Retail Marketing: 11 Major Retailers Weigh In on Digital Marketing Strategy for 2014

Retail Marketing: 11 Major Retailers
on Digital Marketing Strategy for
2014
Original Post Here

THE RETAIL EXPERTS
 Jonathon Ohayon | Brilliance.com
 Jason Falls | CafePress
 Dan Dillon | CleanItSupply.com
 Curtis Petersen | Coastal.com
 Jeff Lerner | Cricket Wireless
 Rich Brown | FarFetch
 Troy Eaves | FUN.com
 Megan Knisely | Karmaloop
 Jeff McRitchie | MyBinding.com
 Mike Kearns | JustBats.com
 Vivian Tsai | Timbuk2
Manages Over
$50,000 in
Ad Spend
We got the chance to hear from 11 major players in the online retail space from a wide
range of product categories to discuss their major retail marketing focuses for 2014. The
ecommerce experts:

THE QUESTIONS
 What emerging e-commerce and retail marketing
technologies are you most excited about?
 What’s the backbone of your digital advertising and
online retail marketing efforts?
 What’s the biggest challenge you face heading into
2014 and what’s your plan to tackle it?
What We Asked Them:

Jonathon Ohayon: COO, Brilliance.com
 Jonathon is COO of Brilliance.com, a leading online
retailer of loose diamonds, engagement rings and fine
jewelry. A graduate gemologist, he is involved in every
aspect of Brilliance.com, from jewelry production to
site development initiatives.

Google Shopping Is Now PaidJonathon Ohayon BRILLIANCE.COM
What emerging e-commerce and retail
marketing technologies are you most excited
about?
We are really excited about the potential in targeting customers based on their interests,
location or demographics. The kind of targeting that is becoming available gives us really
powerful tools to target the most interested buyers.
This realization really came to light when I was listening to Pandora and I heard an ad from a
local car wash. Whereas in the “old” Pandora days national brands had most ad
spots, improvements in targeting are paving the way for local or targeted/niche
businesses to serve relevant ads to potential customers with pinpoint accuracy.
With the recent purchase of WhatsApp by Facebook for $19 billion, you can begin to see how
important and valued reaching targeted buyers can really be.

What’s the backbone of your digital
advertising and online retail marketing
efforts?
The backbone of our digital advertising efforts has always been a combination of product
ads and a content rich site. Recently, we have put a lot more emphasis on social marketing.
We have seen a shift from “searching” or “shopping” for an answer or product on Google to
asking the same questions on social channels instead. Not to say that people will all of a
sudden stop using Google, but the value of an answer from a contact or friend on a social
channel is becoming a much bigger factor.
For example, our Facebook engagement is extremely important to us and unlike many other
large companies we are highly involved in nurturing our followership (as you can see by the
percentage of followers that are regularly engaged).

What’s the biggest challenge you face
heading into 2014 and what’s your plan to
tackle it?
The ever-evolving landscape of SEO! A large portion of our business is still organic traffic. Due
to the many abused strategies (guest blogging anyone!) that have become prevalent, many
search engines have adjusted their indexing measures to account for these “bad” practices.
Our strategy to tackle this challenge has always focused on fresh content written by our
diamond and jewelry experts. Companies that are delivering great content that is new and
adds value to their site will come out stronger than ever.

Jason Falls: VP Digital Strategy, CafePress
 Jason Falls is an author, speaker and thought leader in the
digital marketing space. He is the founder of Social Media
Explorer, an agency specializing in digital marketing
strategy and measurement, and currently serves as Vice-
President of Digital Strategy for CafePress, a top-100
Internet retail site.

Google Shopping Is Now PaidJason Falls CAFEPRESS
about?
Relevancy is the key to optimal marketing so I’m really excited about tools and technologies
that allow companies to dial in targeting at a very granular level. My definition of the
relevancy bullseye is to send a relevant message to a relevant audience at a relevant time
and in a relevant location. You do that and you’ve hit the Relevancy Bullseye, thus optimizing
your chance at success.
Thanks to social graph data and targeting tools like Facebook and LinkedIn ad platforms,
you’re going to start seeing more and more intimate targeting become available. I believe the
level of granularity social graph data can provide will be so effective most consumers will
appreciate rather than feel overly violated by the notion.

efforts?
It has to be email marketing. The Direct Marketing Association continually rates email as the
most effective channel for return on investment in the digital space, almost double that of
the next most effective. If you get that invitation to someone’s inbox and can deliver a
relevant message at a relevant time to that consumer, you get far greater action than in
other channels.
It’s because they’ve said, “Yes,” to you coming to the one area of the web they actually pay
close attention to: their mail.

tackle it?
The biggest challenge is almost always staying ahead of the consumer demand, creating
content that continually engages and entices them and keeps them on the hook with your
brand. We live in an attention-deficit society.
Staying top of mind is increasingly more difficult and with Facebook, Pinterest and other
social networks working against our ability to reach our audiences organically, we as brand
marketers are forced to either pay for eyeballs or create incredible content. It’s not an easy
task. As for a plan to tackle it? Develop a trump-yourself approach to content, but don’t be
afraid to support a strong post with some ad spend.

