consumers begin their research process online when making a considered purchase. Those consumers who begin their research process online are also likely to ultimately . . .

For eBusiness & Channel Strategy Professionals

Hotels Will Rely On The Web To Survive 2010

by Henry H. Harteveldt, November 3, 2009

The global financial crisis hit the hotel industry particularly hard in 2009. A survey of 27 hotel professionals shows an expectation that business will have to be "bought" with low pricing for the balance of 2009, but cautious optimism exists for room . . .

For eBusiness & Channel Strategy Professionals

European Banking Customers Continue Migrating Away From The Branch

Branches Are Losing Their Role As The Heart Of The Customer Relationship

by Alexander Hesse, October 28, 2009

The number of consumers visiting branches each month is falling slowly but steadily across Europe. Branch users tend to be lower-value customers who use branches mainly for day-to-day transactions like depositing and withdrawing money. Although online . . .

For eBusiness & Channel Strategy Professionals

The State Of Retailing Online 2009: Profitability, Economy, And Multichannel

by Sucharita Mulpuru, October 23, 2009

Although 2008 is generally regarded by retail executives to be one of the worst years ever, online retailers as a whole fared well. In "The State of Retailing Online 2009," a Shop.org study conducted by Forrester Research, retailers noted that Web divisions . . .

For eBusiness & Channel Strategy Professionals

Seizing Insurance's Mobile Opportunity

Customer Adoption And Investment Grow As US Insurers Play Catch-Up

by Chad Mitchell, October 22, 2009

Smartphone adoption among US insurance customers is growing, and customers are beginning to engage with insurers via the mobile Web for policy administration, claims, and bill pay. eBusiness and emerging channel strategy executives at US insurers like . . .

For Consumer Market Research Professionals

Technographics® Survey Highlights: US Insurance Channel Preferences  (608 KB PPT)

by Jacqueline Anderson, October 19, 2009

This highlight deck summarizes the key findings from Forrester’s North American Technographics® Investments And Insurance Online Survey, Q3 2009 (US).This deck covers channel preferences for researching and buying insurance, policy payments, and customer . . .

For eBusiness & Channel Strategy Professionals

How UK Banking Customers Use Different Channels

by Benjamin Ensor, October 9, 2009

The steady growth of online banking in the UK over the past decade is changing the way people use other banking channels. Half of UK adults still visit a branch each month, although the number of regular branch users has fallen. Banks' efforts to persuade . . .

For eBusiness & Channel Strategy Professionals

Case Study: How Commonwealth Bank Of Australia Redesigned The Secure Site For Sales

by Vanessa Niemeyer, Ph.D., August 13, 2009

In the course of its "Finest Online" project, Commonwealth Bank of Australia redesigned its NetBank Internet banking service with the objectives of building an excellent customer experience and driving online sales. The bank has implemented new content . . .

For eBusiness & Channel Strategy Professionals

Profiling The Multichannel Consumer

How Retailers Can Enable Multichannel Consumer Behavior

by Patti Freeman Evans, July 29, 2009

Seventy percent of US online consumers research products online and purchase them offline. Based on this behavior, Forrester has identified two consumer categories: multichannel buyers and online window shoppers. Multichannel buyers use the Web for both . . .

For eBusiness & Channel Strategy Professionals

Driving Sales On Banks' Secure Sites — Global Best Practices

by Vanessa Niemeyer, Ph.D., July 20, 2009

Many retail banking eBusiness executives have realized that the secure online banking Web site is a good place to sell products to existing customers. To do so, eBusiness managers have to overcome a series of organizational and technical obstacles. Executives . . .

For Marketing Leadership Professionals

Five Ways CPG Marketers Are Fighting The Recession

And What All Marketing Leaders Can Learn From Them

by Lisa Bradner, July 16, 2009

The recession has battered the consumer packaged goods (CPG) industry as it has almost every other sector. But while many large CPG companies are bruised, they are certainly not taking things lying down. Instead they're using their celebrated marketing . . .

For eBusiness & Channel Strategy Professionals

Multichannel Is Still A Myth For Retailers

Companies Continue To Struggle With Cross-Channel Contact Strategies

by Sucharita Mulpuru, June 29, 2009

Retailers have been striving to provide seamless multichannel shopping experiences in order both to stay ahead of the market in an increasingly interconnected world and to align themselves with consumer multichannel behavior. In a recent report, Forrester . . .

