Les Jones

Chipin.com - an easy way to raise money for good causes

Saturday, October 25th, 2008 | E-commerce | Permalink | No Comments |

I just found out about Chipin.com. It’s a bloggish Web application for raising money.

Tom Geisler emailed a note from one of his former students whose daughter is in the hospital. You can see her page at Cora’s Medical Bills. Donations are made via PayPal. The RSS feed tracks donations and totals, which helps keep the process transparent. There’s also a widget tool so other Web sites can add an announcement like the one below to help publicize the effort.

ChipIn seems like a smart way to use the Web 2.0 for good causes.

AdSense “heat maps” for best advertising positions

Monday, September 15th, 2008 | E-commerce | Permalink | 5 Comments |

Map of the best advertising positions on a page. Darker colors indicate more clicks. After seeing that I moved the ads on the right side up into a more favorable position.

Slate notices cheap online eyeglasses

Wednesday, September 3rd, 2008 | E-commerce | Permalink | No Comments |

Slate - How To Get an Unbelievable, Amazing, Fantastic, Thrilling Deal on New Glasses:

Optometry is one of those quintessentially physical, service-oriented industries that once seemed naturally immune to Web commerce. Sure, you’d buy books, airline tickets, and computers online, but buying something that you’ve got to hold, feel, and try out first—cars, clothes, furniture—has always seemed strange. But the rise of online eyeglass shops points to a larger trend. As we get increasingly comfortable with the Internet, we’re turning to the Web for riskier purchases. The online shoe business, for instance, has lately been booming. The Web’s advantages here are clear. Online shoe shops offer much greater selection than your local retailer, and they let you search through their merchandise more precisely—I’d like those wing tips in size 8, black, with an extra-wide front. To ease the pain of making a mistake, Web shoe stores like Zappos have extremely lenient return policies. For many, these benefits outweigh the disadvantage of not being able to try on what you’re buying

Previously:
- Cheap Eyeglasses Online

Reviewing Amazon.com’s Volunteer Reviewers

Monday, August 11th, 2008 | E-commerce | Permalink | 1 Comment |

Slate - Who Is Grady Harp?Amazon’s Top Reviewers and the fate of the literary amateur:

My own research suggests that GH is no more or less credible than Amazon’s other “celebrity reviewers.” Harriet Klausner, No. 1 since the inception of the ranking system in 2000, has averaged 45 book reviews per week over the last five years—a pace that seems hard to credit, even from a professed speed-reader. Reviewer No. 3, Donald Mitchell, ceaselessly promotes “the 400 Year Project,” which his profile identifies only as “a pro bono, noncommercial project to help the world make improvements at 20 times the normal rate.” John “Gunny” Matlock, ranked No. 6 this spring, took a holiday from Amazon, according to Vick Mickunas of the Dayton Daily News, after allegations that 27 different writers had helped generate his reviews.

Getting caught in Wilt Chamberlain math is a rookie mistake.

Google Forgets to Renew SSL Cert. for Google Analytics

Sunday, June 22nd, 2008 | E-commerce | Permalink | No Comments |

Saturday morning I got this warming when my browser loaded up my startup batch of Web sites.

The same thing happened in March.

Smartass Amazon Reviewers, Take 2

Friday, June 20th, 2008 | E-commerce | Permalink | No Comments |

The $130,868 pine bench.

I purchased this unit to hide my cash in it as well, and all my friends and family love how my cash smells like pine. Great investment for the future, burglars hate pine.

The bench is 39 pounds. This is an absolute steal. Where else can you get pine cheaper than $3,350 a pound?

Hat tip to Tam.

See also:
- Hoaxing Amazon’s Customer Reviews

Flashlight-a-holics, Meet YouTube. YouTube, Meet Flashlight-a-holics

Tuesday, April 15th, 2008 | E-commerce, Tech | Permalink | 10 Comments |

A Maglite is a gateway drug to a serious flashlight addiction. Surefires, Streamlights and Fenixes are the hard stuff. I’ve got one of each now and I’m still looking for the perfect light.

My perfect every day carry flashlight de jeur would have a CREE LED bulb which is the most efficient thing going. It would use AA batteries for easy availability and the option to use Lithium AAs for higher output. It would have a tailcap switch for better ergonomics. Finally, because today’s high output LEDs are too bright at full power for some applications it would offer at least two light levels - high and low.

I thought this Fenix L2D CE Q5 was the light for me, but the tailcap switch is too sensitive and the body isn’t grippy enough. On the plus side it meets my other requirements and the light output of the CREE is amazing - even better than the Surefire E2D but with twice the battery life on high. (Want the Fenix? Make me an offer.)

The Internet has a new way to enable our madness. People these days are posting flashlight videos to YouTube.

• NiteCore Defender Infinity (the current object of my lumen lust)

• Fenix P2D, P3D + comparisons
• Fenix P3D CE Flashlight

These next videos are all from glowgadgets, AKA Doc from glowgadgets.co.uk. He’s a genius at using YouTube for promotion.

Doc’s first video shows just how far behind Maglite has fallen compared to the little LED lights that fit in your pocket and run forever.

