Cookie compliance tool by ‘end of month’

Posted on May 8, 2012 by admin

The Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) is to release a cookie reporting tool that will allow web users to report non-compliant websites by the “end of the month”.

The move comes as UK companies gear up for an overhaul of how cookies should make their presence known to web users, reports V3.co.uk.

From May 26, the so-called Cookie Law will require websites to gain the consent of Internet surfers before they can serve them cookies – small pieces of tracking data used to observe a user’s history, or save their preferences on individual sites.

However, recent research suggests that as many as 95 per cent of EU websites aren’t compliant with the new law (KPMG research via wired.co.uk), leading to the ICO’s new tool.

“We will be giving individuals the chance to raise concerns with cookies being used on websites in an easy way, so they can explain what the issues are. If we see a picture building up from numerous reports that will help us interrogate these sites,” explained David Evans, group manager for business and industry at the ICO.

Evans went on to say that users can report their concerns using the reporting tools hosted on the ICO’s website. He hopes that other sites will follow suit with the ICO’s lead.

“As sites get better at informing users about cookies and what they do, it will become second nature to users to expect this information and this will help them identify sites that don’t offer similar information,” he said.

New leader in screen resolution

Posted on April 30, 2012 by admin

The norm in screen resolution is changing, with 1024×768 making way for the
more popular 1366×768, reports Market Watch.

Research firm StatCounter’s Global Stat report suggests that 1366×768 is now the most popular screen resolution worldwide thanks to the resolution’s frequency in current laptops, as well as the decline in devices using the older format.

The previously dominant screen size of 1024×768, which registered a 41.8 per cent share in March 2009, appears to have fallen by the wayside after StatCounter revealed it held an 18.6 per cent share in March 2012.

Over the same period, 1366×768 went from a measly 0.68 per cent to a market leading 19.28 per cent.

As a result, graphic design agencies may want to consider utilising the extra space that a 1366×768 resolution brings for content, buttons or other space-filling motifs.

Aodhan Cullen, CEO of StatCounter, commented on the trend to PC Pro:
“Developers have extra width they should be developing for. There’s a lot more usable width that people could be using for advertising or content, but most people aren’t using that space for extra columns or text.

“The screen resolution size people are using is a critical factor for developers when it comes to web design, particularly in the case of fixed width web pages. It’s really important that everyone can see the site properly, but it should also be optimised for different resolutions.”

A quarter do over half of their shopping online

Posted on April 23, 2012 by admin

Consumers are increasingly heading online to do their shopping, smallbusiness.co.uk reports.

New research by e-commerce comparison site bagthat.com found that UK shoppers now head online for around 32 per cent of their shopping. When quizzed on how much they think they will shop online in future, the figure rises to 45 per cent.

In addition, a quarter claimed that they do over half of their shopping online, whilst just 10 per cent said they don’t do any at all. For the 18 – 34 age bracket, just six per cent said they do no shopping online.

The figures show just how many people are using online retailers and why brands wishing to attract as much business as they can could use a website design agency to make their website as appealing as possible to online consumers.

Elsewhere, the study found that more than a quarter of people under the age of 34 share news of their purchases online. Social recommendations, meanwhile, make people 65 per cent more likely to make a purchase for themselves.

Speaking to yorkshire.freebusinessforums.co.uk about the results, the CEO of bagthat.com, Andy Sutton, explained: “We believe that social shopping is the future.

“Without thinking about it, we all take advantage of volume purchases in our everyday lives, whether it’s those three for two offers in supermarkets or bulk buying at the local cash and carry, but rarely do we as individual consumers get the chance to benefit from volume purchases on quality, branded goods.”

Pinterest and email marketing go hand-in-hand, expert believes

Posted on April 18, 2012 by admin

Social media start-up Pinterest can be used in conjunction with email to create an effective email marketing campaign.

That’s according to writer, journalist and “digital poet” Wikus Engelbracht, writing for adotas.com. He believes that while Pinterest has now been around for a little while, marketers need to make sure they are establishing a presence on the site immediately “as it’s really just starting to ignite”.

Engelbracht suggested that Pinterest – which winnipeg.ctv.ca confirmed has 12 million monthly hits already – is based on image sharing, so marketers needs to concentrate on how these images are integrated with email sends.

“The better the image, the more likely a user will want to click on it for further information and pin it,” he claimed. “You can include a small description of an image you post on Pinterest or place it in your email newsletters, for example, along with a link that leads users to the specific page on your website that hosts the image.

“So Pinterest certainly works very much in favour of a visually pleasing email,” Engelbracht added.

Furthermore, Pinterest and email marketing actually have a lot in common, according to the expert – as they both create buzz around products. They also tailor-make more personal and visually charming experiences for their audience with the power of images.

