Digital Media Buzz > Dude, Where’s My Cart? E-Commerce Software Can Now Show You

Dude, Where’s My Cart? E-Commerce Software Can Now Show You

By Rebecca Jacoby

A newcomer in the behavioral targeting (BT) industry, ClearSight Interactive (ClearSight) intends to transform e-mail marketing and customer relationship management (CRM) for Internet retailers with ClearTrigger, its new technology that captures psychographic and consumption data on interested consumers who have abandoned a shopping cart prior to registering.

ClearTrigger touts that it takes the guess-work out of e-mail marketing because the technology allows retailers to, in a sense, predict a prospect’s behavior. Retailers can identify and make direct contact with unknown shoppers who have demonstrated an interest in a product online. It targets the specific online behaviors of each visitor during engaged website activity. Then, it leverages this data within its database of over 130 million active permission-based individuals.

Does this sound like more of the same old, same old conversion-speak? Actually, BT is not a new idea, nor is its use with e-mail campaigns. In fact, evidence of marketing research firms, such as Forrester Research in Cambridge, Mass., can be found dating to 2006 by performing simple search engine queries.

ClearSight’s technology, however, can indicate how frequently a specific visitor is online via time or page views. It can also record data from abandoned lead-forms. With this strategic information, online advertisers are able to profile and reach highly relevant potential customers.

The “intelligent” technology may be able to identify users within milliseconds of a visit and efficiently serve up a relevant ad. Isn’t this process familiar?

Perhaps ClearTrigger signifies a trend in the conversion arena. Other firms, such as FormAlive, which recently unveiled its beta site, seems to be following on ClearSight’s coattails. It, too, speaks of the online web form as being the “gateway” to closing sales.

Tim Daly, president and co-founder, ClearSight, explained that the rates for shopping cart abandonment average 60 percent and more than 70 percent of site visitors remain unknown to retailers. “The CRM systems that facilitate e-mailing former customers on file who have abandoned shopping carts have proven very successful at reminding people what they left in their carts; however, they have limitations as they only identify existing customers. With ClearTrigger, businesses can effectively identify unregistered users and target them via acquisition e-mail communication, effectively closing the loop on would-be lost shoppers,” Daly said.

Therein lies the potential distinction of ClearTrigger: the ability to identify and target website visitors who have not registered their data. As Daly proposes, no one should miss the chance to pick up sales via an e-mail campaign to drop-out prospects.

Anthony C. Caracausa, VP research and development for Keystone Partners Group, a real estate firm, is considering ClearSight’s products. “When selling a high-end property, I look for data on luxury vehicles and lifestyles. Once I know spending habits, I can determine a prospect list. Having psychographic data on unregistered visitors gives me a more complete customer profile and tells me how to aim my e-mail campaigns.”

ClearMail, another new ClearSight product, also provides a behavior-targeting process, but in addition to sending e-mail, it includes the ability to send direct mail or catalogs to identified and targeted prospects via postal mail. This potential customer data has met the requirements for the CASS system, a method developed by the USPS to assist in accurate mail delivery and to elicit delivery performance statistics. As an offline system, marketers can maximize multi-channel behavioral-driven messaging to boost their tactics and improve their sales.

Daly adds, “By using our solutions, retailers will be able to grow their businesses in ways previously unimagined.”

Rebecca Jacoby, freelance writer, reports how digital media works with business.