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21 Categories - Listed Below
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Who puts the 'e' in e-commerce?
The top application and service providers who teamed up with the 2009 Top 500
e-retailers to streamline online operations
Some very small e-retailers are run by technology wizards who develop and maintain their own software, and some very large web retailers have an army of programmers and technical staff to handle e-commerce operations needs internally. For everyone else, there are hundreds of application and service providers who keep web retailers’ web sites running so consumers can buy whenever they choose to shop.
Retailers listed in the 2009 Internet Retailer Top 500 Guide rely on hundreds of providers to ensure shoppers are able to find, compare, order, pay for and, if necessary, return products using technology tools on the retailers' web sites—all as seamlessly and hassle-free as possible. The top three providers in each of 21 technology and services categories served anywhere from 17 to 458 of the Top 500 retailers, according to data from the current guide. Internet Retailer added three new categories to the 2009 research: customer reviews and forums, live chat/click-to-call, and personalization.
In the 2009 Internet Retailer Top 500 Guide, retailers identified whether they develop technology in-house, work with providers, or do both. The following report examines the vendors in each technology category cited most often by Top 500 retailers. The top three vendors in each category were determined by research that has been published in the Top 500 Guide. Data was gathered by Internet Retailer from January through April of this year, and the provider rankings are based on the frequency with which providers were cited by merchants in the 2009 Top 500 Guide. The following summaries include the top providers in each category, the number of times retailers cited them and three of their leading retailer clients.
Affiliate Marketing
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Leading
Top 500
Provider
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Commission Junction, a division of ValueClick
(207 of Top 500)
530 E. Montecito St.
Santa Barbara, CA 93103
800-761-1072
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Top E-Retail Clients:
Gap Inc. Direct (No. 25)
Overstock.com Inc. (No. 29)
QVC Inc. (No. 11) |
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Runner-Up
Top 500
Providers
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LinkShare Corp.
(104 of Top 500)
215 Park Avenue South, 9th Floor
New York, NY 10003
646-654-6000
Google Affiliate Network
(91 of Top 500)
1600 Amphitheatre Pkwy.
Mountain View, CA 94043
650-623-4000
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Top E-Retail Clients:
Nordstrom Inc. (No. 32)
Shutterfly Inc. (No. 69)
Alibris Inc. (No. 116)
Sears Holdings Corp. (No. 7)
Target Corp. (No. 20)
BarnesandNoble.com Inc. (No. 41)
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Steady ROI
Most retailers focus their online marketing efforts on affiliate marketing, paid search and e-mail marketing. Affiliate marketing maintains its luster because of high return on investment and relatively low cost. The top three providers helped 80%, or 402, of the Top 500 retailers manage their affiliate marketing programs.
Content Delivery Network
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Leading
Top 500
Provider
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Akamai Technologies
(104 of Top 500)
8 Cambridge Center
Cambridge, MA 02142
877-425-2624
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Top E-Retail Clients:
Staples Inc. (No. 2)
Sears Holdings Corp. (No. 7)
Best Buy Co. (No. 10) |
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Runner-Up
Top 500
Providers
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GSI Commerce
(22 of Top 500)
935 First Ave.
King of Prussia, PA 19406
610-491-7000
Mirror Image Internet Inc.
(9 of Top 500)
Two Highwood Drive
Tewksbury, MA 01876
781-376-1100
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Top E-Retail Clients:
Toys 'R' Us Inc. (No. 39)
Ralph Lauren Media LLC (No. 88)
National Football League (No. 123)
HSN Inc. (No. 26)
LEGO Brand Retail Inc. (No. 141)
PETCO Animal Supplies Inc. (No. 186)
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Carrying the load
Many retailers use a content delivery network to store images and other site content on servers around the world, which helps accelerate delivery of that content to consumers visiting their e-commerce sites. The top three providers delivered content network services to 27%, or 135, of the Top 500 retailers.
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Content Management
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Leading
Top 500
Provider
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GSI Commerce Inc.
(19 of Top 500)
935 First Ave.
King of Prussia, PA 19406
610-491-7000
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Top E-Retail Clients:
Dick's Sporting Goods Inc. (No. 121)
Victoria's Secret/Bath and Body Works (No. 19)
Zale Corp. (No. 185 ) |
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Runner-Up
Top 500
Providers
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Escalate Retail
(11 of Top 500)
9890 Towne Centre Drive, Suite 100
San Diego, CA 92121
800-854-2263
ATG
(8 of Top 500)
One Main St.
