"How the Best Manufacturer Web Sites Drive Sales (Hint: Through Other Stores)" Published by Independent Research Firm, Features Results of Channel Intelligence Survey
New report details the steps today’s manufacturers must take to capitalize on the role their websites play in the consumer’s path to purchase
Orlando, FL, July 26, 2009 --(PR.com)-- Channel Intelligence (CI) (http://www.channelintelligence.com/) announced today the publication of an independent report from Forrester Research, Inc., which utilized data from an online survey conducted by Channel Intelligence. The report outlines the importance of manufacturer web sites in eCommerce transactions and how manufacturers can capitalize on that role. The July 23, 2009, report, titled “How the Best Manufacturer Web Sites Drive Sales (Hint: Through Other Stores)”, provides Forrester’s independent analysis of a survey conducted by Channel Intelligence, which queried more than 13,000 consumers on 20 manufacturer sites in consumer electronics, computer hardware and software, personal care, and home improvement industries.
The report found that visitors to manufacturer Web sites are a highly valuable group, with 43 percent intending to buy immediately or within 48 hours. They are more brand loyal than the average online shopper, and nearly half of the survey respondents who converted reported spending an average of $200 on secondary items along with their main purchases. However, most manufacturers are currently not leveraging this valuable consumer traffic. The report states, “While it’s clear that manufacturer site visitors comprise a key segment of online shoppers, manufacturer Web sites struggle to convert visitors from researchers to purchasers.”
“This joint survey with Forrester offers insight into the consumers who visit manufacturer Web sites during the purchase cycle and what manufacturers can do to ensure shoppers continue on the brand’s purchase path,” commented CI Co-Founder and EVP Alan Fulmer. “Even manufacturers selling only through retail partners can streamline the lead referral process and make it easier for consumers to buy through the preferred channel.”
The report provides recommendations for manufacturers wishing to advance their Web site’s contribution to the sales process. Forrester writes, “Manufacturers must focus on developing robust product pages, while excelling in customer service, establishing a community for brand loyalists, and simplifying the path to purchase.” Best practices for manufacturers to move their Web sites closer to achieving these goals are outlined in the report.
The CI Ad Network offers robust where-to-buy services designed to help manufacturers harness these opportunities and work more effectively with channel partners to maintain brand image and increase sales by linking a manufacturer’s product page directly to a retailer’s online or local store. Find out more about the CI Ad Network here: http://www.channelintelligence.com/cian/index.html.
To view the “How The Best Manufacturer Web Sites Drive Sales (Hint: Through Other Stores)” report summary or purchase the report, visit: http://www.forrester.com/Research/Document/Excerpt/0,7211,54915,00.html
About Channel Intelligence, Inc. (CI):
CI is a product data technology and marketing company focused on helping retailers and manufacturers make their products easier for consumers to find and buy on the Internet and in local retail stores. The CI product database is capable of storing, managing, optimizing and analyzing hundreds of millions of products every day. This database powers product data for leading manufacturers and retailers in Computing, Home Improvement, Appliances, Consumer Electronics, Toys and other Consumer Product industries such as Apparel, Cosmetics and Jewelry. CI offers innovative suites of services for hundreds of the world's best known manufacturers, retailers and publishers and provides distribution of product data to over 50 destination websites, including the proprietary CI Ad Network. Cultivating partnerships with some of the best solution providers in the eCommerce arena, CI is a partner company of Internet Capital Group (Nasdaq: ICGE) and Aweida Capital Management. CI was founded in 1999 by CEO Robert Wight and EVP Alan Fulmer and is headquartered in Orlando, Fla., with offices in Geneva, Switzerland and London, England. Learn more at www.channelintelligence.com.
Contact:
Joy Lee
(321) 559-2336
joy.lee@channelintelligence.com
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The report found that visitors to manufacturer Web sites are a highly valuable group, with 43 percent intending to buy immediately or within 48 hours. They are more brand loyal than the average online shopper, and nearly half of the survey respondents who converted reported spending an average of $200 on secondary items along with their main purchases. However, most manufacturers are currently not leveraging this valuable consumer traffic. The report states, “While it’s clear that manufacturer site visitors comprise a key segment of online shoppers, manufacturer Web sites struggle to convert visitors from researchers to purchasers.”
“This joint survey with Forrester offers insight into the consumers who visit manufacturer Web sites during the purchase cycle and what manufacturers can do to ensure shoppers continue on the brand’s purchase path,” commented CI Co-Founder and EVP Alan Fulmer. “Even manufacturers selling only through retail partners can streamline the lead referral process and make it easier for consumers to buy through the preferred channel.”
The report provides recommendations for manufacturers wishing to advance their Web site’s contribution to the sales process. Forrester writes, “Manufacturers must focus on developing robust product pages, while excelling in customer service, establishing a community for brand loyalists, and simplifying the path to purchase.” Best practices for manufacturers to move their Web sites closer to achieving these goals are outlined in the report.
The CI Ad Network offers robust where-to-buy services designed to help manufacturers harness these opportunities and work more effectively with channel partners to maintain brand image and increase sales by linking a manufacturer’s product page directly to a retailer’s online or local store. Find out more about the CI Ad Network here: http://www.channelintelligence.com/cian/index.html.
To view the “How The Best Manufacturer Web Sites Drive Sales (Hint: Through Other Stores)” report summary or purchase the report, visit: http://www.forrester.com/Research/Document/Excerpt/0,7211,54915,00.html
About Channel Intelligence, Inc. (CI):
CI is a product data technology and marketing company focused on helping retailers and manufacturers make their products easier for consumers to find and buy on the Internet and in local retail stores. The CI product database is capable of storing, managing, optimizing and analyzing hundreds of millions of products every day. This database powers product data for leading manufacturers and retailers in Computing, Home Improvement, Appliances, Consumer Electronics, Toys and other Consumer Product industries such as Apparel, Cosmetics and Jewelry. CI offers innovative suites of services for hundreds of the world's best known manufacturers, retailers and publishers and provides distribution of product data to over 50 destination websites, including the proprietary CI Ad Network. Cultivating partnerships with some of the best solution providers in the eCommerce arena, CI is a partner company of Internet Capital Group (Nasdaq: ICGE) and Aweida Capital Management. CI was founded in 1999 by CEO Robert Wight and EVP Alan Fulmer and is headquartered in Orlando, Fla., with offices in Geneva, Switzerland and London, England. Learn more at www.channelintelligence.com.
Contact:
Joy Lee
(321) 559-2336
joy.lee@channelintelligence.com
###
Contact
Channel Intelligence Inc.
Joy Lee
1.321.559.2336
http://www.channelintelligence.com
Joy Lee
1.321.559.2336
http://www.channelintelligence.com
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