Location-based personalization seen as path to greater global online revenue as retailers seek growth beyond domestic markets, say web site personalization experts
PHILADELPHIA, Sept. 21, 2009 — Retailers in many countries are dealing with tough economic conditions. Some are turning to location-based web site personalization to increase the reach and effectiveness of their online retailing, according to the makers of Monetate, a product that helps web site owners figure out who is visiting their pages and then delivers content personalized for each visitor.
"At a time when the economies of the world are recovering at varying rates, retailers in both the Americas and the E.U. are taking a serious look at the ability of location-based personalization to better target consumers, especially shoppers from other countries," said David Brussin, CEO and Co-Founder of Monetate, Inc.
When tested against a control group, location-based content and messaging has, according to Brussin, "a strongly positive effect on the rate at which visitors convert to buyers, plus it can lift average order value (AOV) for many online shoppers, both domestically and internationally."
Brussin cites an American clothing retailer based in Pittsburgh who uses Monetate to greet visitors from foreign countries with location-based content about shipping. For example, shoppers from France see messages assuring them that the retailer ships to France.
"Even without translating these messages into local languages the retailer saw a huge jump in revenue from international traffic," said Brussin. When local language was used, not for the entire site but simply for the shipping message, revenue from foreign traffic doubled, as did the conversion rate. New customer acquisition from that segment rose 167 percent.
According to Brussin, any online retailer with sufficient web traffic can use Monetate to create and manage the delivery of this type of campaign. For example, a Berlin-based online store could easily target messaging to visitors from E.U. countries other than Germany, as well as from the many different regions of Germany itself.
David Bookspan, Monetate's co-founder and Chief Revenue Officer, points to an additional benefit of this type of campaign: The revenue gained does not come at the expense of discounted pricing or free shipping; it is derived from tailoring the site experience to the visitor.
"Online retailers have long suspected that tuning their site's messaging according to the location of the visitor could deliver a big payoff," said Bookspan, "but until recently there was no quick and easy way to do this, which is precisely why we created Monetate."
"Our customers are now achieving positive ROI very quickly, across a broad range of personalization campaigns," adds Bookspan, "but what we see with location-based merchandising is particularly exciting, offering tremendous opportunities to retailers who are looking to improve revenue with relatively little effort and expense when compared to the rewards, regardless of the country in which their business is based."
About Monetate, Inc.
Monetate, Inc. helps web site owners figure out who is visiting their pages and delivers content personalized for them. Monetate's technology tracks and segments visitors across more than 50 dimensions and Monetate's Personalization Managers analyze site performance to craft personalized messaging and promotional campaigns delivered by the Monetate platform. All of this is done with zero I.T. impact. Retailers just add the Monetate tag to their online store and they are ready to give each visitor a personal, relevant and compelling online shopping experience.
Media Contact:
Stephen Cobb
Personalization Evangelist
904-377-5528
Source:
Monetate, Inc.
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Conshohocken, PA 19428
Phone: 484-323-6313
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Web: http://www.monetate.com
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