For eBusiness & Channel Strategy Professionals

B2B eBusiness: Preparing For Online Liftoff

by Carrie Johnson, Elizabeth Davis, November 17, 2009

As more and more traditionally nonconsumer brands begin to move online, questions abound: How do we sell online? What do we sell to — or how do we service — our customers online? How do we organize to optimize the channel? The good news is that B2B companies . . .

For eBusiness & Channel Strategy Professionals

Outlook For European Online Christmas Sales, 2009

A Bright Spot In An Otherwise Uninspiring Retail Marketplace

by Patti Freeman Evans, Lauriane Camus, November 4, 2009

This year, the crucial run-up to Christmas shows more optimism compared with last year. Still, consumer sentiment remains fragile, and most retailers remain cautious: Most European Net users are worried about the state of the economy and their own personal . . .

For eBusiness & Channel Strategy Professionals

Best Practices For Tackling Universal eBusiness Challenges

What Underperforming (And Up-And-Coming) eBusiness Teams Can Learn From Peers

by Carrie Johnson, Elizabeth Davis, October 20, 2009

As companies look to boost their struggling — or brand-new — eBusiness operations, they have common questions: What are some of the fundamentals that all eBusiness leaders need to have in their arsenals? What common obstacles must be overcome when building . . .

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 eBusiness & Channel Strategy Professionals

Solving Online Application Abandonment

Ten Proven Tactics To Maximize Completion Rates For Financial Products

by Brad Strothkamp, August 7, 2009

The increasing importance of the Web in the acquisition process makes solving application abandonment a vital part of an eBusiness strategy. Most firms lack the resources or proper analytics to adequately attack the problem. This document uncovers successful . . .

For eBusiness & Channel Strategy Professionals

Best Practices In Organizing For eBusiness

Centralized Teams Lead As Best Practices

by Carrie Johnson, Elizabeth Davis, August 6, 2009

In the face of the global economic downturn, eBusiness leaders face heightened scrutiny as firms place increased emphasis on the Web as a driver of sales and growth for their companies. eBusiness leaders, under pressure to perform, look to optimize their . . .

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

Travel: How To Use eBusiness Effectively In A Crisis

by Henry H. Harteveldt, May 8, 2009

The H1N1 virus is having enormous impact on the global travel industry. Though the industry clearly cannot control external events such as health crises, terrorism, or natural disasters, it can anticipate how to use eBusiness channels during these events . . .

For Customer Experience Professionals

What Consumers Want From Automotive Web Sites In 2009

by Ron Rogowski, May 4, 2009

Forrester recently asked more than 4,500 consumers why they visit auto manufacturer sites. While most site visitors come to perform basic research activities, users expect to find less-trafficked content such as local pricing incentives and post-purchase . . .

For Interactive Marketing Professionals

The Social Tools Consumers Want From Their Favorite Brands

by Josh Bernoff, April 16, 2009

More than half of online tweens and teens and 42% of online adults want to see a social application from their favorite brands. For example, one in four US online adults want to see discussion forums from brands they like, while more than one-third of . . .

For eBusiness & Channel Strategy Professionals

Building Best-In-Class eBusiness Teams

by Carrie Johnson, Elizabeth Davis, April 15, 2009

eBusiness leaders' biggest challenge lies in facing the tension between forming strong teams while also building a channel to evangelize the corporate brand and grow sales — all while managing internal politics and IT. By assessing the maturity of an . . .

For Business Process & Applications Professionals

Best Practices: Implementing Online Chat

by Chip Gliedman, March 9, 2009

As companies move to improve their online customer experience, many more are using text-based chat to better engage visitors to their site. But the customer service organization, in conjunction with the Web site designers and customer experience professionals, . . .

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 Technology Product Management & Marketing Professionals

Case Study: Intuit TurboTax Uses Crowd Wisdom To Make Online Support Less Taxing

by Laura Ramos, March 4, 2009

Intuit TurboTax used the wisdom of crowds — gleaned by analyzing how tax filers and tax preparation businesses interact with thousands of pages of support and tax code information — to supercharge its online support and hold down costs. Business-to-business . . .