Dan Dillon: CEO, CleanItSupply.com
 Dan Dillon is the Founder and CEO of CleanItSupply.com,
starting the business in 2006 out of his garage with the
goal to sell to janitorial services companies, office
complexes and homeowners for their
everyday supply needs.

Google Shopping Is Now PaidDan Dillon CLEANITSUPPLY.COM
about?
One of newest ecommerce technologies that we’re excited about in 2014 is watching the
trend of subscription commerce. The set it and forget it convenience and flexibility
commodity retailers are beginning to offer their customers makes it very clear the efforts put
forth to ensure brand loyalty. It’s still early on but we believe consumers are beginning to
embrace the idea of automatic ordering and convenience.

efforts?
Our business especially likes the Product Listing Ad and email marketing space. Both
channels consistently stand out because of the uniqueness of their ability to “speak” to the
customer. PLA’s “speak” with product imagery and email campaigns can do the same if
designed properly. Being able to strike a nerve with your potential customer and existing
customer can only increase conversions.

tackle it?
We are really excited about the potential in targeting customers based on their interests,
location or demographics. The kind of targeting that is becoming available gives us really
powerful tools to target the most interested buyers.
This realization really came to light when I was listening to Pandora and I heard an ad from a
local car wash. Whereas in the “old” Pandora days national brands had most ad
spots, improvements in targeting are paving the way for local or targeted/niche
businesses to serve relevant ads to potential customers with pinpoint accuracy.
With the recent purchase of WhatsApp by Facebook for $19 billion, you can begin to see how
important and valued reaching targeted buyers can really be.

Curtis Petersen: VP Advertising, Coastal.com
 Curtis is a proven developer of Customer Marketing and
Internet Strategies. Curtis holds a Bachelor of Commerce
degree in Marketing from the University of British
Columbia and an MBA from Simon Fraser University.

Google Shopping Is Now PaidCurtis Petersen COASTAL.COM
about?
Programmatic media buying – for Coastal, it will allow us to more effectively use our own 1st
party data to improve target and cost for acquisition.

efforts?
Email because it dictates how much you can invest to acquire a new customer.

tackle it?
Growth, and the plan to tackle it is to use the data that we’ve gathered about our customers
for better decision making and media buying.

Jeff Lerner: Director of Ecommerce & Digital
Marketing, Cricket Wireless
 Jeff Lerner is the Director of Ecommerce and Digital
Marketing at Cricket Wireless. Jeff joined Cricket in
December 2012 after 7 years in various roles at Google
as well as serving as VP of Digital Media at a New York
based ad agency.

Google Shopping Is Now PaidJeff Lerner CRICKET WIRELESS
about?
I am probably most excited about the technologies I don’t even know exist yet. It’s a bit
cliché, but given the advances in user targeting, ad serving, remarketing, and social
integration, I can’t help but get excited for what comes next. Perhaps there will be a scientific
solution to tracking online to offline conversions, new advances in combatting
“showrooming” in stores, and so on.
As for what is out there today, I am looking forward to deeper integrations between social
and shopping. There are endless possibilities for advertisers to reach customers, friends of
customers, people similar to their customers and so on using social channels. These targeting
tactics will only improve with time, resulting in better conversions, fewer wasted
impressions, and a better experience for everyone.

efforts?
Paid search continues to be the foundation of our marketing efforts to drive ecommerce
growth for Cricket. A strategic paid search campaign is designed to capture the demand for
products and services at the exact moment a user is looking for it, and this holds true for
Cricket as well.
However, despite paid search being the “backbone” of our marketing efforts, it would not be
nearly as effective if it was not for other marketing channels that help generate that demand
for what we offer. Targeted display ads, social media, and even email blasts play a vital role in
overall marketing attribution. It is rare that a user would only be exposed to one element of
the marketing mix and become a customer. Paid search may drive the last-click sale, but it
didn’t act alone.

How do you see Google playing a larger,
perhaps different role in ecommerce and
commerce as a whole in the next 3-5 years?
Having worked at Google for 7 years, the one thing I will always expect is for Google to play a
larger role in our lives, and that includes marketing and ecommerce.
Over the last few years, Google has made improvements to their shopping engine, added
product listing ads and extensions, integrated Google+ seller rankings into search and other
advancements to become more deeply entrenched in online shopping behaviors.
Over the coming years, I expect Google to innovate in this area and find ways for both
marketers and users to include Google products as they shop – even offline.

