For Consumer Product Strategy Professionals

Designing A Mobile Empowered Product Strategy

An Report: Applying The IDEA Framework To Smartphone Users

by J.P. Gownder, September 7, 2010

Product strategists developing mobile offerings should take inspiration from Forrester's new book Empowered. When designing a mobile product strategy, they should employ a mobile version of the IDEA framework: Identify Mobile Mass Influencers, deliver . . .

For Interactive Marketing Professionals

Social Media Marketing For Financial Services

How To Navigate The Regulatory Minefield And Build Effective Social Media Programs

by Nate Elliott, September 7, 2010

Financial services firms are beginning to adopt social technologies: In fact, we found that 79% of companies in the industry have some social media presence. But, held back by regulatory concerns and a lack of experience, few are using social media very . . .

For Customer Experience Professionals

How American Express Empowers Call Center Employees To Deliver Great Customer Experience

A Report From Forrester's Customer Experience Forum 2010

by Megan Burns, September 3, 2010

American Express listens to its employees. At Forrester's Customer Experience Forum 2010, Reena Panikar, vice president and business leader of American Express' Customer Service Center in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., told attendees how AmEx has leveraged feedback . . .

For eBusiness & Channel Strategy Professionals

How Travel eBusiness Can Win Friends And Influence Travelers

An In-Depth Look At Travel Social Fans, The Travelers Who Friend, Follow, Or Fan Travel Companies And Destinations On Social Media Sites

by Henry H. Harteveldt, Elizabeth Stark, September 3, 2010

Travelers view social media as more than a way to stay in touch with people they know. Forrester data reveals that two in five US online leisure travelers have friended, followed, or become a fan of a travel company or destination on a social networking . . .

For Interactive Marketing Professionals

Forrester's Email Marketing Review Scorecard

by Shar VanBoskirk, September 2, 2010

Forrester updated its Email Marketing Review (EMR) methodology to reflect interactive media changes that affect email marketing efficiency and relevance. As with our past email review methodologies, Forrester’s Email Marketing Review Scorecard evaluates . . .

For Customer Experience Professionals

Web Site Brand Experience 2010: Auto Manufacturers

Forrester Applies Its Web Site Brand Experience Review Methodology To Five Top Sites

by Adele Sage, September 2, 2010

The multibillion-dollar auto industry features some of the most recognized brand names in the US, like Chevrolet, Ford, Honda, Nissan, and Toyota. But how good is the brand experience offered by major auto manufacturer brands' Web sites? To find out, . . .

For Consumer Product Strategy Professionals

Western European Mobile Games Forecast, 2010 To 2015

The Lessons To Learn From Gaming, Mobile's Most Advanced Content Market

by Thomas Husson, August 27, 2010

The Western European mobile gaming market is set to grow from €764 million at the end of 2010 to €1.46 billion by the end of 2015. Growth will come from a combination of a rise in the number of paying mobile gamers — from 31 million to 45 million between . . .

For eBusiness & Channel Strategy Professionals

What Every Exec Needs To Know About The Future of eCommerce Technology

How Online And Multichannel Capabilities Are Transforming Business

by Brian K. Walker, August 27, 2010

We are in a highly transformative time as changing customer expectations, commerce capabilities, and technology continue to evolve rapidly. Initiatives that just a few short years ago would have seemed a long way off — such as mobile commerce, app stores, . . .

For Customer Experience Professionals

Web Site User Experience 2010: Marketing Software Vendors

Forrester Applies Its Web Site User Experience Review Methodology To Four B2B Software Vendors

by Vidya L. Drego, August 25, 2010

Forrester evaluated the user experience of the Web sites of four large business-to-business (B2B) marketing software vendors: Alterian, Oracle, SAS, and Unica. Overall scores were mediocre: No site received a passing grade. SAS came out on top, standing . . .

For Application Development & Delivery Professionals

Define Your Mobile Development Strategy

Use Forrester's Mobile POST Method To Create A Mobile Development Plan

by Jeffrey S. Hammond, August 24, 2010

Developing mobile applications used to be an arcane activity pursued by highly specialized developers, but no more. The surge in popularity of Android devices, BlackBerries, and iPhones has application development professionals gearing up to incorporate . . .

For eBusiness & Channel Strategy Professionals

How Canadian Insurance Customers Use Different Channels

by Ellen Carney, Peter Wannemacher, August 24, 2010

Canadians still use the phone as their primary channel for insurance. In fact, the phone was the only channel used by a majority of online Canadian insurance customers in the past year, while fewer than one in three customers used an insurer's Web site . . .

For Consumer Product Strategy Professionals

US Tablet Buyers Are Multi-PC Consumers

Product Strategists Must Position PCs And Peripherals Within A Multidevice Lifestyle

by Sarah Rotman Epps, August 19, 2010

The success of the Apple iPad has created a halo around tablets in general: Consumers are interested in these devices, even if they're confused about what they actually are. US online consumers who own or intend to buy iPads and other tablets fit a typical . . .

