November is the most crucial time of year for retailers when it comes to online sales, with accurate product feeds being one of the main sales generators.
With mixed views about Christmas and concerns over the VAT rise in January, retailers will be keen to maximise their post-Christmas sales which is start climbing from mid-November and usually peak in the first two weeks of December.
I believe that the internet will be the saving grace for many retailers this year, as more people shun the high street in search of the best deals. I think that the price sensitivity displayed by consumers is fuelling greater demand for solutions which helps retailers make sure their products appear first when consumers carry out product searches online.
The product feed is essentially the online alternative to instore merchandising. It’s all very well having a presence but if it doesn’t do the job of pulling in the sales, it’s pretty useless. Retailers really should invest in their product feeds as they would in the high street store and it is a shame to think that many retailers will miss out on valuable sales this Christmas due to inaccuracies in their product feed data, which could mean either poor search rankings or being omitted from searches all together.
The good news is that there is still time for retailers to get their product feeds in check, as with solutions like Feed Manager™, information can be updated and pumped out across the web in a matter of days.
One the initial preparatory work is done, the product feeds can be automatically updated so that they match the requirements of each individual product feed site. Retailers will be astounded at the difference a few minor tweaks to their product feeds can have on their sales figures, something which I’m sure most would welcome at this time of year.