Email marketing for modern business marketing

Posted on April 10, 2012 by admin

Email marketing has been described as a key technique in the world of marketing but firms need to do more than just “create and send” in order to prosper.

That’s according to email expert Vangie Beal, writing for PC Advisor, who suggests that those wanting to jump on the email marketing bandwagon need to choose the right service for them rather than blindly pick a provider.

Furthermore, those looking to upgrade from their existing software still need to select a vendor that is best for their business.

“Choosing an email service provider (ESP) or email marketing software is not an easy task,” she noted. “You have to find a solution that meets your business needs today and also make sure that your future marketing goals are attainable.”

Knowing your business goals, researching about managed/hosted/in-house
marketing and looking out for email marketing trends are all crucially important when it comes to choosing a provider, adds Beal to cio.com.

Furthermore, utilising a firm’s “copious” amount of data into other channels alongside email marketing efforts can be just as important.

“To find the right email marketing platform or email service provider, you have to be aware of what your needs are – both for today and tomorrow. Is it cross-channel, mobile marketing or trigger sends?” she asked.

DMA issues advice on changing spam filters

Posted on April 5, 2012 by admin

Businesses have been urged to give serious thought to new ISP (Internet Service Providers) spam filters or risk their message not getting through, dmablogs.org reports.

The Direct Marketing Association (DMA) has issued a stark warning to businesses using email marketing that they need to get to grips with the more aggressive spam filters otherwise their sales and bottom line figures could be hit.

The DMA white paper explains that a change of focus has meant marketers now have a different set of rules to follow and give thought to. Now, it claims, spam filters do not penalise what they see as “bad” emails but instead reward those they deem to be “good”.

In doing this, the spam filters have put more importance on metrics checking, as brands will need to ensure their emails are being read and shared to give them a better rating.

The new features could otherwise offer good news to marketers, as they will rely more on what the user thinks of emails, meaning that other, genuine emails which may have been trapped in spam filters previously, will now be able to get through effectively.

“Marketers need to understand how Internet Service Providers (ISPs) and spam filters are significantly changing the way they monitor and process commercial email or face the real danger of delivering ineffective email marketing campaigns,” the DMA’s Guy Hanson told thedrum.co.uk.

“Failing to reach the inbox ultimately means losing sales.”

Email marketers need to avoid “classic pitfalls”

Posted on April 4, 2012 by admin

Email marketing professionals need to make sure they are avoiding “classic pitfalls” in order to engage prospective customers.

That’s according to Act-On Software, a cloud-based firm, which has identified three areas where email marketers can sure up their efforts when it comes to a
focused email strategy.

One of the classic areas of error is to blast the same message to all of a firm’s email marketing lists.

“Different individuals have different tastes, and most brands have more than one product. Know your customer. Know what they like and need and send them relevant messaging,” reports bizreport.com‘s Kristina Knight.

Further to knowing your customer, email marketers should be segmenting their lists into different categories based on user wants and needs. For example, North American consumers may not have the same needs as a buyer from Europe. Similarly, a small business owner will not want the same email as a large corporate CEO.

Finally, businesses need to adapt to the changing marketing world around them.

“This means adding social media and video tools, yes,” cites Knight, “but it also means that advertising should be tested. Test different message types, content and offers – and adapt the campaign based on those findings.”

Act-On Software’s findings follow a blog by econsultancy.com which suggests marketers need to make sure they are helping people share content across a variety of platforms including desktop, mobile and tablet.

Is upgrading to the new iPad really worth it?

Posted on March 29, 2012 by admin

Speculation has been rife over whether the upgrade from the iPad 2 to the third-generation model – which is simply named the ‘new iPad’.

With both models almost identical aesthetically-speaking and the new iPad actually a little bit thicker, there’s no core advantage there. In fact, Zdnet.co.uk‘s reviewer said they couldn’t feel much difference “in the hand”.

Although there have been some improvements with the new model in terms of processing and graphics, the reviewer said that they hadn’t ever found either to be an issue before. They revealed: “That said, and while the speed improvement is welcome, I never found much to complain about with the iPad 2 in speed terms and the enhancement, while notable, doesn’t feel revolutionary.”

However some are fairly impressed with the third-generation model, such as Itpro.co.uk‘s Khidr Suleman, who called the new iPad’s retina display “stunning”. He said that it really improves the quality of pictures and videos, in addition to making text much clearer. This could help business users, Suleman said.

After surveying the differences between the pair, Suleman concluded that the new iPad was his overall winner. The main reasoning behind this is that it would be strange heading back to the iPad 2 after “your eyes have become accustom to the Retina display.”