Cambridge, MA 02142
617-386-1000
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Top E-Retail Clients:
Saks Direct (No. 45)
Kohl's Corp. (No. 50 )
The Gymboree Corp. (No. 290)
Bluefly Inc. (No. 132)
NBTY Inc. (No. 136)
VitaminShoppe.com (No. 171)
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Keeping it together
Content is king, even more so now as retailers zero in on better ways to optimize their web sites on the major search engines. GSI Commerce Inc. is the biggest provider of content management applications to Top 500 retailers, followed by Escalate Retail and ATG. Combined, all three vendors supply content management systems to 38—7.6%—of the Internet Retailer Top 500 e-retailers.
CRM Systems
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Leading
Top 500
Provider
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GSI Commerce Inc.
(23 of Top 500)
935 First Ave.
King of Prussia, PA 19406
610-491-7000
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Top E-Retail Clients:
American Eagle Outfitters Inc. (No. 54)
Aéropostale Inc. (No. 156)
The Sports Authority Inc. (No. 184) |
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Runner-Up
Top 500
Providers
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Escalate Retail
(13 of Top 500)
9890 Towne Centre Drive, Suite 100
San Diego, CA 92121
800-854-2263
NetSuite Inc.
(6 of Top 500)
2955 Campus Drive, Suite 100
San Mateo, CA 94403
650-627-1000
RightNow Technologies Inc.
(6 of Top 500)
136 Enterprise Blvd.
Bozeman, MT 59718
406-522-4200
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Top E-Retail Clients:
Sephora USA Inc. (No. 112)
Brooks Brothers (No.165)
Hot Topic Inc. (No. 211)
Ira Wood & Sons Inc. (No. 344)
Discount Ramps.com LLC (No. 402)
Your Electronic Warehouse (No. 442)
SonyStyle.com (No. 12)
Bass Pro Outdoor Online LLC (No. 81)
Big Fish Games Inc. (No. 147)
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Consumer intelligence
Web retailing is a numbers game and Top 500 retailers rely on their customer information systems to produce the data that helps them figure out what makes shoppers tick. A total of 48 Top 500 retailers, or 9.6%, contract with the biggest suppliers of CRM systems: GSI Commerce Inc., Escalate Retail, NetSuite Inc. and RightNow Technologies Inc.
Customer Reviews & Forums
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Leading
Top 500
Provider
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PowerReviews Inc.
(48 of Top 500)
665 Third St., Suite 117
San Francisco, CA 94107
415-315-9208
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Top E-Retail Clients:
Staples Inc. (No. 2)
Toys 'R' Us Inc. (No. 39)
Recreational Equipment Inc. (No. 67) |
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Runner-Up
Top 500
Providers
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Bazaarvoice
(40 of Top 500)
11921 N. Mo Pac Expressway, Suite 420
Austin, TX 78759
512-732-9990
BizRate, Scripps Networks Interactive
(3 of Top 500)
312 Walnut St., 1800 Scripps Center
Cincinnati, OH 45202
513-824-3200
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Top E-Retail Clients:
Office Depot Inc. (No. 4)
Sears Holdings Corp. (No. 7)
Best Buy Co. (No. 10)
Zazzle.com Inc. (No. 195)
Liz Claiborne Inc. (No. 300)
Carrot Ink LLC (No. 488)
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A key resource
Customer reviews and forums are quickly passing from "wish list" to "must have" status among the Top 500. Combined the three largest providers—PowerReviews Inc., Bazaarvoice and BizRate—supply 91 Top 500 retailers with technology that lets a customer speak her mind on products and services.
Customer Service
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Leading
Top 500
Provider
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GSI Commerce Inc.
(29 of Top 500)
935 First Ave.
King of Prussia, PA 19406
610-491-7000
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Top E-Retail Clients:
The Estee Lauder Cos. Inc. (No. 129)
MLB Advanced Media (No. 160)
Burberry Ltd. (No. 423) |
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Runner-Up
Top 500
Providers
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RightNow Technologies Inc.