• Flashlight Comparisons - Fenix vs Surefire & Maglight

• Flashlight Comparisons - Fenix vs Surefire & Maglight Part 2
• Fenix Diffusers on P3D CE & P3D Premium 100 Rebel Torches
• Fenix TK10

Doc Speaks Out! This guy really makes me want to buy something from him.

See also:
- What’s on My Nightstand?
- Archie Gates and Some New Flashlights

Simple and Effective Product Comparison Technique

Monday, April 14th, 2008 | E-commerce | Permalink | No Comments |

I like this product comparison technique at Light-reviews.com. There are three columns listing products. Click a product in each column and you see the brightness photo for each flashlight along with specifications. Simple and effective.

Amazon Filler Finder for Free Shipping

Wednesday, April 9th, 2008 | E-commerce | Permalink | 2 Comments |

I’ve blogged before about needing small items to pad out an Amazon order to qualify for free shipping. That problem is solved once and for all with Amazon Filler Finder, AKA fillteritem.com. Enter the amount you need to qualify for Super Saver Shipping and Amazon Filler Finder will find items in the categories you prefer to round out your order. Genius.

An Unsatisfied Redzee.com Advertiser

Thursday, April 3rd, 2008 | E-commerce | Permalink | No Comments |

Last year I wrote a warning about buying advertising from specialty search engine Redzee.com. Here’s a tale of woe from someone who spent money with Redzee.

Why I Love Nextag and Other Price Comparison Services

Wednesday, April 2nd, 2008 | E-commerce, Photos | Permalink | 2 Comments |

My day job is running an e-commerce operation. As part of that job I advertise on price comparison services. It’s well worth it - I get great ROI by advertising our products on price comparison services. The people who visit those sites are in the final stages of buying. They want a reputable company who can deliver the product at a good price. Selling to those people is the easiest, quickest, most straight-forward transaction between an eager buyer and an eager seller.

Likewise, I use those price comparison services when I’m shopping for my personal use. I’ve used them to buy computer equipment, stereo equipment, and, lately, camera equipment.

My favorite of the bunch is Nextag.com. I’ve been shopping camera lenses on Amazon and Nextag. Amazon lists the features, has reviews from people who have bought the lens, and even has sample images taken by customers who bought the lens.

What Amazon doesn’t have is the best price. One lens I’m looking at sells for $479 on Amazon. Checking the price on Nextag I found several online vendors offering it for around $400.

Nextag also offers user reviews of the products. Better yet, they have user reviews of the sellers, so you know who to shop with and who to avoid. I also like their price history graph showing the change in price over time:

I sometimes use Nextag’s price alert service. Enter your email address and a target price and Nextag will email you when the price drops below that amount.

One little-noticed feature of Nextag is a record of the date the product first appeared on the site. I’ve occasionally used that to get a ballpark estimate of when a product was introduced.

Tip for consumers - The price search results are not sorted by price. That’s typical of price comparison services (but not Google Products search). Resellers like me have the option to pay more to be at the top of the search results regardless of our price. Always click on the price column header to sort with the lowest price first. Better yet, enter your Zip code for Nextag’s “TruePrice” which includes shipping and applicable sales tax. When you sort by TruePrice you’re sorting by the total price with shipping and tax so there are no hidden surprises.

Tip for e-commerce folks - Among the paid price comparison services the most important to use are Nextag, Shopzillla/Bizrate, Yahoo Shopping, Shopping.com/DealTime.com/eBay.com/Epinions.com, and Google Products. Google Products, MSN Live Products, and theFind.com don’t cost you anything so you’re crazy not to use those three. Google Products (formerly Froogle) will drive even greater traffic once it comes out of beta and Google starts promoting it more heavily. There are products I don’t list on most price comparison services because I don’t think the ROI is good enough, but I can list them on Google Products because it doesn’t cost me anything.

Cheap Eyeglasses Online

Wednesday, April 2nd, 2008 | E-commerce, Health Care | Permalink | 4 Comments |

James Rummel posted a while back about a Web site selling eyeglasses for as little as $8 a pair. Now he links to Sevesteen’s review of that Web site. It sounds like the biggest challenge is knowing what frames to get that will look good on you:

I also got a pair of sunglasses with memory temples and bridge, semi-rimmed (the string type) for $15–Wore those while driving to work, and the prescription seems fine, as are the $13 hingeless stainless steel semi-rim. Finally, I bought a $10 semi-rimmed that I’m wearing now. Also fine.

I will probably order from them again, but if I get something beyond the basic lens, I’ll be more careful about width, and probably stick to a frame style I already have.

My wife tells me she worked part-time for an optometrist back in her twenties. She was shocked at the markup on eyeglasses. I believe it.

She and I got new glasses in December. The salesperson was happy to throw in anti-reflection coatings to our glasses, add polarization to my sunglasses, and even make new lenses for my old frames, all at no extra cost. This despite the fact that we were buying during a buy one pair get two pair free sale. We didn’t even drive a hard bargain - we just mentioned those things and she happily gave them to us gratis. I realized then how much profit margin that store has on eyeglasses. I can only imagine how much profit margin my optometrist makes on eyeglasses during his buy one get nothing free sale.

