New Technology Briefing: E-brochures increasing online profit
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ywords: e-brochure, e-catalogue, digital publishing, interactive marketing, DNL format
E-brochures increasing online profit Jeff McCarthy Received (in revised form): 15 June 2004
Abstract The internet is far outstripping other media and growing. This paper examines the role e-brochures can play in online communications and e-commerce. The entire piece is written from a direct and interactive marketing perspective, demonstrating how e-brochures have been applied in this area. Jargon is avoided. In doing so it aims to open up to marketers and brand owners a new opportunity for costeffective marketing.
Introduction Internet shopping in the UK alone is predicted to grow to £13.5bn during 2004.1 Latest research by the Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB) and Forrester Research highlights increasing growth in the take-up of internet and e-commerce throughout Europe.2 Even more interesting is how consumers are using it. . . Fifty-five per cent of UK adults have internet access and are online at least once a month. Only Sweden (73 per cent) and the Netherlands (67 per cent) recorded higher figures.3 For those with access, the internet has now become the second most dominant medium. Now ahead of radio, it easily beats both newspapers and magazines (based on the number of hours’ usage per week). Critically, the UK also leads the way in e-commerce. According to the IMRG, UK internet shopping grew by 70 per cent to £2.5bn over the Christmas 2003 period!4 E-brochures are increasingly being used to facilitate online sales and internet content. In certain sectors marketers are underpinning this as they attempt to shift less profitable offline sales into higher margin e-commerce. Jeff McCarthy Interactive Marketing LLP 7th Floor, Silkhouse Court Tithebarn Street Liverpool L2 2LZ, UK Tel: +44 (0) 151 515 3005 Fax: +44 (0) 151 515 3001 E-mail: [email protected] Web: www.interactivemarketing.net
How does e-brochure technology work? E-brochures are a form of electronic publishing. How they are used is limited only by the imagination. Most typically it has been as e-catalogues, corporate e-brochures and e-magazines. Recent innovations have meant they can be used as: — e-photo albums — which customers fill in themselves — e-surveys — a variation on the incredibly successful online survey products
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McCarthy — e-diary — used precisely as a hand-held diary and fully editable by the customer.
Addressing the missing ingredient
How they work is extremely simple: customers can either download the file and save, or browse within the website they are visiting. Content is viewed immediately upon the first page being seen, regardless of connection speed — no waiting for pages to load. The technology was developed initially to address a key missing ingredient of other online publishing: no software delivered online content in a format customers are used to viewing
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