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Ecommerce's Monthly Talking Point: July 1999 Fatal Retention The marketing priority for most ecommerce players is attracting attention and driving traffic. The largest part of the energy dedicated to this end is concerned with creating 'compelling' content: words and images that will exert a strong magnetic pull on eyeballs. When visitor counts and page impressions provide the key data for a site's success - and the valuation of the company behind it - it's not surprising that capturing attention consumes the bulk of the average ecommerce player's own attention. Yet retention is potentially a bigger issue than attention. Valuations of companies that are not currently generating revenues are generally based on assumptions about the convertibility of visitors to customers. Companies that are already selling products or services maintain their values by assessment of their ability to own and grow market share. If a 'customer' is simply an unrepeated transaction, or - worse - an expression of interest from a dubious email address, then he or she should be excluded from any calculations of future profitability. Simple page impressions make poor data for any purpose other than pricing of advertising space. What can be done to encourage retention? Content renewal is an obvious measure, but it is not the no-brainer that some players assume. Many sites are treasured by their users for the reliability and durability of their content and structure, and constant fiddling with their design or depth will turn users away. The addition of relevant information and offers will be welcomed. But the sign of a truly adept ecommerce site is its owners' diligence in removing aged information and offers. Sites that silt up with yellowing articles promising the 'latest' on product developments or trailing product introductions for dates that have long since become history quickly lose their credibility. Most ecommerce players have been understandably concerned to build up content, but they need to consider that currency is a factor in retention. When it comes to dealing with inbound emails, rapid (and relevant) responses can be used to generate genuine dialogue, and to stimulate repeat visits. Too much solicited email disappears into a black hole. Commercial sites that say they 'welcome email' need to treat it with the care and quality they apply to their other customer services activities. Even complaints can be a good means of developing a customer relationship, converting comebacks into come-backs.
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