June 26 2007

Widgets, feeds and personalised pages - retailers take products to consumers

Has e-commerce reached the stage where retailers and brands should be looking at new ways to push their products to where the internet users want them rather than simply trying to attract shoppers to well-designed sites? A number of recent launches suggest it's time for e-retailers to start exploring further away from their home page.

Shop.com's widget sits on the shopper's desktop enabling them to shop without going through a browser. eBay has launched a flash widget through which eBayers can watch a live auction. Other retailers are enabling shoppers to transact from within an advert.

"Shouldn't we be going where they are?" asked e-consultancy's Ashley Friedlein at the recent eTail UK conference. If customers prefer to configure and interact with you in their place (iGoogle, Netvibes, RSS reader, desktop, myspace) rather than in your place (retailer's site) it has interesting implications for the future of e-commerce.

Friedlein said that e-retailers should be thinking more about where their page sits on the internet, who is linking to it, who is influencing their customers' journey and where do they touch the customers' internet usage? Once a retailer understands their network, they need to make themselves available in all of those areas and engage with every aspect of it ie. PR, Google, alerts, back links, affiliate feeds, shopping comparison feeds, desktop alerts, mobile sites.

Netvibes, for example, has expanded its partnerships with content providers including e-commerce companies in what it is saying is "dramatically changing the landscape of personalized media online."

Netvibes 'Universes' bring together and deliver on a single Netvibes page all of a brand's rich online media, including RSS feeds, websites, podcasts, videos, blogs, photos, stores and widgets which can be remixed according to each user's personal preferences and interests.

What began with a focus on US media companies now encompasses a wide scope of media alliances in a variety of sectors around the world. E-commerce and Enterprise partners include Cetelem, Edgeio, Etelos, Sage, Shopping.com, Tencent.

"Demand from new content partners for Netvibes Universe has experienced tremendous growth since our introduction just a couple months ago. Five hundred content partnerships is an important milestone for us and we expect to add another 100 next week," says Freddy Mini, COO Netvibes.

Tariq Krim, CEO and founder of Netvibes, comments: "What does this mean for audiences? Your favourite content, your way."

Emma Herrod