Codero » Dave Macaulay http://www.codero.com/blog the official blog Mon, 06 Feb 2012 16:32:38 +0000 en hourly 1 Cyber, Green, or Brown Monday? Why Not Cyber Month? http://www.codero.com/blog/cyber-green-or-brown-monday-why-not-cyber-month/ http://www.codero.com/blog/cyber-green-or-brown-monday-why-not-cyber-month/#comments Wed, 16 Dec 2009 15:55:24 +0000 Dave Macaulay http://www.codero.com/blog/?p=146 Cyber, Green, or Brown Monday? Why Not Cyber Month? is a post from: Codero dedicated hosting blog

]]> Tis the season for online shopping. According to CNNMoney.com, Cyber Monday (the Monday after the Thanksgiving holiday) was big this year for online retailers, with more than 4 million shoppers per minute visiting sites early that morning (November 30), all in search of bargains via their laptops and desktop computers.  By day’s end, Coremetrics estimated that Cyber Monday sales rose 14 percent this year compared to 2008. Experts also point to strong sales for the entire 11-day “Cyber Stretch” around Black Friday and Cyber Monday as a return to 2007-like fourth quarter sales and conversion rates among retailers.

So how did your online store perform on “Green Monday” (two days ago), typically the busiest online shopping day of the year – to guarantee delivery by Christmas? And what are your prospects for “Free Shipping Day” coming this Thursday, the deadline for most free shipping, or next Monday, “Brown Monday”, when retailers start dramatic markdowns in order to sell their remaining holiday merchandise?

Since December offers so many opportunities to boost online sales (think…after Christmas, New Years Eve, etc.), it’s never too late to tune-up your site and sales strategy for what could be a profitable Cyber Month. To help out, we’ve listed a few tips and suggestions:

  • Test your shopping cart and your storefront: Is everything functioning properly – fast, efficient, responsive, accurate? Are the keywords, descriptions, links and images all correct and constantly updated?
  • Ramp up your merchandising: Does your cart/storefront promote cross-selling, suggested items, ratings and customer feedback? This holiday shopping season offers the perfect opportunity to generate increased sales through discounts, coupons and other incentives.
  • Review and revise, if necessary, your SEO: It’s never too late to optimize your search keywords and use analytics to see how they’ve performed on past Cyber Mondays and other big sales dates.
  • Reach out to customers: Email your loyal customers, use Twitter and Facebook to encourage a visit to your store. It’s easy and direct.
  • Think about your offline sales, too: Not every shopper wants to buy online or during Cyber Month. Use your site to drive traffic to your brick-and-mortar store (if you have one) or catalog. Keep all your customer touchpoints in mind.

Any more ideas? Please share with us!

Cyber, Green, or Brown Monday? Why Not Cyber Month? is a post from: Codero dedicated hosting blog

]]> http://www.codero.com/blog/cyber-green-or-brown-monday-why-not-cyber-month/feed/ 1 Remember a Time B.C. (Before Craigslist)? http://www.codero.com/blog/remember-a-time-b-c-before-craigslist/ http://www.codero.com/blog/remember-a-time-b-c-before-craigslist/#comments Wed, 18 Nov 2009 22:31:15 +0000 Dave Macaulay http://www.codero.com/blog/?p=82 Remember a Time B.C. (Before Craigslist)? is a post from: Codero dedicated hosting blog

]]> The Webby Awards just came out with their “Ten Most Influential Internet Moments of the Decade” – beginning with “Craigslist expands outside San Francisco” in 2000. That same year Google AdWords launched, followed by Wikipedia in 2001. Google’s IPO, the rise of YouTube, Facebook and Twitter and the debut of the iPhone in 2007 also made the list.

See all 10 Internet milestones here.

Remember a Time B.C. (Before Craigslist)? is a post from: Codero dedicated hosting blog

]]> http://www.codero.com/blog/remember-a-time-b-c-before-craigslist/feed/ 0 1st Annual Codero Chili Smackdown! http://www.codero.com/blog/1st-annual-codero-chili-smackdown/ http://www.codero.com/blog/1st-annual-codero-chili-smackdown/#comments Fri, 06 Nov 2009 22:57:02 +0000 Dave Macaulay http://www.codero.com/blog/?p=49 1st Annual Codero Chili Smackdown! is a post from: Codero dedicated hosting blog

]]> Ah, the beans, the onions, the thick, meat-filled, spicy aroma of chili – the perfect food for fall. Yes, today was Codero’s 1st Annual Chili Feed and Contest. Out of the ranks came 12 contestants – each concocting their own unique brand of the red (or white) stuff – and seven willing judges (and a big container of Tums). To the winning department: the coveted “Golden Server”. But everyone benefited on this day with a great lunch and a just little heartburn.


Chili entrants included:

  • “Kelly Clarkson”
  • “Devil’s Advocate”
  • “Cousin Whitey’s Spicy Chili”
  • “Brett Favre”
  • “Ryan Elledge”
  • “W.M.T.S. Chili”
  • “Jerry Springer” (Cincinnati-style chili)
  • “Days Off Chili”
  • “Fire in the Hole”
  • “Silly Billie-Willy’s Hilly Willy-Nilly Chili”
  • “Alpo #9 in a Crockpot”
  • “Love ‘em and Leave ‘em” (from Ben Magoon’s Famous Delicatessen)

The individual winners? Matt Rozycki of Billing, Shawn Hashmi of Operations, and Christine Eckhardt of Billing. And a new home for the shiny, much traveled Server (also Billing). Wait til next year!

1st Annual Codero Chili Smackdown! is a post from: Codero dedicated hosting blog

]]> http://www.codero.com/blog/1st-annual-codero-chili-smackdown/feed/ 1 A New Internet World Awaits Us… http://www.codero.com/blog/a-new-internet-world-awaits-us/ http://www.codero.com/blog/a-new-internet-world-awaits-us/#comments Fri, 23 Oct 2009 19:42:54 +0000 Dave Macaulay http://www.codero.com/blog/?p=11 A New Internet World Awaits Us… is a post from: Codero dedicated hosting blog

]]> Kinda makes you think: check out this video with some mind-boggling numbers about the Internet and Internet users – part of the “Did You Know?” series from TeacherTube.

We are living in exponential times: Did You Know? 3.0 – updated September 2009.

A New Internet World Awaits Us… is a post from: Codero dedicated hosting blog

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