For eBusiness & Channel Strategy Professionals

Case Study: New York Life's eBusiness And Agents Live Happily Ever After

A Revamped eBusiness Strategy Scores By Selling The Agent Appointment

by Chad Mitchell, February 20, 2009

In 2001, New York Life Insurance's Web site, which was intended for communication, education, and service, was not meeting its customers' or agents' needs. Web analytics showed that customers were trying to use the Web site to connect with agents, yet . . .

For eBusiness & Channel Strategy Professionals

Online Retail Checkout Best Practices

Customer Service Tactics For Meeting Customer Needs

by Zachary McGeary, February 19, 2009

Shopping cart abandonment continues to challenge eBusiness executives. The loss of sales opportunities attributable to a lack of contextual or accessible information is easily avoidable. To facilitate purchases, eBusiness executives must ensure that critical . . .

For Business Process & Applications Professionals

How HR Professionals Can Help Address The Common Challenges In Hiring For eBusiness

by Zach Thomas, February 13, 2009

Some positions prove to be more difficult to fill than others. One area where managers see many challenges in obtaining and keeping quality employees is in the world of eBusiness. It proves to be difficult to find candidates with the necessary balance . . .

For eBusiness & Channel Strategy Professionals

What Morgan Stanley Smith Barney Must Do Now

The Combined Firm Needs Better Electronic Channels For Advisors And Clients And Needs To Abandon The "House Brand" Financial Supermarket Model

by Bill Doyle, January 30, 2009

To succeed with today's investors, Morgan Stanley Smith Barney will need more than an advisor army; it must do a better job for clients. Today's clients — and their advisors — need better electronic channels than either firm offers today. And the new . . .

For eBusiness & Channel Strategy Professionals

Myths And Truths About Online Customer Reviews

Ten Things Online Retailers Should Know About Customer Reviews

by Sucharita Mulpuru, Peter Hult, December 23, 2008

Online shoppers are incorporating social content like customer ratings and reviews in their product research process, and many retailers have fully embraced the strategy. We uncovered five truths and five myths about Web buyers' use of online customer . . .

For eBusiness & Channel Strategy Professionals

Optimizing Online Banking Customer Contacts

A Checklist For Improving Self-Service During The Downturn

by Emmett Higdon, December 18, 2008

Given the continuing turmoil experienced by financial institutions, the last thing customers need from their bank is more uncertainty. Yet when posing a question online, many customers are often left guessing about how and when they will hear back from . . .

For Marketing Leadership Professionals

Social Brand Strategy

The Right Channels And Approach Can Make Company-Sponsored Programs Shine

by Lisa Bradner, December 17, 2008

While social media for brands doesn't draw the same audience and attention as pure peer-to-peer media, it offers real value — and involvement — to many consumers. To create a successful brand-centric social media strategy, companies must understand who . . .

For eBusiness & Channel Strategy Professionals

Common Challenges In Hiring For eBusiness

The Optimal Mix Of Business And Technology Skills Is Elusive

by Carrie Johnson, Elizabeth Davis, December 4, 2008

How should I organize my eBusiness team? This is one of the top three questions we hear from our eBusiness and channel strategy clients. To help answer that question we recently surveyed our eBusiness and channel strategy research panel to get to two . . .

For eBusiness & Channel Strategy Professionals

Application Prefill Increases Sales Conversion

by Chad Mitchell, November 24, 2008

eBusiness and channel managers across every industry must convert new buyers through the Web, point-of-sale, and call center. Application prefill helps insurance companies like GEICO, Allstate Insurance, and Progressive Casualty Insurance improve sales . . .

For eBusiness & Channel Strategy Professionals

Taking The Pulse Of eBusiness Organizations

eBusiness Managers Report That Teams Still Lack Internal Support

by Carrie Johnson, Elizabeth Davis, November 19, 2008

Is it normal to dread talking with my IT support? Am I the only one reporting to the operations department? Does anyone else think that their eBusiness offerings are lagging the industry? To help eBusiness professionals start to answer these questions . . .

For Customer Experience Professionals

Engage Gen Y Online With Immediacy

by Bruce D. Temkin, November 13, 2008

Gen Y is a unique breed. Firms can't interact with these young consumers in the same way they do with older consumers. That's why Forrester identified four design approaches for reaching Gen Y online: immediacy, Gen Y literacy, individualism, and social . . .