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 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 Customer Intelligence Professionals

Case Study: ING Delivers Personalized Product Offers Across Channels In Real Time

by Alexander Hesse, October 27, 2009

Dutch bank ING's marketing campaigns were losing effectiveness because many of them weren't relevant to the bank's customers. The bank's organizational structure, processes, applications, and heavy reliance on direct mail were not meeting the needs of . . .

For Consumer Product Strategy Professionals

Driving A Contactless Network Effect In The US

Supply Is Strong, But Only Marketing And Usage Rewards Will Drive Demand

by Edward Kountz, October 23, 2009

While recent years have seen increased issuance and merchant acceptance of contactless payments in the US, consumer usage remains low. Some institutions are exploring instant issuance and contactless payment stickers as steps to alter this dynamic, but . . .

For eBusiness & Channel Strategy Professionals

What Europeans Expect From Financial Services Web Sites

And What eBusiness Executives Need To Do To Meet Customer Needs

by Vanessa Niemeyer, Ph.D., October 6, 2009

Consumers go to financial services Web sites with different motives — some want to access their own accounts and some intend to research or buy a specific financial product, while others are looking for a solution that fits their needs. Visitors to financial . . .

For eBusiness & Channel Strategy Professionals

Case Study: Royal Bank Of Canada Provides A Blueprint For A Next-Generation Sales Site

A Major Web Site Overhaul Drives Sales And Reduces Abandonment

by Brad Strothkamp, September 29, 2009

Royal Bank of Canada (RBC) topped Forrester's Canadian bank public Web site rankings in 2009. Key to RBC's success in this year's ranking was a stronger focus on online sales delivered through a revamped credit card and accounts Web site. The work took . . .

For Consumer Product Strategy Professionals

Solving The Cross-Sell Imperative In Financial Services

Moving Beyond Desire To Actually Get Customers To Buy More

by Brad Strothkamp, September 25, 2009

The goal of cross-selling additional products to consumers is the mantra of every business executive, regardless of industry. But in financial services, it has been mostly an elusive goal: A good portion of consumers are open to buying multiple products . . .

For eBusiness & Channel Strategy Professionals

US Affiliate Marketing Forecast, 2009 To 2014

Affiliate Marketing Will Be A $4 Billion Market By 2014

by Patti Freeman Evans, September 25, 2009

Affiliate marketing is a low-risk, high-return strategy for online marketers. US affiliate marketing spending will thus reach $4 billion by 2014 and will increase at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 16% from 2009 through 2014. Payments to affiliate . . .

For eBusiness & Channel Strategy Professionals

Why Americans Research Financial Products Online But Buy Through Other Channels

Channel Switching Is Driven Largely By Security And Support Issues

by Edward Kountz, Peter Wannemacher, September 22, 2009

Many US customers use multiple channels when buying financial services products, crossing channels during their path to purchase. Among online adults, 41% of financial product applicants research online but buy offline. Security and a need for hand-holding . . .

For eBusiness & Channel Strategy Professionals

2009 Canadian Bank Secure Web Site Rankings

RBC Posts Solid Scores In All Areas Of Forrester's Review

by Emmett Higdon, August 25, 2009

Forrester again this year evaluated the secure Web sites of the seven largest Canadian banks and credit unions — Bank of Montreal, CIBC, Desjardins, National Bank of Canada, RBC Royal Bank, Scotiabank, and TD Canada Trust — using our Competitive Site . . .

For Customer Experience Professionals

Best And Worst Of Financial Services Brand Building Web Sites, 2009: Credit Card Providers

by Ron Rogowski, August 17, 2009

How good are the brand experiences offered by major credit card Web sites? To find out, we graded the sites of four top brands — American Express, Capital One, Citigroup, and Discover — on how well they communicate their Brand Image and deliver value . . .

For Customer Experience Professionals

Best And Worst Of Financial Services Brand Building Web Sites, 2009: Banks

by Ron Rogowski, August 14, 2009

The banking industry features some of the most recognizable brand names in the US, like Bank of America, SunTrust Bank, U.S. Bank, and Wells Fargo. But how good are the brand experiences offered by major banks' Web sites? To find out, we graded the sites . . .

For Customer Experience Professionals

Best And Worst Of Financial Services Brand Building Web Sites, 2009: Investment Firms

by Ron Rogowski, August 7, 2009

How good is the brand experience offered by major investment Web sites? To find out, we graded the sites of four top brands — Charles Schwab, Edward Jones, Fidelity Investments, and Vanguard — on how well they communicate their Brand Image and deliver . . .

For Customer Experience Professionals

Best And Worst Of Financial Services Brand Building Web Sites, 2009: Insurers

by Ron Rogowski, August 6, 2009

The fiercely competitive insurance industry features some of the most esteemed brand names in the US, like Allstate Insurance, Progressive Casualty Insurance, State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance, and USAA. But how good are the brand experiences offered . . .

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

Best And Worst Of Financial Services Brand Building Web Sites, 2009

Forrester Applies Its Web Site Brand Review Methodology To The Sites Of 16 Top Financial Services Brands

by Ron Rogowski, July 10, 2009

How good is the overall experience offered by leading financial services brands' Web sites in 2009? To find out, Forrester graded the sites of 16 top financial services brands using Forrester's Web Site Brand Review methodology. Our tests measure how . . .

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 Customer Intelligence Professionals

Why Consumers Subscribe To Financial Services Emails

Understand How To Find New Email Subscribers And Keep Their Interest

by Julie M. Katz, June 24, 2009

Marketing emails from financial institutions have grown substantially. Despite this growth, consumers remain skeptical about financial services emails. To counter the skepticism, email marketers should increase the amount of information and control consumers . . .

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

Using Channel Satisfaction Data To Build The Business Case For eBusiness

by Carrie Johnson, Elizabeth Davis, May 26, 2009

Forrester recently released a report showing the results of a survey of more than 4,500 US consumers and their level of satisfaction with Web, phone, and in-person interactions across 12 different industries. The report allows eBusiness and channel strategy . . .

For Marketing Leadership Professionals

Match Word-Of-Mouth Marketing To How European Consumers Share Opinions

by Mary Beth Kemp, May 5, 2009

Most European consumers discuss interests and brands with friends and family and in an offline context. Only then do they open the conversation to both a larger group of contacts and online channels. Thus, encouraging word of mouth among the first level . . .

For eBusiness & Channel Strategy Professionals

2009 Canadian Bank Public Web Site Rankings

Royal Bank Of Canada Blazes A Path Others Will Follow

by Brad Strothkamp, May 4, 2009

For the fourth year in a row, Forrester evaluated the Web sites of the seven largest Canadian banks and credit unions — Bank of Montreal, CIBC, Desjardins, National Bank of Canada, RBC Royal Bank, Scotiabank, and TD Canada Trust — using our Competitive . . .

For eBusiness & Channel Strategy Professionals

How US Consumers Research Retirement

Many Sources Are Used, But Financial Advisors Are Considered Most Helpful

by Bill Doyle, Peter Wannemacher, April 28, 2009

Less than half of US online adults have done retirement research. Consumers who are worried about having enough money to retire are less likely to have done research; investors and older consumers are more likely to have done retirement planning. Books, . . .

For Customer Experience Professionals

The State Of Customer Experience, 2009

Customer Experience Management Enters Into Adolescence

by Bruce D. Temkin, April 24, 2009

Executives have been saying for awhile that customer experience is important. Only recently, however, have many of them begun to understand its direct link with loyalty. As a result, companies are starting to develop more disciplined approaches to customer . . .