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and computers, that it is reshaping the way that we merchandise bought a decent product in the first place.
and market our businesses. Merchandisers should now be reading site analytics to see
It may well be that the previous business structures will not where the company is strong and weak, where the high-traffic
work for much longer. That traditional roles for the marketing and landing pages are and what products are being clicked on.
presentation of product are no longer relevant. We may have to And all this stuff is so immediate. Even SEO can have an effect
consider changing the way we organise our staff to take advantage within a few days if Google has decided that it ought to keep an
of the internet age. eye on your site. Weekly meetings do not allow the information flow
A client of mine yesterday quoted to me the adage “retail that today’s web business demands, and departmental structures
is detail”. Goodness knows how you would describe web can get in the way of maximising sales. Merchandising in the 21st
retailing. The interaction required between web marketing and century is going to require multidiscipline teams working together
merchandising almost needs to be minute by minute, rather than to ensure that their product group is marketed in the most effective
the catalogue model of a preseason meet and weekly updates. way. Only by having instant communication among team members
There are an amazing number of things that can affect the sales can pricing, display, marketing and stock control produce the
of a product online. Sometimes odd products will sell because optimum result for their company.
there isn’t much competition for a particular keyword in natural Then all that has to be figured out is a way to manage the teams
search, enabling the items to get above the fold on the first Google to avoid “siloing” and destructive interteam competition.
results page. Sometimes you may be the only people holding The next few years are going to be truly exciting in this business.
stock. Sometimes you’ve concentrated on getting certain key The companies that will thrive are those that embrace a high level
products at keen prices for your Google feed, so you look good in of communication among team members. We may well see that
the shopping results. some smaller players are going to give the big boys a run for their
Orders can come from affiliates, banners, pay per click money, as they are less hierarchical and faster on their feet.
and search engine optimisation (SEO), as well as from all the We are all going to have to learn some new things and change
conventional stuff such as getting the right shot, writing good our concept of the way that businesses work. Speaking personally,
copy and pricing competitively. I’m taking it for granted that you I think it is going to be fun.
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