eCommerce and

• Optimalogica blog recommends a reconciliation system for making financial decisions and experimental sales decisions.


• Gross National Happiness has been measured, and Facebook’s Prototype confirms that we are in fact less happy on Monday’s.


• Can’t keep up with all of the social media, internet and search options available at any given moment?  Mike Moran can help you figure out what to ignore in Internet Marketing.


• Google Reader adds Magic to your settings.

My personal favorite this week, courtesy of SEOmoz:

Sam Niccolls, SEOmoz blogger, writes "This e-mail from a hopelessly confused webmaster to a competitor is worth its weight in gold."

The possibilities are endless with a bathroom remodel. Discover your classic side with a clawfoot tub, experiment with fresh bathroom vanities and coordinate it all with matching faucets. Shop PlumberSurplus.com 24 hours a day, 7 days a week for all of your bathroom needs.

• Amazon offers same day delivery.  Columns like the Consumerist ask questions like “Will you ever leave the house again?”


• You don’t have to love the Dallas Mavericks to appreciate Mark Cuban’s humor every once in a while.  For instance he mocks the FTC’s recent disclosure requirements placed on bloggers when he visits his local IHOP and posts about it, quite comical but point proven.


• When performing MVT or A/B tests it’s easy to make simple mistakes that can really skew the data, this article does a good job of outlining those areas so tests can be designed properly from the start.


• First they come out with these weird commercials that no one I have talked to has been able to relate to and then they hire lap dancers for Hack Day?  Is Yahoo! struggling to find their identity?
  

For the best prices, on the largest selection of faucets, from your favorite brands like Kohler, Danze, and American Standard shop PlumberSurplus.com 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

• Does your website need a television series?  Some have figured out how to do it right, meaning profitably, but it’s not easy.


• A few more reasons why your website sucks debuted today.  One point that really caught my attention was the connection made between where site search filters are placed relative to the content that the filters affect.  The author, Jack Aaronson, makes an obvious point, but one that we need to keep in mind as we design for users.  He states, “Visual design does more to enforce the notion of "this thing goes with that thing" than anything else on the page. If there is a content block (like search results) and a box that shows filterable attributes for that content, make sure they're visually connected in some way. Otherwise, an incredibly useful feature won't be used or understood.”


• Want great employees?  Try the Zappos strategy and offer them $2,000.00 to quit.


• Predictions still say growth in 2010 for eCommerce.


• The holidays are coming.  It’s time to get prepared and lay out marketing strategies.  Search Engine Land posted a great article with five tips for doing so.  Five tips may not sound like a lot but they have packed a ton of information within each tip to help marketers get prepared.
  

Kohler is arguably one of the most innovative brands in the home improvement industry. The new Karbon faucet has completely transformed the kitchen and more specifically revolutionized the kitchen faucet. Meanwhile Kohler seems to effortlessly create bathroom fixtures that are not only sleek but save water, like the Escale toilet.

• With the $100 million in funds that Twitter is reported to be receiving in venture capital funds the company’s valuation has nearly quadrupled this year to an astonishing $1 billion.


• The Harvard Business Review has put together five rules that have decoded what it truly means to identify leadership.  Their research concluded that 60-70% of effective leaders share these common traits:

-Rule 1: Shape the future.

-Rule 2: Make things happen.

-Rule 3: Engage today's talent.

-Rule 4: Build the next generation.

-Rule 5: Invest in yourself.

• Interested in what’s going on with one of the most exclusive online shopping clubs?  Shop.org interviewed Susan Lyne, CEO of the Gilt Groupe, who reveals their 104 job openings, plans for the future and more.


• Getting Retweeted is scientific.


• Can your search share help your customers?


• Since this article came out Lisa Barone has had to defend her position, on Seth Godin’s Brands in Public release.  The crappy thing is I think most people agree with her it’s just no one has ever said anything bad about Seth Godin before.  Someone had to call him out on this and her points are all valid.  Yet when you are Seth you are going to have a faithful following regardless of what you do or how you do it.  If people didn’t call others out just because of previous reputations than where would we be giving former President Jimmy Carter the time of day?  Asking Milli Vanilli for singing lessons?

