Have a look to these video to learn more about digital consumer behavior. You jsut have to click on the link you find in the list below:

Digital consumers are full speed ahead

The slowdown will fuel online growth

Follow consumers online to get more bang for your marketing buck

• If I need to book an accommodation where I can spend my holidays, I used many search portals dealing with houses. I gave more weight to the houses with a positive feedback and I’m always careful to avoid fake.
• If I need to book a room in a hotel I just use Google and I look for different accommodation or I just book directly to the website of the hotel (if I already know where I want to stay).
• I use Google Maps for the review of the location and holiday resort where I want to go.
• I use Google Image to look for the best places that I can visit (beaches, cities etc…)
• I always consult websites like “Tripadvisor” or “Turisti per Caso” to read the suggestion of the other tourists that have already been in that place. I take note of the restaurants, hotels, transportation means, museums etc, they suggest going!
• I use Google Maps or Via Michelin to know the prices and distances between my city and the location where I want to go.
• I weekly have a look to the websites of low cost airlines companies to find special offer or discount.

These are only some of the websites that I use when I’m planning my holidays. I can say for sure that Internet has significantly changed the way we travel and the behavior of each consumer.

Here I just want to list the most important advantages that companies can obtain using this type of online sales:

1. It’s a strategy that allows quick and profitable monetization of stocks: the margins, in fact, are quite high, certainly higher than those achievable by other methods of management of stocks

2. Opportunity to reach a greater amount of consumers that don’t have the possibility to buy the specific product through the usual channels. In fact there are consumers that have difficulty in finding designer clothes or luxury brands or just find them at higher prices.

3. No overlap with the traditional distribution network, thanks to the very short duration of the campaign without damaging the image of the brand.

4. Attention on the creation of a strong relationship with the final consumers. The major players in the industry invest a lot in the creation of trailers and shooting of the products that are offered online: websites are usually pleasant, friendly, accessible, engaging, highly interactive, designed for a sophisticated and demanding audience.

5. Mailing list:  this websites have devoted much effort in collecting a mailing list, even if all the e-tailer insist on the importance of “word of mouth. Who is invited by those who have already tried the service or by companies affiliated with the service (Born4Shop, for example, can count on partners such CartaSi, Fastweb, Sole24Ore, TicketOne, RCS, Gay.it) enters for free. Other website, such as Piustyle.com charges an amount of 15 euros on the first purchase. By contrary, to feed the crowd to its site, Privalia focuses on activities of viral marketing on the web through games and competitions that can capture the interest of the people of the Net: this strategy has allowed to intercept about 40 thousand new members. Currently, one third of the Privalia’s community comes from the “member get member”,that rewards those that have invited other potential buyers. The concept of “community” is central to this E-Business, so that some operators have even created their own blogs.

6. Creation of blogs: this tool has the aim of establishing direct contact with members and increases the transparency of services and operation of the portal. Every visitor has the possibility to voice his views and suggestions and sharing them with other members and with the company.

The strategy used by websites like BuyVip and Privalia is simple: they send a warning e-mail in advance to the potential buyer (consumer that has already subscribed himself to the website). They advise that the next   day at a specific hour they will begin selling a set of proposals brands (very famous brands) at a discount, ranging from 30 to 70%, since these inventories may be part of a previous season. The short duration of offers, from a minimum of two to a maximum of five days, along with the discount benefit, play a decisive role stimulating emotional purchase and impulse: you can buy the object of desire just with a click of the mouse, and within ten days the merchandise you bought will come to your home. The product, in fact, is taken directly from the supplier (this also allows considerable savings for the client), conveyed in the stores of the website, packaged and then shipped by courier.

There are many players in this emerging market in Italy. First real national pioneers as Born4Shop and SaldiPrivati or Piustyle.com (launched by an entrepreneur with a long experience in managing inventories of branded collections and active also in Spain and Belgium). Second other players already established in other counties that are trying to replicate their strategy in Italy. This is the case of a giant like Vente-privee.com (510 million euros in turnover 2008), but also names like BuyVip or Privalia. There are of course many other players but I think they are currently too many for a market so small, specialized and relatively undeveloped like the Italian one.

What do you think?

In this article the journalist underlines that the fears for chance of encountering fraud in the virtual world are common among consumers. He shows different protection systems that every consumer can use whenever he/she wants to buy online.

“The use of credit cards on the Web is growing strongly” – explains Enrico Albertelli, director of marketing and ecommerce of CartaSi -. “That’s why we offer different levels of security. Each company has created strategies ad hoc. CartaSi for example, has introduced a classical system of data protection with password. It is 3DSecure – specifies Albertelli – and it is based on a program that gives the possibility of combining a code to the credit card number. The password is requested to authorize any online payment and replaces the signature that we have to put on the receipt, when we shop traditionally”.

In addition to this system, which involved more than one million customers, there are other tools such as SMS alerts and the X-pay. With the first, you have the opportunity to be alerted via text messages on your phone whenever you shop with the credit card. The second is instead a virtual POS which gives an added value in terms of security and offers the 3DSecure program and the control of CV2 (three-digit code listed on the credit card). It ensures security filters based on an analysis of the risk level of each single transaction.

Nowadays consumers can feel more protected in their online purchases thanks to the growing technology that is changing the way we use credit card.

Every consumer relies on a specific type of social websites or company website for product and brand information. As a result, companies try to engage directly with them using this social network creating a great opportunity to not only reach more consumers, but also increase their likelihood of making a purchase. But companies should be very careful in using digital marketing tools because they have to consider the impact of online word-of-mouth that can affect the consumers purchase decision.

In Italy ecommerce websites struggling to get out the stage of comparison of products. In fact it is proposed an online consultation of the product for the next purchase in store, what in slang is defined infocommerce.
Today the sales strategies of company aims to consolidate brands. The ommunication of products put in the websites strengthens the brand and becomes a vehicle to test consumers behaviour and satisfaction of customers.

Companies not engaging in social media as part of their online marketing strategy are missing an opportunity to reach consumers.

I think the real problem is that companies are not always aware of the power of online word-of mouth. Consumers today have the possibility to convey and share their opinion with other people about products or services they have bought online. They can voice their satisfaction or dissatisfaction regarding a specific brand or company, undermining the confidence of these companies to exert full control over their consumers. If the majority of consumers convey negative experiences with a specific company that sell its products online it will lose its credibility on the web and its digital marketing effort will no longer be profitable.

In fact, if I have to buy a product on Internet I will first check on blogs, forum and other social network how are the experience of the other consumers that have bought the same product or service online. If I found that a lot of people are dissatisfied with the website that sell that product I won’t buy it on Internet.

As you said, if companies want to do e-marketing they have to assure reliability and credibility of the service they offer. They have to be able to manage complaints or dissatisfaction and try to improve their service as much as they can. What happen today is that everyone tries to do digital marketing without knowing its specific rules and strategies. I think that a company can do e-marketing only if it is consolidated in the off-line market.