New York Times: Closing the Deal at the Virtual Checkout Counter
The New York Times reports on new ways stores are trying to keep track of shoppers.
Though the Web makes it easier for shoppers to abandon their carts, it also makes it easier for shops to track would-be customers and encourage them to buy.
“In the real world, the jeweler or optician has no way of knowing who I was or how to get me back in the store, but online you can do all that, which is why it’s such an amazing retail opportunity,” said Saul Klein, a partner at Index Ventures, which has invested in e-commerce companies, including TrialPay.
Index has also backed a start-up called Criteo, which lets e-commerce sites “follow” visitors who leave without making a purchase and show them banner ads when they visit another site. Say a shopper has been perusing digital cameras on a consumer electronics site, then goes to lunch. Later, he checks the headlines on a news site, where he is shown an ad for the digital camera site, luring him back.
Some e-commerce sites encourage shoppers to log in before they fill their carts. Then, if they leave, the site can send them an e-mail message reminding them that their cart is still there and perhaps offering a carrot, like free shipping. Tealeaf’s software can identify each registered shopper who got to a certain point in the buying process before giving up.
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