Kohler is arguably one of the most innovative brands in the home improvement industry. The new Karbon faucet has completely transformed the kitchen and more specifically revolutionized the kitchen faucet. Meanwhile Kohler seems to effortlessly create bathroom fixtures that are not only sleek but save water, like the Escale toilet.

With all of the talk regarding the drop in Google Product Search traffic we have been looking for ways to improve and differentiate our products in what has also been known as Google Base, Froogle and Google Shopping.  According to Channel Advisor retailers have been reporting that traffic from Google Product Search has been down as much as 60-80% since June of this year.

In reviewing our listings and researching the ever frequent updates we found several (to put it lightly) searches that were completely dominated by big box retailers.  Not only were these searches dominating us but they were completely eliminating any competition, as in only one retailer was shown as offering that product line (at least on the first page). 

I could understand if the retailer's that were shown in these searches  all had the most relevant data, the most robust attributes, the best pricing, the largest number or reviews, the highest ratings, and this engine was based on bids, but none of these are true.  In one of the first searches for the Kohler Forte bathroom faucet the Home Depot shows as a retailer over and over again, yet their robust and relevant data refers to this popular Kohler collection as "Fort".  You will also notice that the only other retailers referenced are Walmart and Amazon.

Google Product Search Result Screenshot Favors Bad Data from Big Box Retailer

Porcher, a luxury brand by American Standard, is then shown as primarily sold by Walmart.  Walmart has fewer ratings than other retailers listed and of those ratings also has the lowest seller rating.

Google Product Search Result Screenshot Favors Poorly Rated Big Box Retailer

I am a Google fan, always have been, but have they forgotten about the user experience?  When shopping are we not looking to compare?  Not in this case (unless you want to click through a few more pages), because the Home Depot is the only option you're going to find for this Jado search. 

Google Product Search Result Screenshot Selects Only Big Box Retailer

The Home Depot hasn't completely cornered the market on Google Base, Walmart has capitalized as well as you can see by this search for American Standard's Town Square line.

 Google Product Search Result Screenshot Selects Only Big Box Retailer

Blog Update

We have confirmation from another source, which works with online retailers in optimizing their marketing strategies, that this is an ongoing problem.  According to our sources this has been happening in other categories, most predominantly in Home & Garden and Electronics.  We tested our sources information using a search from the Home & Garden category for a Skyline Chair.  The results were similar to what we experienced within our own category, one listing for Eco-Furniture and every other listing for Walmart.

Google Product Search Result Screenshot Favors Big Box Retailers in Multiple Categories

The possibilities are endless with a bathroom remodel. Discover your classic side with a clawfoot tub, experiment with fresh bathroom vanities and coordinate it all with matching faucets. Shop PlumberSurplus.com 24 hours a day, 7 days a week for all of your bathroom needs.

• Craig Tomlin offers five usability tips and teases readers with an additional five to follow in an upcoming article.  I may not agree with every tip provided in this article but each website designer can evaluate usability for themselves.  I particularly enjoyed the example given in number five which was “Reduce shopping cart distractions”.  The example given by the author is a great one as I too would have been completely overwhelmed by the shopping cart page.  I look forward to seeing the next article.


• Almost 30% of British online shoppers forget their login information when shopping online and state that it is their biggest annoyance.  Europe as a whole said that their biggest annoyance was poor customer service.  Both statistics led those surveyed to reveal that these annoyances led them to spend less money than when their satisfaction level was high.


• Trust and security remain important factors to consumers when deciding who to shop with online retailers.


• Sears leaves categories vulnerable to creative comics.







• Analysts are early to point to signs of stabilization in the economic environment, stating highlights from eCommerce as the beginnings of recovery.
  
  

Little Giant has been hard at work engineering pumps that their most loyal customers have been waiting for. PlumberSurplus.com is your destination for the new Little Giant TSW Sump Pump System and their NXTGen Condensate Pumps.

• This is something that we have talked about and something that I have wanted to do for a really long time so I am glad that another blogger brought it up as a subject and as a best practice.  Michael Martine wrote Make Your Customer the Hero a post about featuring customers on the company blog, how to go about doing so, and the benefits that both parties receive from doing so.  I would be really curious to know if our customers are reading our blog and how many would be interested in being featured, so maybe this post will spur the conversation.


