Know-How Exchange : E-Marketing

Hi Sam

You’re not likely to get much which offers definitive comparisons for free over the internet. You might try Hewson’s reports which you can extensively preview from their web pages of those of their re-sellers. AR least they “Only” cost $290 Check out the exact content before you decide to purchase,

https://www.marketresearch.com/product/display.asp?productid=894072&xs=r

Best practice of course has to be defined by what you are seeking to do. The best practice for a porn site (No experience, so sorry!) is very different to the best practice for someone selling scientific instruments (Lots of experience)

You need to view comparisons of strategies of different kinds of commercial web sites such as Shop Windows, order desk, shopping baskets, commercial enquiry, technical resource sites etc. Then there is the associated back end technology and the applications which are applied to it. Database back ends are common, as are CRM integration and other forms of e-commerce and e-marketing integration. Likewise, promotion of the site via conventional SEO or the pursuance of a policy through commercial advertising, be it PPC or advertising.

It’s not surprising that the originators of such reports want paying for their efforts.

The articles referred to and a host of others are useful. But you must remember that they all constitute an opinion by a journalist. If you are very lucky, the writer will know more about the subject than you do, rather than just appear to know more because they are a convincing author. Your next task is to collate the published information and analyse it in a manner which allows you to arrive at some conclusions. I’m only guessing, but that effort is probably going to cost you a lot more than $700, but you could certainly sell your results for a decent sum.

You can get a best practices paper from e-commerce.com at:

https://www.e-consultancy.com/publications/web-project-template-files/

The 20 page free downloads might give you some hints but if you want the whole thing it’s $$$ again.

There’s an excellent report from Monash University which might give you some insights into your question. Have a look at:

https://www.buseco.monash.edu.au/depts/mkt/research/con_mark_prac_services....

The emphasis is on user evaluations, and you need to know how to read an academic paper (The references and methodology are as important as the text and the graphs) but if you are a marketing professional, you will be able to infer, deduce or calculate much of what you appear to be looking for.

Hoper that this helps

Steve Alker
Unimax Solutions