Internet Marketing FAQs

Answers That Can Help Get the Creative Wheels Rolling

By John Deneen

E-commerce is a lot like philosophy—questions are answered only by asking more questions. The following are some frequently asked questions (FAQs) that are pertinent to inquire about your Web-inclusion program.

Now that Web orders comprise 20 percent to 25 percent of most catalog orders, does it still make sense to manually enter these orders?

While there will be some upfront costs associated with developing the programs and systems to automate the process, the question really involves whether this is the time to do it. One major cataloger reports that it costs the company 50 percent less time to take an order via the Web than the telephone. Crunch the numbers yourself—would these cost savings make sense for you?

Can your Web site reduce customer service costs?

If customers can check the status of their orders online, they won't be calling your customer service center. Amazon, Lands' End and other online marketers have automated order notification, a tool that can reduce your customer service costs.

Do your customers have other questions that could be answered if you posted better data online, such as sizing charts and installation instructions?

Calculate the amount of time it takes to answer your FAQs, and discern how much of this can be done by improving the information on your site. The savings could be substantial. Credit card companies estimate customer service problems solved by the Web save them 60 percent to 70 percent when compared with the phone.

Are you allocating a portion of the revenue generated from your Web site back to your print catalog?

While it's hard to track, clients have estimated as much as 75 percent of traffic driven to their Web sites is a result of a catalog drop. For proof, look at sales spikes on the Web right after an in-home date.