Branding vs. Direct Response vs. Community. This new three-way tug of war that most brands are locked up in does not have to be a no-win scenario (yes, I am a fan of Captain J.T. Kirk). They can all coexist in harmony. That is the mission of a new partnership that Ripple6 and ShopLocal are beginning to forge. Here is how it might work…
- Branding: This is a lot more subtle than may expect, but still effective. It has to be careful balanced since users are so smart and sensitive to something feeling to corporate and branded. So instead of a 30 second video clip, this may be some small logos sprinkled throughout or some peripheral display ads. People are smart, so they’ll get the fact that the entire experience is being sponsored and brought to life by the brand.
- Direct Response: In the most simple of terms, for a brand this is the activation piece. Classic questions like “is the item on sale” and “where nearby can I buy the item” must be addressed. This is where the ShopLocal multi-retailer promotional data set comes in. By being able to offer a brand content that can answer these two key questions, all of the branding and community dialogue can hopeful be converted into a sale in a local retail store. This is the product that ShopLocal called SmartBrand, since it is a single brand-centric, multi-channel comparison shopping tool that is typically deployed as an embeddable widget or iFrame within an overall larger site experience.
- Community: This is where the magic of Ripple6 comes in, whereby they create and moderate custom branded communities that get real eveyday people to engage with each other and a brand in a natural, conversational way. This is really the main attraction that gets users there and keeps them coming back.
Shown here are all the retailers that currently are promoting Suave brand products within their local stores . All of these products shown for each retailer here would be on sale currently.
Depicted here is a retailer store locator that only shows those nearby retailers that currently have a special promotion going on for Suave brand product.
ShopLocal CEO, Vikram Sharma, was recently featured as part of a CBS Chicago segment about retail holiday sales. A story for all of the holiday shopping procrastinators out there. CBS2 reporter, Dorothy Tucker takes a look at 2009’s holiday shopping season and retailer discounts.
Click here to watch the CBS video.
“Across the board, the deals are not gonna be that strong,” said Vikram Sharma, CEO of Shoplocal.com, a website that features local store ads and analyzes shopping trends.
Sharma says the deals won’t be as deep this year because retailers don’t have as much merchandise to sell.
“Inventories are much tighter because they’ve been able to plan for a leaner shopping season,” Sharma said. “So they’re offering deals, but they’re 20, 30, 40 percent deals.”
Sharma says instead of waiting until a few days before Christmas to promote deep discounts, this year, stores like Sears took a different approach by offering one-day deals.
Tucker’s advice “if you see something… grab it. The chances of it being cheaper on Christmas Eve are slim. In fact, with less stock on the shelves, if you wait, that perfect gift could be gone.”
You can find the full website article (with video) here.
Thanks to Getting Finances Done for writing a nice blog article about one of the best price comparison websites (if we do say so ourselves), www.ShopLocal.com.
Getting Finances Done says that they use ShopLocal.com to browse through the actual circulars page by page or search by item. “I use ShopLocal very frequently for items that I don’t want to pay shipping on or that I want right away. I will also buy locally vs online when I want the option of returning the item to the store if I have problems or aren’t satisfied,” says the author.
They also created a basic video with audio commentary explaining how they use ShopLocal.com. Thanks again to Getting Finances Done for the post about ShopLocal.com.
If you have Comcast then you’ve got to watch the On Demand Shopping channel (channel 887).
Another great example of bridging the offline world with the online world, starting in mid-November, Comcast Digital Cable customers can browse video circulars with the most up-to-date sale items traditionally featured in printed newspaper inserts from several top retailers.
The On Demand Shopping category is a partnership between Comcast, ShopLocal and Liquidus. ShopLocal is providing the local, versioned data and Liquidus is using their automated system to create the videos.
“Updating the classic sales circular for TV is a natural evolution,” said Kevin Smith, Vice President of Digital Media for Comcast Spotlight. “For retailers, Video Circulars on Demand are a tool to expand their reach to customers who are watching more and more video. For consumers, it’s another option for finding the items they’re looking for, from the comfort and convenience of their own homes.”
Selecting channel 887 on your remote control takes you to the On Demand Shopping category, where you can see the latest weekly ad circulars from several top retailers in your area.
For more information and to see a demo visit VODCirculars.com
.Starting in mid-November, Comcast Digital Cable customers can browse video circulars with the most up-to-date sale items traditionally featured in printed newspaper inserts from several top retailers. Selecting channel 887 on their remote controls takes customers to the On Demand Shopping category, where they can see the latest sale information from those stores 24×7.
ShopLocal.com was mentioned in a US News and World Report article titled “10 Tips to Save on Holiday Gifts.” Author Rebecca Kern encourages shoppers to use ShopLocal.com when they are out shopping noting that “the website compares the price of the item of the local store you’re visiting with the prices at retail stores nearby. If the store you are shopping in has a policy of matching a competitor’s price, you get immediate savings. Just as important as where you shop is when you shop.”
Click here to read the full US News and World Report article.
To compare prices and find deals near you click here.
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