ETD: 714 Effective use of color; Legal issues for erroneously
priced goods; Customer Conversion in Spotlight at eTail2003
Conference; Are You a Red Hatter?; Citibank scam alert
E-Tailer's Digest
etd_post@gapent.com
Thu, 21 Aug 2003 07:18:25 -0400
E-Tailer's Digest --- Everything for the Retailer
Issue #0714 August 21, 2003
George Matyjewicz, Moderator mailto:georgem@gapent.com
Published by: GAP Enterprises, Ltd. http://www.etailersdigest.com
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CONTENTS
[1] Greetings
[2] Effective use of color
[3] Legal issues for erroneously priced goods
[4] Customer Conversion in Spotlight at eTail2003 Conference
[5] Are You a Red Hatter?
[6] Citibank scam alert
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[1] Greetings.
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Hi All:
Many thanks to Jeff Haefner and his special report "Will You Make These
Mistakes When You Buy Retail Point of Sale Software?" We got some
excellent feedback. Very informative report. Keep them coming Jeff.
Have you looked at color in your store or Web site? It does make a huge
difference on your customers buying habits. On the same note, the Red Hat
Society is becoming hot. Are you in?
One of our list members needs help with a legal issue - what happens if you
price goods incorrectly? Of course, it will also be a marketing issue -
customer relationships.
We have some information on the eTail2003 conference. And, there is a huge
scam going around that looks like it comes from Citibank. We all know what
this is all about. I reported on how easy it is to do in earlier
issues. Be careful.
Now, let's get to everything for the retailer.
Sincerely
George Matyjewicz, PhD
Chief Global Strategist, GAP Enterprises, Ltd.
mailto:georgem@gapent.com
http://www.etailersdigest.com
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[2] Effective use of color in your store
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Are you aware of the effect of color on your customers? Color changes our
mood, our appetite, our sleep patterns, even
our metabolism.
If you own a restaurant or a store that sells food items, use red - it
stimulates metabolism and makes people
hungry. Do you own a gym or a bar where people come after a hard day's
work? Paint it yellow, which is cheerful and usually improves a person's
mood. For the quiet and peaceful atmosphere needed in most stores, use
blues and greens which promote serenity, calm, peace, and order. Blue is
considered a business color because it reflects reliability. If your
dealing with children, reds and yellows are great choices.
And that same logic holds true with your web sites. Plan the color scheme
of your website. Pick hues that complement each other. Use a background
that contrasts with the color of your text. While the common choice is
black text on a white background, you may want to consider a light beige
background, like that found in books. It's easier on your eyes.
I have had many discussion with people about using black as a
background. It represents power, sexuality, sophistication, formality,
elegance, wealth, mystery, fear, evil, anonymity, unhappiness, depth,
style, evil, sadness, remorse, anger, underground, good technical color,
mourning and death. To me black is a porn site.
Many years ago, IBM decided to enter the retail store market with their PC
line. Now IBM is known as "Big Blue" - calm colors that reflect
reliability. So what did they do in the stores? Painted them RED! I
remember taking a client to a store in NYC (this was the early days of PC
when we were consultants to the neophytes). We did not feel comfortable in
that store, and did not buy. Later, I read how the store colors
contributed to their downfall.
Here's an exercise for you. The next time you are in a store, see what
happens to your mood, both as you enter and as you shop. Then take note of
the colors in that store. You will be surprised.
George
PS Here's a page that talks about color and moods
http://iit.bloomu.edu/vthc/Design/psychology.htm
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[3] Legal issues for erroneously priced goods
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Can anyone advise please what the current situation is if an etailer has
erroneously priced goods or services for sale on their website? If they
recognize the mistake, can they subsequently refuse to honor the order if a
consumer has already placed an order? Is there any recommendation as to the
kind of disclaimer language that should be used in this scenario?
Thanks for any advice you can offer.
Crona Barrett
Esat Telecommunications Limited
is a wholly owned subsidiary of BT Group plc
Registered in Ireland, Registration No. 141524
Grand Canal Plaza, Upper Grand Canal Street, Dublin, Ireland
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[4] Customer Conversion in Spotlight at eTail2003 Conference
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The e-commerce landscape may have changed dramatically in recent years, but
both pure-play e-tailers and multichannel retailers are still focused on
finding ways to convert more surfers to buyers, according to keynote
addresses and interviews at the eTail2003 conference in Boston.
Still, although conversion rates are nothing new to e-commerce, the tactics
and techniques used to boost them clearly have changed. Whereas steep
discounts and offers once were a primary means of convincing browsers to
buy, the focus now is on using rapidly evolving personalization and
analytics technology to increase conversion rates.