(21 of Top 500)
136 Enterprise Blvd.
Bozeman, MT 59718
406-522-4200
LivePerson
(10 of Top 500)
462 7th Ave., 3rd Floor
New York, NY 10018
212-609-4200
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Top E-Retail Clients:
Overstock.com Inc. (No. 29)
Musician's Friend Inc. (No. 36)
Scholastic Inc. (No. 42)
Newegg Inc. (No. 9)
CafePress.com (No. 117)
Vera Bradley Retail Stores LLC (No. 240)
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Handle with care
In these days of conservative consumer spending, excellent customer service can mean the difference between a happy customer and a sale lost forever. To aid them in keeping in touch with visitors and shoppers, 60 merchants, 12% of the Internet Retailer Top 500 e-retailers, use GSI Commerce Inc., RightNow Technologies Inc. and LivePerson as their customer service vendor of choice.
E-Commerce Platform
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Leading
Top 500
Providers
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ATG
(31 of Top 500)
One Main St.
Cambridge, MA 02142
617-386-1000
GSI Commerce Inc.
(31 of Top 500)
935 First Ave.
King of Prussia, PA 19406
610-491-7000
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Top E-Retail Clients:
NutriSystem Inc. (No. 46)
Nike Inc. (No. 49)
American Eagle Outfitters Inc. (No. 54)
Ralph Lauren Media LLC (No. 88)
Dick's Sporting Goods Inc. (No. 121)
General Nutrition Centers Inc. (No. 253)
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Runner-Up
Top 500
Provider
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IBM
(29 of Top 500)
New Orchard Road
Armonk, NY 10504
877-426-3774
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Top E-Retail Clients:
Staples Inc. (No. 2)
Sears Holdings Corp. (No. 7)
L.L. Bean Inc. (No. 22)
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Support system
E-commerce platforms are the backbone of web retailing. While some retailers build and maintain their own, many license software or let vendors host their e-commerce platforms. In a recent survey of large e-retailers, 44% say they plan a platform upgrade within three years, says the E-tailing Group. Top goals are to offer more features and functions, and reduce costs.
E-Mail Marketing
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Leading
Top 500
Provider
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Experian CheetahMail
(69 of Top 500)
29 Broadway, 6th Floor
New York, NY 10006
800-396-5709
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Top E-Retail Clients:
Staples Inc. (No. 2)
Victoria's Secret (No. 19)
U.S. Auto Parts Network (No. 102) |
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Runner-Up
Top 500
Providers
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Yesmail
(28 of Top 500)
309 SW Sixth Ave., Suite 700
Portland, OR 97204
503-241-4185
e-Dialog
(25 of Top 500)
65 Network Drive, Suite 400
Burlington, MA 01803
888-256-7687
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Top E-Retail Clients:
HP Home & Home Office Store (No. 16)
Macy's Inc. (No. 23)
Scholastic Inc. (No. 42)
OfficeMax Inc. (No. 6)
Toys 'R' Us Inc. (No. 39)
American Eagle Outfitters Inc. (No. 54)
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Growing volume
Over the next five years, spending on e-mail marketing in the U.S. will grow at a compound annual rate of 11%, reaching $2 billion by 2014, according to a Forrester Research Inc. study. The study, "U.S. E-mail Marketing Forecast 2009 to 2014," notes that permission-based e-mail campaigns designed to retain existing customers will account for the largest share of e-mail marketing messages, at one-third, by 2014. Many retailers count on providers for some or all of their e-mail marketing programs.
Fulfillment
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Leading
Top 500
Provider
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GSI Commerce Inc.
(28 of Top 500)