Rich Brown: Head of PPC, Farfetch
 Rich joined Farfetch in May 2012 as Head of PPC
to define, manage, and execute the global
strategy for paid search.

Google Shopping Is Now PaidRich Brown FARFETCH
about?
For us, wearable technology is something that we are keeping a very close eye on. With
designer wearbale tech already being produced such as Tory Burch for Fitbit, we’re now at a
stage where we are moving away from wearables being just about the technology and
equally about the design. Wearable tech enables consumers to have consistent and richer
mobile experiences regardless of the actual device.
These devices are not just being used for communication but also to access data and
information such as map directions or fitness data. At Farfetch we are working towards an
omnichannel experience for our customers and we need to be aware of all the touch points
available to a consumer.
For a marketer, wearable technology does create yet more challenges in terms of measuring
the influence of multiple mobile device touch points and attributing value but as the
technology develops we will have a better idea of what is possible.

efforts?
It’s difficult to pick just one channel to stand out as each one has a reason in itself to be
picked. Search (Both PPC & SEO), affiliates, and email all contribute significantly to our
business in different ways. However, the most exciting developments for us have
been retargeting and Google Product Listing Ads.
Over the last 12 months both retargeting and product ads have been our fastest growing ad
formats and are increasingly playing a bigger role in our marketing efforts. Both ad formats
are very visual which is extremely important when marketing our products and this has
definitely had a big impact on what we have been able to achieve.

tackle it?
In 2014 we are launching three new international sites. Each come with their own challenges
in terms of technical infrastructure and marketing considerations so we want to ensure that
we give people the same experience and carry the look and feel of our brand throughout
each new site.
We have dedicated resources internally to tackle all the challenges we may face whether its
technical, PR or marketing related. Everyone has a clear picture of what we are trying to
achieve and we can react quickly to challenges and and opportunities that we are faced with.

Troy Eaves: VP Marketing, FUN.com
 Troy is the VP of Marketing at FUN.com and has an
extensive background in eComm and Search
Marketing. He is currently focusing on growing
FUN.com, HalloweenCostumes.com, and T-
Shirts.com (Soon to be rebranded as: Shirts.com)
as the best offering available online in their
respective markets.

Google Shopping Is Now PaidTroy Eaves FUN.COM
about?
I think the online shopping experience will continue to come full circle for the customer.
After you’ve purchased something, technology will help companies stay in communication
and not online maximize your experience with the product, but keep you interested in the
brand and buy from them again.
I think more customer data will allow eComm to communicate more timely to them;
through email/text/revisiting the site for relevant & new content that again, maximizes your
use with the product.

efforts?
Because our industry specifically is so image-centric, people want to know what things look
like and they want ideas on how to use the products. For that reason, the picture heavy
channels always win for us – PLAs & Pinterest.

tackle it?
Brand development and off-setting seasonality (of Halloween). We’re going to tackle by
promoting what we believe in – Having fun.

Megan Knisely: Director of Marketing,
Karmaloop
 Megan is the Director of Marketing for Karmaloop,
a lifestyle apparel retailer.

Google Shopping Is Now PaidMegan Knisely KARMALOOP
about?
With mobile traffic and revenue growing at such a rapid pace, we’re excited about all of the
new developments in the mobile space. For the longest time, mobile has been somewhat of
the “wild wild west” for us, so we’re eager to test some new partners to help us with getting
more efficient and targeted with our mobile campaigns and learning more about customers
who are utilizing their mobile devices.

efforts?
Karmaloop is a lifestyle brand, so social media has always been one of the most important
channels for our company. Social Media channels like Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram give
us the opportunity to showcase what makes Karmaloop different than most other retailers,
but they also convey our sales messaging in a place where we know to find our customers.
Marketing pushes typically start and finish with our social media channels and disseminate
from there.

tackle it?
With the ecommerce landscape becoming more and more developed, it’s becoming
increasingly important for us as marketers to not only understand our individual channels but
also how the interact with one another. The biggest challenge for us as a company
is developing an attribution model that works for our company and gives us a clear
understanding of each channel and how it truly performs.
We have all of the data at our fingertips, it’s figuring out how to bridge the gaps between it
all that will be our biggest challenge.

Jeff McRitchie: VP Marketing, MyBinding.com
 Jeff McRitchie is the VP of Marketing
for MyBinding.com and has been responsible for
the site since its inception in 2003. A passionate
entrepreneur, Jeff has helped to lead the company
to ten consecutive years of double digit growth
and to three appearances on the INC 5000 list of
fastest growing private companies in the USA.

