For Interactive Marketing Professionals

Navigating The Twittersphere

How To Market On Twitter

by Nate Elliott, November 19, 2009

Successfully engaging with consumers on Twitter requires both the right overarching strategy and a series of small best practices. Interactive marketers must ensure that consumers can find their brands' accounts, confirm that they are legitimate, and . . .

For eBusiness & Channel Strategy Professionals

Travelers Are Cashing In On Loyalty Programs

How US Online Travelers Redeem Travel Loyalty Points And Rewards

by Henry H. Harteveldt, Elizabeth Stark, November 16, 2009

Travel loyalty programs may be old news, but that old news pays the bills and generates revenue in the billions of dollars every year for travel companies. Forrester data shows that half — 52% — of all US online travelers actively use travel loyalty programs, . . .

For Interactive Marketing Professionals

US Interactive Marketing Forecast By Industry, 2009 To 2014

by Shar VanBoskirk, November 11, 2009

Although interactive marketing is poised to grow at a 16% compound annual growth rate (CAGR) overall, not all industries will match this pace. Retail and financial services will own the largest share of all interactive marketing, while brand advertisers . . .

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 Vendor Strategy Professionals

What Vendor Strategists Need To Know About Lean — The Hot Topic For CIOs Right Now

by Thomas Mendel, Ph.D., Alexander Peters, Ph.D., October 29, 2009

As smart executives delve into the core of Lean Thinking, the role of technology in Lean-based performance improvements becomes abundantly clear. Senior executives expect their chief information officers (CIOs) to drive improvements in the effectiveness . . .

For Customer Experience Professionals

Emotional Experience Design

Creating Online Experiences That Deeply Engage Customers

by Ron Rogowski, October 26, 2009

As consumers increasingly look to connect with companies online, lackluster Web experiences will damage many brands. But better functional design won't solve the problem. Instead, Forrester recommends that companies master the three principles of a new . . .

For Enterprise Architecture Professionals

Case Study: WestJet Creates Clarity With Its Architecture Services Catalog

by Jeff Scott, October 26, 2009

EA organizations struggle to define what they do in terms the organization both understands and appreciates. The root cause for this struggle is often that the EA team itself is not clear about what it delivers, what stakeholders it is delivering to, . . .

For eBusiness & Channel Strategy Professionals

The Online Travel Brands That Win With US Leisure Travelers

Expedia, Priceline, And Hotels.com Stand Out As Favorites

by Henry H. Harteveldt, Elizabeth Stark, October 21, 2009

Forrester data shows that 56% of US online leisure travelers research travel using online travel agencies (OTAs), 34% use discount travel sites like Hotwire, and 18% use metasearch sites like Kayak.com. When we asked leisure travelers what sets online . . .

For Customer Experience Professionals

The Customer Experience Generation Gap

Customer Experience Index Scores Across Five Generations And 12 Industries

by Bruce D. Temkin, September 30, 2009

Across most industries, Seniors give firms the highest marks for customer experience, and Gen Yers give them the lowest. The most significant exception is that Older Boomers give PC manufacturers the lowest scores. The difference across generations is . . .

For Enterprise Architecture Professionals

Global EA Drives Global IT: Case Studies

by Jost Hoppermann, September 24, 2009

More and more, large global enterprises are going for global modes of operation, including global IT and, in particular, globally used applications. Enterprise architecture (EA) is one of the crucial tools organizations should use to establish global . . .

For eBusiness & Channel Strategy Professionals

How To Improve Searchable Self-Service Online

eBusiness Professionals Must Focus On Site Search And FAQs To Deflect Call Center Calls

by Diane Clarkson, September 11, 2009

Searchable self-service and frequently asked questions (FAQs) are among the most commonly accessed customer service touchpoints, but there is a lot of room for improvement. Poor performance plaguing searchable self-service and FAQs surfaced in a recent . . .

For eBusiness & Channel Strategy Professionals

Why Travelers Contribute Ratings, Reviews, And More Online

Travelers Are More Likely To Share Good News Than Bad News

by Henry H. Harteveldt, September 10, 2009

More than six in 10 US online leisure travelers regularly participate in travel-focused social media activities like rating a hotel. The more frequently people travel, the more likely they are to read or watch other traveler-generated content. Content . . .

For eBusiness & Channel Strategy Professionals

Poor Content Could Cost Travel eBusiness Money

Hotels Are Particularly Vulnerable Due To Inadequate Online Content

by Henry H. Harteveldt, Elizabeth Stark, September 8, 2009

Online travel content is in true need of a makeover. What written and visual content there is on travel sites — in particular, hotel supplier Web sites — is generic, poorly organized, and confusing. Travelers have had enough: Just half of US online leisure . . .

