Search Engine Optimization

As it looks to bolster its reputation for technological expertise, Best Buy has teamed up with Intel Corp. to showcase concepts such as augmented reality and 3-D printing that aren't yet in the mass market. Intel Technology Experience zones, which average about 240 square feet, are being placed in 50 Best Buy stores later this month. The first opened earlier this week in Portland, Ore., where Intel has engineering and manufacturing sites.

In September, Google made changes to its sitelinks search box, and some merchants are unhappy with the change. They say it's another way for Google to increase the money it makes from advertising. Google explains that with its sitelinks search box, people can reach the site owner's content more quickly from search results. For instance, if you want to find a video on Youtube, you might go to Google.com, enter a search for Youtube, click on the link, and then conduct the search on Youtube. The sitelinks search box removes that extra step. 

Our marketing experts will discuss key online and offline merchandising best practices and strategies.

Content has become a tool for retailers in their efforts to optimize the online shopping experience for consumers. Just providing product details and pricing is often not enough anymore for today's connected consumers; they want information on how a product can solve their problem or fill a need. With this in mind, here are two ways to incorporate content marketing into your holiday plans: 

Not long ago, we had little choice but to rely on the last click. We had the motive — demonstrate marketing's ability to drive revenue — but we didn't have the means. The data connecting each touchpoint along a customer's path to purchase wasn't available or reliable. Moreover, the tools for analyzing this type of information were neither sophisticated nor affordable. Spending most of your marketing budget to determine whether marketing was working just didn't add up.

Site search for retailers used to be just about products — i.e., making sure that when your customers come to your website and type in a product name, they see an appropriate list of items. Today's site search landscape is much more complex. Social media, video and learning-based content all need to be woven into search, along with brick-and-mortar inventory and product availability. In addition, it all needs to take into account the special search requirements of mobile users. While achieving an amazing site search experience requires careful attention, it's extremely valuable for driving more conversions and higher order values on your site. Here are five tips for making your site search as robust as possible:

Whether the official definition puts it in arcane measurements like terabytes or petabytes, for retailers, big data is seen as this: data sets which are too large, too complex and too disjointed to manage, analyze and use in traditional systems to determine profitable business decisions. The retail landscape is more complex than ever, with consumers expecting a more seamless experience between channels and devices. Furthermore, retailers must contend with giants like Amazon.com that use their size and structure to out-innovate the market at lightening speed.

An everything guide on how to be a successful omnichannel retailer in 2014

Sometimes an odd suggestion can really turn a company around. Here are three nontraditional recommendations that have significantly improved sales for B-to-B direct marketers:

The holiday shopping season is over, and if one thing is certain, the increase in traffic wasn't just good for retailers this year. Holiday shopping proved to be a boon for fraudsters and cyber attackers as well. Cloud services provider Akamai reported that attack traffic surged on Black Friday to five times the normal level earlier that month. As retailers reflect on their experiences this past holiday season and begin to plan for a more lucrative and secure 2014, there are a few steps they can take to prepare their e-commerce site for the ever-growing trends of online shopping, device adoption and cyber security risks.