Our optical plan will cover new eyeglasses on January 1, 2009, so we may give Zenni a try then. Most of the eyeglasses are in the $25-50 range, which our deductible will more than cover.

CMO Council’s Tech Media Consumption Surveys

Thursday, March 27th, 2008 | E-commerce | Permalink | No Comments |

Q2 2007 report:

The most noteworthy shift in ranking occurs in the questions related to information sources. When asked “In the past 3 months, which of the following information sources have you looked to for information on a new product or technology that your company is potentially going to acquire or implement?”, the number one source remains search engines. However, IT publisher’s Web sites moved into second place, displacing vendor Web sites which moved to third place.

The distinct favoritism for IT publisher online content over vendor Web sites is worth noting. Over time IT buyers may be searching for third party editorial content that discusses a technology or product offering in an unbiased way. This trend would reinforce that publisher content satisfies the buyer’s reliance on the Web for research, it may also indicate that, at a stage closer to developing a short list or making a purchase, the buyer moves to vendor content to obtain technical specifics on a solution.

There’s also some information about the use of white papers, webinars, and trial software at different phases of the buying process. Good stuff.

How Much Are Your Competitors Spending on Google Adwords?

Monday, March 24th, 2008 | E-commerce | Permalink | 4 Comments |

Find out at SpyFu.com. Here are the results for Knoxville’s own Jewelry TV.

That ad spend estimate is pretty broad. In my experience and in talking to other people the real number is likely to be at the lower end of that range, assuming the company hasn’t recently changed their ads or bids. Still, $5K a day is nothing to sneeze at, and neither is 14,000 clickthroughs per day. Those guys are definitely slangin’ some jewelry.

Those figures put their average cost per click at 35 cents. If their conversion rate is the mythical 1% that would put their marketing cost per sale at $35.00. To be profitable one or more of the following would need to be true:

• The typical sale is something more expensive than the $40 loss leaders.

• Their conversion rate is better than the 1% rule of thumb.
• Their product margins are more than I think they are. (I know the IT business, not the jewelry business.)
• If they effectively market to existing customers they can generate repeat business, reducing their cost per conversion.

More from SpyFu:

• Top 1000 Most Expensive Keywords

• Top 500 Advertisers
• Top 500 Organically Ranked Sites
• Top 500 Most Clicked Terms

How to Get a Person on the UPS 800 Number Phone Menu

Wednesday, January 2nd, 2008 | E-commerce | Permalink | 3 Comments |

When you call 800-742-5877 it’s hard to get a person on the phone. I just found out you can press the * key to get a live person. The first time you press * the phone menu will tell you that you’ve entered an invalid response. Keep trying. As I recall I got a live person after pressing * to three prompts.

Scotsman Article on Blog Revenue

Thursday, December 27th, 2007 | Blogging, E-commerce | Permalink | No Comments |

Scotsman - For some casual bloggers, a bigger bite of the online advertising pie

NEW YORK — Zach Brooks pocketed $1,000 this month blogging about the cheap lunches he discovers around midtown Manhattan ($10 or less, preferably greasy, and if he’s lucky, served from a truck).

The site, Midtownlunch.com, is just a year and a half old and gets about 2,000 readers daily, but it’s already earning him enough each month for a weekend trip to the Caribbean — or in his case, more fat-filled culinary escapades in the city.

In the vast and varied world of blogging, Brooks is far from alone.

It’s no longer unusual for blogs with just a few thousand daily readers to earn nearly as many dollars a month. Helping fill the pockets of such bloggers are Google’s AdSense and many other programs that let individuals — not just major publications — tap into the rapidly growing pot of advertising dollars with a click of the mouse.

Brooks’ blog has less traffic than my blog but more advertising revenue. I guess that shows the benefits of specialization. I’m also jealous of his blog topic - that’s some delicious-looking food.

Former Eonstreams Wins $40 Mil Judgement Against Clear Channel

Wednesday, December 12th, 2007 | E-commerce | Permalink | No Comments |

Knoxville News-Sentinel - Knox business wins $40 million federal court judgment against Clear Channel:

A local company won a $40 million judgment today against media and entertainment giant Clear Channel Communications Inc.

A federal jury in Knoxville found that Clear Channel breached its contract with what was then known as Eonstreams Inc. by failing to adopt the Knoxville company’s ad-placement system for Clear Channel’s online radio streams.

Dang. I remember Eonstreams as a U.S. Internet customer back in the ’90s. Those guys were in the game early.

A New Trend? FSBO on the Internet

Thursday, November 29th, 2007 | E-commerce | Permalink | 2 Comments |

Two of my friends are selling their houses on the Internet. Neither uses a hired service. They each bought a domain name, built the Web pages themselves, and used their digital cameras to take the photos.

Not a bad idea at all. There’s huge savings to be had if they can sell their homes themselves. A typical real estate agent commission is 6%. For the prices they’re asking that would save them about $9,000.

Their Web sites are Fiataccompli.com and 616forestview.com. Both houses are in Knoxville.