935 First Ave.
King of Prussia, PA 19406
610-491-7000
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Top E-Retail Clients:
Aeropostale (No. 156)
PetSmart Inc. (No. 230)
iRobot Corp. (No. 249) |
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Runner-Up
Top 500
Providers
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Escalate Retail
(20 of Top 500)
9890 Towne Centre Drive, Suite 100
San Diego, CA 92121
800-854-2263
CommerceHub (Commerce Technologies)
(13 of Top 500)
255 Fuller Road, Suite 327
Albany, NY 12203
518-810-0700
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Top E-Retail Clients:
Urban Outfitters Inc. (No. 57)
Lamps Plus Inc. (No. 138)
Hot Topic Inc. (No. 211)
Staples Inc. (No. 2)
Costco Wholesale Corp. (No. 14)
The Home Depot Inc. (No. 43)
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Crossing channels
As consumers become accustomed to shopping both online and in stores, multichannel retailers must take a harder look at technology that supports cross-channel order management and fulfillment, says advisory firm AMR Research Inc. When retailers combine cross-channel order management with the ability to fulfill orders from any channel, including stores and warehouses dedicated for either stores or the online channel, they can better match customer demand with inventory, AMR Research says. But AMR says just 7% of retailers have deployed infrastructure to support cross-channel shopping.
Live Chat
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Leading
Top 500
Provider
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LivePerson
(34 of Top 500)
462 7th Ave., 3rd Floor
New York, NY 10018
212-609-4200
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Top E-Retail Clients:
QVC Inc. (No. 11)
NutriSystem Inc. (No. 46)
Etronics Inc. (No. 77) |
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Runner-Up
Top 500
Providers
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InstantService Inc.
(11 of Top 500)
600 University St., Suite 401
Seattle, WA 98101
206-956-8000
ATG
(7 of Top 500)
One Main St.
Cambridge, MA 02142
617-386-1000
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Top E-Retail Clients:
Nordstrom Inc. (No. 32)
The Orvis Co. Inc. (No. 119)
Ritz Interactive Inc. (No. 124)
Amazon.com Inc. (No. 1)
Dell Inc. (No. 3)
Best Buy Co. (No. 10)
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On the same page
As live chat becomes a more common tool used by 54% of large e-retailers, according to the E-tailing Group, online retailers are learning how to make it more effective. Live chat can be deployed so a customer service agent can view the same web page that a customer is viewing. Retailers are promoting expanded use of live chat by making it more noticeable on product pages, promoting its use within on-hold telephone recordings and displaying the average wait time for each customer service channel.
Order Management
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Leading
Top 500
Provider
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Escalate Retail
(38 of Top 500)
9890 Towne Centre Drive, Suite 100
San Diego, CA 92121
800-854-2263
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Top E-Retail Clients:
The Home Depot Inc. (No. 43)
Hot Topic Inc. (No. 211)
The Buckle Inc. (No. 425) |
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Runner-Up
Top 500
Providers
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GSI Commerce Inc.
(29 of Top 500)
935 First Ave.
King of Prussia, PA 19406
610-491-7000
MICROS-Retail
(13 of Top 500)
30500 Bruce Industrial Pkwy.
Cleveland, OH 44139
440-498-4414
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Top E-Retail Clients:
Toys 'R' Us Inc. (No. 39)
RadioShack Corp. (No. 224)
Ace Hardware Corp. (No. 451)
Orchard Brands Corp. (No. 59)
GameStop Corp. (No. 113)
Jos. A. Bank Clothiers Inc. (No. 189)
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Preserving order
Data consistency and effective use of cross-channel data, which is typically organized with order management systems, remain big hurdles to serving consumers efficiently across the channels of store, web and catalog. According to Retail Systems Research, an inability to effectively use customer information for cross-channel marketing was identified as the most significant inhibitor by the 88 retailers surveyed. The lack of cross-channel integration of inventory and order management systems was cited by 36% of "winners" and 35% of the other retailers. RSR classifies retailers whose same-store sales are growing by more than the historical industry average of 3% as winners.
Payments Systems
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Leading
Top 500
Provider
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Chase Paymentech Solutions LLC
(113 of Top 500)
14221 Dallas Pkwy.
Dallas, TX 75254
800-788-6010
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Top E-Retail Clients:
Amazon.com Inc. (No. 1)
Costco Wholesale Corp. (No. 14)
Zappos.com Inc. (No. 27) |
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Runner-Up
Top 500
Providers
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PayPal Inc.
(75 of Top 500)
2211 N. First St.
San Jose, CA 95131
408-967-7400
CyberSource Corp.
(45 of Top 500)
1295 Charleston Road
Mountain View, CA 94043
650-965-6000
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Top E-Retail Clients:
SonyStyle.com (No. 12)
Blue Nile Inc. (No. 56)
YOOX Group (No. 79)
Overstock.com Inc. (No. 29)
The Home Depot Inc. (No. 43)
Nike Inc. (No. 49)
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More options?