Google Shopping Is Now PaidJeff McRitchie MYBINDING.COM
about?
All of the new technologies for personalization are really exciting. It wasn’t too long ago that
it took an investment of millions of dollars for a site to provide a highly personalized
shopping experience. Now there are tools, technologies, and partners to allow for dynamic
retargeting, cart abandonment, customized recommendations, automated emails and
dynamic offers and merchandising.
At MyBinding we are just beginning to explore these new technologies and we are seeing
awesome results so far.

efforts?
Until recently I would have definitely answered this question with SEO. However, with all of
the changes that Google has made in the past year we have been searching for growth
elsewhere. Currently text ads still drive more revenue than any other channel. However,
comparison shopping channels are growing faster with better ROI numbers.
Specifically, PLA’s have shown the best growth and ROI this past year. I am excited to see
them continue to grow and to see what might be possible as Bing launches their answer to
PLA’s.

tackle it?
In some ways it is really exciting to be an online retailer in 2014. However, in other ways it
can be really scary. Expectations of retailers are rising and they are rising fast. Consumers
expect an amazing, personalized shopping experience with ultra-fast free shipping and rock
bottom low prices. Search engines expect highly relevant, unique and engaging content.
These things are pushing us to be better at what we do. We expect to make significant
improvements to our site experience, usability, and content this year. We are also making
big moves to better engage our existing customers. All of these things should help us to be a
better brand which we really see as the key to our continued success.

Mike Kearns: Director of Ecommerce,
JustBats.com
 Mike Kearns is Pro Athlete’s Director of
eCommerce. As Director of eCommerce, Kearns’
main focus is making sure the customer has the
best possible experience while navigating our
many brands.

Google Shopping Is Now PaidMike Kearns JUSTBATS.COM
about?
A couple of things. Video customer service is a huge value-added differentiator for
ecommerce retailers who have a long sales cycle, high return rates, or require consultation to
sell their product or service. There’s also the concept of assisted navigation that been
around for years.
Think of it as a personal butler who assists with every unique customer in a personal way.
Yoyo’s toy finder, Target’s gift finder, and JustBats.com’s bat coach are examples of pages
setup to assist the customer in navigating to products they have a higher probability of
purchasing. It’s not new, but very effective and there needs to be more of this.

efforts?
Going all the way back to the goto.com days, PPC was and still is the number one channel
for JustBats.comin terms of visits and sales. On any given day, however, I can see it’s
certainly a mix of organic, email, comparision shopping, PPC, and other campaigns driving all
our traffic. What’s really exciting is to see our direct visits grow year-over-year and we all
know direct visits are free visits.
There’s a consensus among JustBats.com management that the intense advocation placed on
maximizing our customer service loop helps to deliberately create a consistent customer
experience which drives the brand.

tackle it?
Brick and mortar retailers have faced customer erosion due to ecommerce. Now, ecommerce
shops who have been comfortable in niche markets for far too long need to be aware there
are many players vying for market share.
Some players are new and some are old. The plan for all, whether brick and mortar or online,
should be to do whatever it takes to be hyper-focused on understanding your customer’s
needs and differentiating your product or service to maximize the relationship. JustBats.com
will be evaluating and testing many new website features to elevate the customer
experience in 2014.

Vivian Tsai: VP of Ecommerce & Retail, Timbuk2
 Vivian Tsai is the VP of eCommerce and Retail at
Timbuk2 Designs with more than 15 years
experience in retail – both online and brick-and-
mortar. Her experience is in General
Management, Merchandising/Buying, Strategy
and Store Operations at Timbuk2, Macy’s West,
and Gap.

Google Shopping Is Now PaidVivian Tsai TIMBUK2
about?
Facebook Ads are interesting for us with different ad types serving as customer acquisition
tools vs customer retention tools vs customer engagement tools and really being able to drill
down on certain characteristics that are speak to our core consumer groups. There’s a lot of
room to play here and I don’t think anyone’s nailed down a formula for this so experimenting
continues to be constantly important and educational.

efforts?
We still heavily rely on text ads and with mobile growing exponentially in importance in
traffic, we need to make sure we are relevant for that smaller screen size.

tackle it?
Mobile, mobile, mobile. Both tablet and phone, but particularly phone. It’s about the whole
experience: how you get noticed by the customer and the site experience once they come to
you. It all needs to be easily and quickly understandable, relevant and load super fast in bad
reception!

Major Takeaways
 Capitalizing on mobile traffic is a strong pain point
 Product Listing Ads and PPC text ads can provide the backbone
for any solid digital marketing strategy
 Email marketing continues to be a vital asset for retail marketers
 New advancements in customer segmentation and targeting will
open up new ad opportunities

Retail Marketing: 11 Major Retailers Weigh In on Digital Marketing Strategy for 2014

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