For Customer Experience Professionals

Web Site User Experience 2010: UK Grocers

Forrester Applies Its Web Site User Experience Review Methodology To Four Top UK Grocers

by Jonathan Browne, August 18, 2010

Forrester evaluated the user experience at the Web sites of four leading UK online grocery retailers: Asda, Sainsbury's, Tesco, and Waitrose. Overall scores were above average, but no site passed our review. The most common usability flaws we uncovered . . .

For eBusiness & Channel Strategy Professionals

Web Site Functionality Benchmark 2010: UK Grocers

Top UK Grocers

by Patti Freeman Evans, Lauriane Camus, August 18, 2010

Forrester evaluated the grocery Web sites of the four largest UK grocers — Asda, Sainsbury's, Tesco, and Waitrose — using our Web Site Functionality Benchmark methodology. The results: Sainsbury's led the pack, but the overall functionality experiences . . .

For Customer Experience Professionals

When To Redesign Your Site: Seven Indicators That It May Be Time For An Online Overhaul

by Vidya L. Drego, August 17, 2010

Clients frequently ask Forrester how often they should redesign their Web site. The answer? Redesign your site when it no longer supports business goals, brand attributes, or user goals. How will site owners know that their sites fall short in one of . . .

For eBusiness & Channel Strategy Professionals

Global Online Population Forecast, 2009 To 2014

An Overview Of Global Adoption To Help Plan For International Initiatives

by Zia Daniell Wigder, August 17, 2010

Between 2005 and 2009, the global Internet population increased from fewer than one billion to more than 1.6 billion; by 2014, it is projected to grow by another 42%. The bulk of the population growth will come from Asia, which will represent 44% of the . . .

For eBusiness & Channel Strategy Professionals

European Banks Should Start Adding Customer Ratings And Reviews To Their Sites

European Online Financial Researchers Want Ratings And Reviews

by Alexander Hesse, August 16, 2010

European online financial researchers look for customer ratings and reviews. They tend to trust them and find them valuable for making better buying decisions. Although a range of North American financial services firms offer customer ratings and reviews . . .

For Interactive Marketing Professionals

How To Create An Effective Brand Presence On Facebook

Forrester Research Online Facebook WebTrack

by Melissa Parrish, August 12, 2010

Marketers are flocking to Facebook — but creating a compelling Facebook brand presence requires forethought and commitment. The best Facebook marketers maximize their pages' exposure, post frequently, and encourage fans to interact. Interactive marketers . . .

For Customer Experience Professionals

Lessons Learned From Three Award-Winning Voice Of The Customer Programs

by Andrew McInnes, August 12, 2010

Most large North American companies have voice of the customer (VoC) programs in place. But most programs don't live up to their potential. Forrester's 2010 Voice of the Customer Awards recognize VoC programs that drive action and deliver business results. . . .

For Consumer Product Strategy Professionals

US Consumers Are Willing Co-Creators

Activate Engaged Consumers With Social Technologies To Build Better Products

by Doug Williams, August 10, 2010

According to a survey of consumer product strategy (CPS) professionals, nearly half of all companies are not using social media to interact directly with their customers in order to influence product creation, design, or strategy. While numerous barriers . . .

For Customer Intelligence Professionals

Organizing For Site Optimization

by Joe Stanhope, August 10, 2010

Incorporating testing into marketing and customer experience management programs is crucial because consumer behaviors change continually and vary by a multitude of dimensions that are nearly impossible to divine by intuition. Fortunately, it's not necessary . . .

For Interactive Marketing Professionals

Viral Video Creative That Works

The 2010 Viral Video WebTrack And Consumer Survey

by Nate Elliott, August 9, 2010

More people are watching online video than ever before, and most share their favorite videos with their friends — but that doesn't mean creating a successful viral video is getting any easier. When we studied the most popular viral videos from the first . . .

For Market Research Professionals

Latin American Social Technographics® Revealed

How Can Companies Leverage Latin Americans' Love of Social Media?

by Roxana Strohmenger, August 9, 2010

Forrester's Social Technographics® profiles reveal that online metropolitan Brazilians and Mexicans are voracious consumers of social media and are the most active across every level of social engagement in all of the markets we survey. Companies trying . . .

For Consumer Product Strategy Professionals

Online Video Best Practice

Benchmarking Web Sites Using Forrester's Online Video Product Scorecard

by Nick Thomas, August 5, 2010

Over the past year, our video strategy series has presented the business case goals and best practices for adding video to your Web site. In this report, we demonstrate how our online video product scorecard enables companies to benchmark their efforts, . . .

For Customer Experience Professionals

How To Make Mega-Drop-Down Menus Work

by Ron Rogowski, August 4, 2010

Mega-drop-down menus enable designers to quickly route site visitors to content that resides deep within a site's hierarchy without obligating them to sort through multiple menu layers. But once users are past the home page, forcing them to rely on hidden . . .