Despite lingering security concerns about doing business online in foreign markets, there are indications that these new markets can be a significant boost to sales. For example, letting European shoppers pay online through their preferred methods can boost overseas sales an average of 20% to 30%, payments systems provider CyberSource Corp. advises. Although 59% of North American merchants accept international orders, the percentage of these merchants that accept payment methods preferred by overseas consumers is relatively low, CyberSource says.
Personalization
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Leading
Top 500
Providers
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Certona
(6 of Top 500)
100 Via de la Valle, Suite 100
Del Mar, CA 92014
858-369-3888
MyBuys Inc.
(6 of Top 500)
One Lagoon Drive, Suite 120
Redwood City, CA 94065
650-591-0210
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Top E-Retail Clients:
Victoria's Secret (No. 19)
eBags.com (No. 93)
PETCO Animal Supplies Inc. (No. 186)
AutoAnything (No. 204)
Gaiam Inc. (No. 254)
Cost Plus Inc. (No. 374)
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Runner-Up
Top 500
Provider
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ATG
(5 of Top 500)
One Main St.
Cambridge, MA 02142
617-386-1000
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Top E-Retail Clients:
Best Buy Co. (No. 10)
NutriSystem Inc. (No. 46)
Joann.com (No. 256)
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Making relevant offers
Online retailers that pay close attention to how customers react to personalized product recommendations have an excellent opportunity to drive more sales, says a June 2009 report and survey from personalization technology vendor MyBuys Inc. and research firm the E-tailing Group Inc. In a survey of 1,000 consumers with annual household incomes of $50,000 and higher who shop online at least twice each month, 43% of respondents find it very or somewhat valuable if the retailer offers specific product recommendations tailored to their personal tastes and shopping histories.
Rich Media
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Leading
Top 500
Provider
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Scene7, an Adobe Co.
(109 of Top 500)
601 Townsend St.
San Francisco, CA 94103
877-723-6370
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Top E-Retail Clients:
Sears Holdings Corp. (No. 7)
Walmart.com (No. 13)
HP Home & Home Office Store (No. 16) |
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Runner-Up
Top 500
Providers
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ChannelAdvisor
(33 of Top 500)
2701 Aerial Center Pkwy.
Morrisville, NC 27560
800-264-8594
Easy2 Technologies Inc.
(22 of Top 500)
1220 Huron Road East, 7th Floor
Cleveland Ohio, 44115
216-479-0482
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Top E-Retail Clients:
Staples Inc. (No. 2)
Walmart.com (No. 13)
1-800-Flowers.com Inc. (No. 31)
Amazon.com Inc. (No. 1)
CDW Corp. (No. 8)
Lowe's Cos. Inc. (No. 76)
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New looks
Web retailers said they are adding rich media to offer consumers visual shopping aids. In a recent survey, 50% of retailers plan to add alternative product images this year, and 31% color swatches, according to Shop.org and Forrester Research. Vendors offer technologies via licensed software or host them, providing service on demand.
Search Engine Marketing
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Leading
Top 500
Provider
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iProspect
(18 of Top 500)
The Arsenal on the Charles, 311 Arsenal St.
Watertown, MA 02472
617-923-7000
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Top E-Retail Clients:
ShoeMall.com (No. 135)
Jones Retail Corp. (No. 271)
Hat World Corp. (No. 360) |
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Runner-Up
Top 500
Providers
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Performics
(15 of Top 500)
180 N. LaSalle, Suite 1100
Chicago, IL 60601
312-739-0222
ChannelAdvisor
(13 of Top 500)
2701 Aerial Center Pkwy.
Morrisville, NC 27560
800-264-8594
Google
(13 of Top 500)
1600 Amphitheatre Pkwy.
Mountain View, CA 94043
650-623-4000
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Top E-Retail Clients:
HP Home & Home Office Store (No. 16)
Cabela's Inc. (No. 40)
American Girl LLC (No. 97)
J&R Electronics Inc. (No. 103)
PETCO Animal Supplies Inc. (No. 186)
LumberLiquidators.com (No. 234)
Costco Wholesale Corp. (No. 14)
Toys 'R' Us Inc. (No. 39)
YOOX Group (No. 79)
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Productive tools
Fiscal inertia characterized much of U.S. retailing in the past year. But through it all online retailers have fared better than other channels and many have done so by sticking to search as a key tool for online advertising. And there are signs that strategy is working. Internet Retailer's spring search engine marketing survey found that since last fall 41.9% of retailers say paid search advertising outperformed other forms of marketing.