For Consumer Market Research Professionals

Technographics® Survey Highlights: Leisure Travel In Asia Pacific  (500 KB PPT)

by Olesia Klevchuk, September 3, 2009

This highlight deck summarizes the key findings related to travel from Forrester’s Asia-Pacific Technographics Survey, Q2 2009. This is the third survey highlight in a series from the Asia-Pacific Technographics Survey, Q2 2009.

For eBusiness & Channel Strategy Professionals

Europe's Online Travelers Challenge European Online Travel Success

by Henry H. Harteveldt, September 3, 2009

In Europe, 73% of travelers are now online, up from 64% in 2007. They, however, feel the brunt of the recession — 38% of European travelers are financially worse off now than they were a year ago. Europe's online leisure travelers use technology but don't . . .

For Customer Experience Professionals

Service Seekers Are More Loyal Than Price Seekers

Examining Four Segments Of Consumers Across 12 Industries

by Bruce D. Temkin, August 31, 2009

In previous research, Forrester created four segments of consumers based on their interest in low prices and good customer service: Service Seekers, Price Seekers, Price & Service Seekers, and Others. We examined the loyalty of these segments across . . .

For eBusiness & Channel Strategy Professionals

How To Make Travel Customers Feel Valued Online

by Diane Clarkson, August 19, 2009

Making leisure travelers feel valued is more than a "warm and fuzzy" objective. There are significant business benefits to making leisure travelers feel valued — namely, these travelers are more likely to be loyal brand advocates. However, most travel . . .

For eBusiness & Channel Strategy Professionals

Air Passenger Interest In In-Flight Internet Access Grows

The Longer The Flight, The More Likely Passengers Will Pay To Go Online Aloft

by Henry H. Harteveldt, Elizabeth Stark, August 10, 2009

In 2005, Forrester identified that one-fifth of passengers were interested in accessing the Internet on any flight. In the fourth quarter of 2007, nearly as many passengers — 17% — expressed interest in accessing the Web on a 1-hour flight. By Q4 2008, . . .

For eBusiness & Channel Strategy Professionals

Using Digital Channels To Calm The Angry Traveler

by Henry H. Harteveldt, August 4, 2009

Travelers are fed up. There are 15% fewer travelers who enjoy using the Web in 2009 than there were in 2007. Just one in three US online travelers feels that travel Web sites do a good job presenting travel choices, down from 39% in 2008. Travelers feel . . .

For eBusiness & Channel Strategy Professionals

Travel Web Site Customer Service Is Far From Perfect

Travel eBusiness Customer Service And Support Benchmark, 2009

by Diane Clarkson, Elizabeth Stark, July 27, 2009

As part of a larger analysis of 90 Web sites, Forrester evaluated the accessibility and availability of online customer service and support among 30 leading travel Web sites. Only 12 of the travel Web sites we reviewed received a passing score, and overall . . .

For Consumer Product Strategy Professionals

The Best Practices In Online Video Across Industries

by Bobby Tulsiani, July 24, 2009

Today, 71% of the US online audience watches video on the Internet, and the number of streams consumed should more than double by 2013. An explosion of video content from users, professional studios, and marketers is driving this growth. In this second . . .

For Interactive Marketing Professionals

The Best And Worst Of Paid Search In 2009

Forrester Applies Its Search Marketing Review To 300 Keyword Ads

by Shar VanBoskirk, July 23, 2009

Forrester applied an adjusted version of its Search Marketing Review methodology to 300 paid search ads from the retail, travel, consumer packaged goods (CPG), media and entertainment, financial services, and business services industries. Despite some . . .

For Customer Experience Professionals

Who Wants Low Prices Or Good Customer Service?

Examining Four Segments Of Consumers Across 12 Industries

by Bruce D. Temkin, July 23, 2009

In previous research, Forrester found that US consumers looked for good customer service more often than lower prices. To understand this dynamic in more detail, we created four segments of consumers: Service Seekers, Price Seekers, Price & Service . . .

For eBusiness & Channel Strategy Professionals

Travel eBusiness Must Champion Mobile Booking Benefits

by Diane Clarkson, July 22, 2009

One in three US online business travelers and nearly one in four US online leisure travelers own Web-enabled mobile phones. Roughly one-half of these travelers have used their mobile devices for travel-related mobile data services such as flight alerts . . .

For Application Development & Program Management Professionals

European Airline Aims To Delight Passengers Through RFID Bag Tracking

Event-Driven Solution Lowers Costs While Promoting Happy Travelers

by Mike Gilpin, July 15, 2009

Processing lost bags costs airlines a lot of money: more than $1,200 per thousand passengers, not to mention the inconvenience to passengers. Thus, airlines are highly motivated to apply new technology to solving this problem. Through an innovative combination . . .