April 18 2007

Sales engine for website search solutions

Transversal has made its behavioural online sales solution available as a stand-alone product so that it can "snap into existing systems to generate higher response rates and sales". It has previously been available only as one part of the company's eService solution.

Press release follows:

Organisations can now quickly turn their existing keyword search and eService solutions into major revenue generators, through Transversal Sales Engine - a behavioural online sales solution. Transversal Sales Engine transforms a typical website search by serving up the best offers, promotions and information for customers, based on their keyword or natural language searches, in order to improve customer satisfaction and dramatically increase click-through rates and sales.

Previously only available as a module of Transversal's eService solution, Transversal Sales Engine is now able to slot into standards-based keyword or natural language search solutions. This enables companies to quickly maximise their existing technology investment, turning limited search engines into revenue generators without going through the pain and expense of replacing existing systems. Transversal Sales Engine can present information alongside results provided by an existing website search solution in place - in the form of banner, button or Google-style adverts; links to web pages; documents; scripts or forms.

Barclays Bank (www.barclays.co.uk) has already created a new revenue stream by adding Transversal Sales Engine to its personal banking website. 12 per cent of customers are responding to product ads which are served up alongside question and answer content provided by Transversal's Ask a Question solution. Against the industry average of 0.02 per cent, advertising click-through rates via Transversal Sales Engine are exceptionally high.

"Organisations have invested heavily in online search and customer service solutions, but in the majority of cases this has not delivered increased competitiveness or sales," commented Davin Yap, CEO, Transversal. "Consumers react best to ads when they match their current requirements, rather than the scattergun approach in use on many sites today. Integrating Sales Engine into existing web infrastructure turns standard search systems into cost-effective sales tools, vastly improving return on investment and leading to more satisfied customers."

Transversal Sales Engine is the simplest way to deliver and promote products and services based on current customer requirements. Answers and tailored advertising is delivered automatically in response to keyword searches or naturally phrased questions asked by customers via an organisation's website. This improves even the most basic keyword search systems, providing customers with an appealing call to action that speeds sales completion and increases response rates.

Due to its advanced functionality, Transversal Sales Engine is able to provide high levels of behavioural targeting that have previously only been available through expensive and complicated website analytic tools. Because advertisements and promotions are served in response to customer enquiries, there is no need for the system to log or track vast amounts of historical customer data to analyse and predict customer behaviour in order to deliver targeted information, therefore cutting complexity and increasing sales.

Emma Herrod