Security Certification
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Leading
Top 500
Provider
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McAfee Inc.
(129 of Top 500)
3965 Freedom Circle
Santa Clara, CA 95054
877-302-9965
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Top E-Retail Clients:
Avon Products Inc. (No. 30)
Cabela's Inc. (No. 40)
The Discovery Channel Store Inc. (No. 191) |
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Runner-Up
Top 500
Providers
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VeriSign Inc.
(132 of Top 500)
487 E. Middlefield Road
Mountain View, CA 94043
650-961-7500
Thawte Inc.
(20 of Top 500)
487 E. Middlefield Road
Mountain View, CA 94043
650-426-7400
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Top E-Retail Clients:
Newegg Inc. (No. 9)
Overstock.com Inc. (No. 29)
Peapod LLC (No. 47)
Cymax Stores Inc. (No. 200)
Under Armour Inc. (No. 259)
KitchenSource.com (No. 427)
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Calming fears
Many consumers worry about the safety of buying online, and 71% say they exercise caution when choosing where to shop online, according to a survey by research and consulting firm Gartner Inc. Many online retailers try to soothe those fears by using security services that certify the safety of an e-commerce site. Of the Top 500 retailers, 58% use security certification vendors.
Site Design
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Leading
Top 500
Provider
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Fry Inc.
(12 of Top 500)
650 Avis Drive
Ann Arbor, MI 48108
800-379-6858
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Top E-Retail Clients:
Ann Taylor Stores Corp. (No. 108)
The Children's Place (No. 149)
Meijer Inc. (No. 489) |
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Runner-Up
Top 500
Providers
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GSI Commerce Inc.
(11 of Top 500)
935 First Ave.
King of Prussia, PA 19406
610-491-7000
Razorfish
(5 of Top 500)
821 Second Ave., Suite 1800
Seattle, WA 98104
206-816-8800
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Top E-Retail Clients:
National Football League (No. 123)
adidas America Inc. (No. 315)
Shop PBS (No. 400)
J.C. Penney Co. Inc. (No. 15)
Williams-Sonoma Inc. (No. 24)
Amway Global (No. 28)
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Follow a leader
Many online merchants that have been through an e-commerce redesign experience similar woes. Everyone—from technology staff to the marketing department to upper management—wants a say in how the site should look and function. And many times, those opinions clash. Pulling off a successful site redesign is not easy, but it can be done. Retailers who have done it offer a few tips: Put the customer first, establish clear objectives in the beginning and designate a redesign leader that no one, not even the CEO, can trump.
Site Search
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Leading
Top 500
Provider
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Endeca Technologies Inc.
(85 of Top 500)
101 Main St.
Cambridge, MA 02142
617-674-6000
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Top E-Retail Clients:
SonyStyle.com (No. 12)
Costco Wholesale Corp. (No. 14)
J.C. Penney Co. Inc. (No. 15) |
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Runner-Up
Top 500
Providers
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Omniture
(45 of Top 500)
550 E. Timpanogos Circle
Orem, UT 84097
877-722-7088
SLI Systems
(37 of Top 500)
20370 Town Center Lane, Suite 208
Cupertino, CA 95014
866-240-2812
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Top E-Retail Clients:
Williams-Sonoma Inc. (No. 24)
Overstock.com Inc. (No. 29)
Blockbuster Inc. (No. 37)
FTD Group Inc. (No. 60)
Hot Topic Inc. (No. 211)
ULTA Salon, Cosmetics & Fragrance Inc. (No. 339)
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Meshing the tools
The most successful e-commerce sites integrate site search and other key marketing tools, says Susan Aldrich, senior vice president with the marketing consulting firm Patricia Seybold Group. Combining site search with other key elements of an e-commerce platform can produce more sales, bigger orders and a higher sales conversion. Until recently many online retailers have focused on getting the basics working: a site search engine and taxonomy, product catalogs, and a shopping cart, Aldrich says. Site search applications have dramatically improved in the past decade and even more significantly in the past two years.