• Internet Retailer reported on data released by the Commerce department and comScore both of which show consumer spending down for the second quarter of 2009 as compared to last year.


• Although the title suggests that Kevin Ertell is merely making predictions when it comes to the future of online retail I would argue that this article is closer to an educated forecast.  A worthwhile read, Predicting the Future of Retail, doesn’t really make claims that are too outlandish, at least not in my humble opinion.


• Twitter contests that go well v. Twitter contests that can ruin or really damage a reputation.


• The title alone for this week’s Whiteboard Friday sucked me in.  SEOmoz is quite good at doing that anyways, but the content’s worth it as well.  Check out Whiteboard Friday: 10 Disturbing Similarities Between Dating & Raising Venture Capital.
  

Little Giant has been hard at work engineering pumps that their most loyal customers have been waiting for. PlumberSurplus.com is your destination for the new Little Giant TSW Sump Pump System and their NXTGen Condensate Pumps.

Friendfeed was acquired by Facebook earlier today for an undisclosed amount.  Details are still trickling in but the relationship seems to be an obvious match for industry insiders.  Facebook and Friendfeed share commonalities in features both highlighting news updates, the way in which comments are utilized and the user interface on both websites is considered by many to be clean.  The most exciting aspect of this acquisition is the team that Facebook will be bringing on from Friendfeed, which will include, as TechCrunch likes to put it “an all-star cast of ex-Googlers”.  The all-star cast is exactly that though, the article continues with their introductions “Perhaps best known of these is Paul Buchheit, who is responsible for creating Gmail, pioneering some of Google’s early (and incredibly lucrative) advertising products, and coining Google’s “Don’t be evil” motto. Other ex-Googler co-founders include Bret Taylor, Jim Norris, and Sanjeev Singh.”

The important thing for us to focus on now is what this is going to do for eCommerce.  There is undoubtedly a lot more in store than I can think of right now, but with Twitter’s latest popularity I can speculate that Facebook will be fighting to decrease some of that growth and public curiosity.  Combining the current Facebook staff with the Friendfeed group will result in multiple social applications, and all that good stuff, but what I am really getting at is the fact that this could open up a whole new marketing opportunity…  My hopes may be high but time will tell.

Little Giant has been hard at work engineering pumps that their most loyal customers have been waiting for. PlumberSurplus.com is your destination for the new Little Giant TSW Sump Pump System and their NXTGen Condensate Pumps.

• Multiple sites including Twitter and Facebook were hit by denial-of-service attacks this week.


• Google Base eliminated the single upload option, merchants using this option will need to switch to a data feed in order to continue inserting their products on Google Shopping.


• Will automatic, high-tech products that are popular in other countries have the ability to take America by storm?  One manufacturer, TOTO, seems to think so.


• Even Rand is talking about Twitter this week.  This week’s Whiteboard Friday, brought to you by SEOmoz is all about how to get Re-Tweeted.


• Google Webmaster Tools is soliciting your videos for their YouTube channel.

For the best prices, on the largest selection of faucets, from your favorite brands like Kohler, Danze, and American Standard shop PlumberSurplus.com 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

Both of these are screen shot errors, one is from Google and one is from Microsoft (see full screenshots below before voting).

The first is a shot from Google in regards to an error that occurred in Chrome, the error message states "Aw, Snap! Something went wrong while displaying this webpage.  To continue, press reload or go to another page."  The next screenshot is a Microsoft error message that reads "oops our tentacles are tangled We're sorry, but you've encountered an error on our site. There are a few ways around this --- you can try a different search, or pick a store that has what you are shopping for."

Which company can you relate to? Who is doing the better job of speaking to the public?

This pole closes on August 14th, 2009 so vote, we would love to know what our readers and their friends think.

Enlarged Screenshots for reference:

Google 

Kohler is arguably one of the most innovative brands in the home improvement industry. The new Karbon faucet has completely transformed the kitchen and more specifically revolutionized the kitchen faucet. Meanwhile Kohler seems to effortlessly create bathroom fixtures that are not only sleek but save water, like the Escale toilet.