This theme is being echoed throughout the conference, with various
conversion-boosting tactics taking center stage, from Web site performance
and usability testing to better measurement of which search engines and
portals deliver the best customers. In fact, the bulk of exhibitors at the
conference are focused on Web analytics, multichannel marketing, keyword
search and personalization tools.
Details at...
http://www.ecommercetimes.com/perl/story/31318.html
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[5] Are You a Red Hatter?
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Nearly everyone has heard about The Red Hat Society, the ad hoc association
of women over the age of 50 "deciding to greet middle age with verve,
humor, and élan," according to its Web site, www.redhatsociety.com. With
chapters all over the country and Canada the only rule members have to obey
is to wear a red hat and clashing purple outfit when attending society
meetings. The gift industry is playing a role in the phenomenon,
introducing products that include red hats (The Maryjean Collection by
Artifacts and Mademoiselle Inc.), as well as flags, doormats, cushions, and
quilts with red hat designs (Toland, FGA, and Lefton). Are you about to
launch a Red Hat product? If so, let us know by contacting publisher Larry
Rotondi at (646) 746-7360 or email, lrotondi@reedbusiness.com.
Quinn Halford, Editor In Chief
Matthew Kalash, Editor
Gifts and Dec Online
www.giftsanddec.com
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[6] Citibank warns customers of e-mail scam
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This week I got an official-looking message from what looked like Citibank,
alerting me:
"We are letting you know, that you, as a Citibank checking account holder,
must become acquainted with our new Terms & Conditions and agree to it.
Please, carefully read all the parts of our new Terms & Conditions and post
your consent. Otherwise, we will have to suspend your Citibank checking
account. This measure is to prevent misunderstanding between us and our
valued customers. We are sorry for any inconvinience (sic) it may cause.
Click here to access our Terms & Conditions page and not allow your
Citibank checking account suspension."
If you run your mouse over the link you will find it goes to
www.citibank.com:ac98HAAA9UWDTYAZJWVWAAAA9pYWwgc2l6ZT00PjxTVgc2l6ZT00PjxT3Aac98HAAA9UWDTYAZJWVWAAAA9pYWwgc2l6ZT00PjxTVgc2l6ZT00PjxT@211.155.234.84
Note very carefully the @ sign at the end which redirects you to a phony page..
http://211.155.234.84/ which is not valid now. Originally it would have
looked like Citibank and they would have asked for your name and social
security number. This is the scam I reported a couple of issues back and
showed you how it worked. Be careful.
Then I read in News.com:
Citibank on Monday warned customers not to fall for an e-mail scam that
threatened to shut down their checking accounts if they failed to provide
their Social Security numbers. Citibank, a division of Citigroup, said
"numerous" people received the e-mail, which purported to advise them of
conditions affecting their accounts.
It said the e-mail linked to a Web site that looks like Citibank's, and
asked customers for their Social Security numbers, a form of
identification. Scammers can use such data to obtain credit cards or access
to bank and other accounts.
"Although the e-mail appears to come from Citibank regarding 'Your Checking
Account at Citibank,' it does not, and Citibank is in no way involved in
the distribution of this e-mail," a company representative said.
The bank urged recipients to delete the e-mail and call the customer
service number on their automatic teller machine cards. It said that the
company is working with law enforcement and that its systems have not been
compromised.
The e-mail is an example of "phishing"--the use of spam, or unwanted junk
e-mail, to lure computer users to Web sites that look like those of
reputable companies, and to deceive them into divulging personal financial
data.
It was not immediately clear how many customers had received or acted upon
the e-mail.
The e-mail, which contains grammatical and spelling errors, said in part:
"Dear Citibank customer, We are letting you know, that you, as a Citibank
checking account holder, must become acquainted with our new Terms &
Conditions and agree to it. Please, carefully read all the parts of our new
Terms & Conditions and post your consent. Otherwise, we will have to
suspend your Citibank checking account."
As of Monday afternoon, the linked page carried an error message. A link on
that page connected to a Web site, with text in Mandarin, for Nanhua
Futures Trading Co., a brokerage in Zhejiang, China.
Details at...
http://news.com.com/2100-1017-5065394.html
On another similar note, I got an email with the subject: "You credit card
has been charged for $234.65"
The contents:
"Important notice. We have just charged your credit card for money laundry
service in amount of $234.65 (because you are either child pornography
webmaster or deal with dirty money, which require us to layndry them and
then send to your checking account).
If you feel this transaction was made by our mistake, please press
"No". If you confirm this transaction, please press "Yes" and fill in the
form below.
Enter your credit card number here:
Enter your credit card expiration date:"
Folks, if you are stupid enough to be fooled by this scam, then you
probable deserve to lose your money!
George
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