Web Analytics
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Leading
Top 500
Provider
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Omniture
(220 of Top 500)
550 E. Timpanogos Circle
Orem, UT 84097
877-722-7088
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Top E-Retail Clients:
Dell Inc. (No. 3)
Apple Inc. (No. 5)
Best Buy Co. (No. 10) |
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Runner-Up
Top 500
Providers
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Google
(123 of Top 500)
1600 Amphitheatre Pkwy.
Mountain View, CA 94043
650-623-4000
Coremetrics
(115 of Top 500)
1840 Gateway Drive, Suite 320
San Mateo, CA 94404
866-493-2673
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Top E-Retail Clients:
Blue Nile Inc. (No. 56)
CSN Stores LLC (No. 63)
The Swiss Colony Inc. (No. 91)
Office Depot Inc. (No. 4)
QVC Inc. (No. 11)
Costco Wholesale Corp. (No. 14)
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Marketing measures
As consumers shop more online rather than offline and marketers rely more on interactive online marketing channels, spending on web analytics technology will rise to $953 million by 2014, up from $431 million this year, Forrester Research Inc. says in a June report. Also driving demand for web analytics is an increasing quest for accountability in marketing campaigns and the emergence of a new crop of web analytics applications that provide more analysis of specific business operations, Forrester says in "U.S. Web Analytics Forecast, 2008 To 2014."
Web Hosting
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Leading
Top 500
Provider
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GSI Commerce Inc.
(28 of Top 500)
935 First Ave.
King of Prussia, PA 19406
610-491-7000
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Top E-Retail Clients:
Victoria's Secret/Bath and Body Works (No. 19)
Toys 'R' Us Inc. (No. 39)
Ralph Lauren Media LLC (No. 88) |
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Runner-Up
Top 500
Providers
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Rackspace
(26 of Top 500)
9725 Datapoint Drive, Suite 100
San Antonio, TX 78229
800-961-2888
Yahoo Inc.
(21 of Top 500)
701 First Ave.
Sunnyvale, CA 94089
866-781-9246
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Top E-Retail Clients:
Coastal Contacts Inc. (No. 118)
Lamps Plus Inc. (No. 138)
Cymax Stores Inc. (No. 200)
OpticsPlanet Inc. (No. 197)
Online Stores Inc. (No. 352)
Organize.com Inc. (No. 475)
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Know the basics
While web hosting can be the lifeblood of an e-commerce site, details such as server configuration and PCI compliance protocols are beyond the expertise of most business managers—they depend on the web host to deliver what it says it will, without firsthand knowledge of precisely how the process works. Scalability, redundancy and co-location issues, seamless rollover ability, and security are some of the key factors business managers should have on their checklist before handing off more detailed questions about the technical interface to the information technology department.
Web Performance Monitoring
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Leading
Top 500
Provider
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Gomez Inc.
(113 of Top 500)
10 Maguire Road
Lexington, MA 02421
877-372-6732
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Top E-Retail Clients:
Amazon.com Inc. (No. 1)
Office Depot Inc. (No. 4)
OfficeMax Inc. (No. 6) |
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Runner-Up
Top 500
Providers
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Keynote Systems Inc.
(38 of Top 500)
777 Mariners Island Blvd.
San Mateo, CA 94404
800-539-6683
AlertSite
(27 of Top 500)
4611 Johnson Road, Suite 6
Coconut Creek, FL 33073
954-312-0188
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Top E-Retail Clients:
CDW Corp. (No. 8)
Costco Wholesale Corp. (No. 14)
HP Home & Home Office Store (No. 16)
Sierra Trading Post Inc. (No. 73)
Shoebuy.com Inc. (No. 90)
Potpourri Group Inc. (No. 150)
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Minding the store
Ensuring consistent and speedy delivery of pages becomes increasingly challenging for online retailers with the addition of new bandwidth-consuming features. And if it’s a potential problem when a single consumer interacts with a web page, it's magnified by the demands of many consumers attempting to interact with a site during peak times, such as during the holiday shopping season. Web performance monitoring providers aim to help retailers manage the new environment. Yet only 55.8% of the Top 500 say they use a performance-monitoring service.
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