For eBusiness & Channel Strategy Professionals

US Millionaires Use Multiple Channels To Interact With Their Financial Advisors

Satisfaction Rises With Range Of Channels Used — Not Just Contact Frequency

by Bill Doyle, Peter Wannemacher, June 12, 2009

Four in five US millionaires have financial advisors, and they use a variety of channels to communicate with them: three or more, on average, in the past year. Phone and in-person are the most widely used channels. But more than half of all advised affluent . . .

For eBusiness & Channel Strategy Professionals

What Consumers Want When Enrolling In 401(k)s

Recent Applicants Favor Online Research Tools And Automatic Enrollment

by Edward Kountz, Peter Wannemacher, June 9, 2009

More than 70 million US adults — around one-third of the adult population — currently have a 401(k) account or workplace retirement savings plan. Although growth in 401(k) ownership has been steady, use of the Web as an enrollment channel remains low. . . .

For eBusiness & Channel Strategy Professionals

How To Develop An Effective Multichannel Insurance Distribution Strategy

Creating Channel Harmony Versus Channel Conflict

by Chad Mitchell, June 8, 2009

Insurance distribution is evolving and becoming more complex as more customers go online and switch channels to research and buy insurance. eBusiness and channel strategy executives struggle to manage distribution through multiple channels, resulting . . .

For eBusiness & Channel Strategy Professionals

How Italian Banking Customers Use Different Channels

by Vanessa Niemeyer, Ph.D., June 1, 2009

Italian banking customers' channel use differs from that of most other Western Europeans. While customers elsewhere in Europe migrate from the branch to the Web, branch use in Italy keeps growing and online banking use remains low. eBusiness and channel . . .

For eBusiness & Channel Strategy Professionals

How Swedish Banking Customers Use Different Channels

by Alexander Hesse, May 27, 2009

With only 12% of Swedish banking customers using branches, Sweden has the lowest branch use in Europe. Swedish banks have successfully migrated the majority of their customers to ATMs and online banking — 83% and 71%, respectively. When they move customers . . .

For eBusiness & Channel Strategy Professionals

The Future Of The eCommerce Platform

Dropping The "E" In eCommerce

by Brian K. Walker, May 18, 2009

eCommerce has come into its own as a key channel for both direct-to-consumer and business-to-business (B2B), and platform solutions to enable them have followed suit. But eCommerce continues to evolve quickly. With the channel increasingly being at the . . .

For eBusiness & Channel Strategy Professionals

Trends 2009: European Retail Banking eBusiness And Channel Strategy

The Financial Crisis And The Recession Have Changed Priorities For Executives

by Benjamin Ensor, May 12, 2009

Under the impact of the financial crisis and the recession, eBusiness and channel strategy executives at European retail banks will focus on retaining customers and increasing efficiency in 2009. In this environment, we expect to see eBusiness and channel . . .

For eBusiness & Channel Strategy Professionals

Trends 2009: US Online Retail

Surviving Companies Must Focus On Quick Wins And Pricing To Grow

by Sucharita Mulpuru, April 29, 2009

While consumer-facing companies struggle to grow in an unprecedented economic climate, Web divisions of these companies continue to garner attention, from both shoppers seeking lower prices and executives looking to lower the cost of transactions. In . . .

For eBusiness & Channel Strategy Professionals

How Spanish Consumers Use Banking Channels

by Alexander Hesse, April 16, 2009

Age and Internet access continue to be the strongest predictors of channel choice in Spain. Branches are used by mainstream consumers, whereas online and telephone banking attract a niche of young, high-value Net users. Online banking adoption in Spain . . .

For eBusiness & Channel Strategy Professionals

Case Study: Customer Centricity Drives Esurance's eBusiness Strategy

by Chad Mitchell, March 23, 2009

Over the past decade, US direct insurer Esurance has survived the dot-com bubble while carving out a growing share of the auto insurance market. The firm established itself as a viable challenger brand to direct insurance Goliaths GEICO and Progressive . . .

For Customer Experience Professionals

Best And Worst Of Cross-Channel Design, 2009

Forrester Applies Its Cross-Channel Review Methodology To 16 Major Firms

by Adele Sage, March 6, 2009

Forrester applied its Cross-Channel Review methodology to the experiences at 16 firms — four of the largest auto insurers, discount retailers, footwear manufacturers, and online travel agencies. While Expedia, Nike, and Orbitz received the top overall . . .

For eBusiness & Channel Strategy Professionals

How French Banking Customers Use Different Channels

by Vanessa Niemeyer, Ph.D., February 23, 2009

French banking customers remained true to the branch for a long time. In the past three years, however, the growth of online banking in France has finally started to draw customers away from use of their traditional channel — with online banking especially . . .