AMACOM Author Says Online Merchants Can Encourage Shoppers to Become Buyers Using Anonymous Personalization.Business Editors NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--March 13, 2001 Despite the Internet Internet Publicly accessible computer network connecting many smaller networks from around the world. It grew out of a U.S. Defense Department program called ARPANET (Advanced Research Projects Agency Network), established in 1969 with connections between computers at the becoming a ubiquitous Found in large quantities everywhere. This English word means "all over the place." presence in our lives, many people are still cautious about online shopping. "Many shoppers never become buyers because they are afraid ofdivulging their private information," says Alexis Gutzman, an Internet fact, more than 50 percent of shoppers never venture past a merchant's home page, and according to according to prep. 1. As stated or indicated by; on the authority of: according to historians. 2. In keeping with: according to instructions. 3. a survey by The Center for Democracy and Technology, 68 percent of those surveyed would not register with a Web site because of privacy concerns," Gutzman adds. Online merchants can encourage shoppers to become buyers by using "anonymous personalization Custom tailoring information to the individual. On the Web, personalization means returning a page that has been customized for the user, taking into consideration that person's habits and preferences. ," personalization performed by the site without asking shoppers to identify themselves. A merchant can watch where a shopper goes on a site - clickstream The trail of mouse clicks made by a user performing a particular operation on the computer. It often refers to linking from one page to another on the Web. analysis - and offer products that previous shoppers bought who behaved in a similar fashion. Web sites can also utilize cookies already installed on shopper's computers by a third party to offer them the products and promotions they are most likely to be interested in. "In the physical world, salespeople sales·peo·ple pl.n. Persons who are employed to sell merchandise in a store or in a designated territory. can make an assessment of types of products a shopper may like based upon things like age, sex, what they are wearing, and whether or not they have children with them. Online merchants are at a huge disadvantage, because every shopper is anonymous. Anonymous personalization can help retailers offer targeted, relevant products and promotions to shoppers so they feel recognized," says Gutzman. "Using anonymous personalization allows merchants to show shoppers things they are interested in and can encourage a shopper to dig deeper into a site, and eventually make a purchase," she continues. Alexis Gutzman is an Internet consultant and the e-commerce technology advisor for Internet.com's "E-Commerce Guide" (ecommerce.internet.com). She is also an office.com columnist columnist, the writer of an essay appearing regularly in a newspaper or periodical, usually under a constant heading. Although originally humorous, the column in many cases has supplanted the editorial for authoritative opinions on world problems. and theauthor of THE E-COMMERCE ARSENAL: 12 Technologies You Need to Prevail For more information about anonymous personalization or other technologies in THE E-COMMERCE ARSENAL, contact Kama Timbrell at 212/903-8315 or ktimbrell@amanet.org. |
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