Transactional banners are back in the headlines. Adgregate Markets’ ShopAds transactional banner ad technology is being made available to customers of Google’s DoubleClick division.

The concept of a transactional banner is simple: customers can browse and purchase products directly from a banner on a third party website without ever having to leave the page the banner is on.

When these were first heralded as the future of e-commerce, you can bet that we were all over it. A few years later and there was still no sign of these transformational widgets. Tailgate Technologies were first to market this technology in 2007 but it’s unclear how effective they were at generating sales. I’ve certainly never come across one of these banners – and I’m one of those people who actually like banner ads (I also like tv ads – go figure).

This latest announcement means that customers of DoubleClick will now be able to integrate the ShopAds’ e-commerce functionality into any of its banner ads. According to Adgregate Markets CEO Henry Wong, its own ad network has about 12 million unique visitors monthly with 1 million of these ShopAds embedded across the web.

So will it take off? Will customers feel safe in purchasing from a banner on a potentially unknown third party website?

I’ll stick my neck out and say yes.

Once people get over the tech and possible security issues, I think these banners will become a key revenue stream for the right brands. Initially, this type of transaction would be perfect for the lower value goods – certainly not the high-end luxury sector. Impulse buys, micro-payment items, electronic tickets, downloadable purchases will be first to benefit.

When confidence grows, and the technology advances, who knows what will be possible.

This is precisely why I love the Internet. A constant flow of game changing innovations that turn what we get accustomed to on its head!

I’d love to hear other people’s views on these…so please feel free to comment below.

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This week there’s been two pieces of research that have shown that online spending is where ‘it’s at’ – as if you needed convincing.

A league created by analyst TNS Worldpanel revealed that in an annual top 10 list of favourite retailers in the UK, Amazon came 2nd (Tesco was 1st) and eBay came in at number 10 (full report), and research carried out by PwC and WARC shows that 2008 internet advertising expenditure defied the recession by being up by 17%, with the UK now said to be ‘the world’s most advanced market for internet advertising’ (full IAB/PwC report).

I don’t think that this marks the end for bricks and mortar stores or for traditional forms of advertising, but for brands, it’s now more important than ever to ensure their online offering is up to scratch. 9 out of 10 times the first place people go if they are interested in a product is the brand’s website. Apart from ensuring that a positive first impression is made, it’s important that the online design reflects the offline brand. Too often, websites are treated as the poor cousin of the print or TV ad. This is costing brands sales and customers. People online are less forgiving than in the real world. They have many more choices of where to go and within a single click, they’re at a competitor’s website.

Having said that, if online is used properly, it can also be responsible for increasing footfall to stores (I’ll post a full report on this soon). More and more, customers are going online to check the range of products BEFORE visiting the real world store (which could be a significant journey to some). Why risk a wasted journey? The reality is, etailers are simply not displaying their full wares online – for whatever reason – which is ultimately costing them sales online as well as offline.

The message from these reports is clear. It’s all about choice. eCommerce shouldn’t be seen as a threat to traditional retail, but as a key tool in a multi-channel retailing strategy. In a highly competitive market, it’s essential that you make your customer king. Allow them to shop and view on and offline. Give them as much insight and information at each touch point. Provide a 360 degree returns option. Everyone needs to up their game in this climate or risk losing customers to their leaner, more innovative competitors. Etailing and traditional retailing must work hand in hand to ensure survival.

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Hello world.

In case you hadn’t guessed it from the name, but I’ll be writing about eCommerce and all things associated with it within the hallowed (virtual) walls of this blog. The key theme will always be around ideas to ultimately help you sell more stuff online, to more people, for as little marketing spend as possible! So if that’s what you’re interested in/dream about/live for – then you’re in the right place. Otherwise, go here.

So let me cut to the chase. I want to respond to a question that I’m regularly asked by clients, colleagues, journalists, prospects and peers in one form or another: “How do you ensure continued revenue growth (online) during a downturn.”

I could spend a long time covering everything from customer acquisition to conversion and retention but the reality is, it’s actually the same stuff you should’ve been doing all along that you need to continue to do. The trouble is, a vast majority of eCommerce owners (let’s call them eTailers) haven’t even been doing the basics right but they’ve still experienced growth over the past few years.

Well ding dong, those days are now over and the current recession is shaking the apple tree: If your eCommerce site is working hard for its money, then you’ll cling on and prosper. If you’re a ‘me too’ that fails to innovate, engage and attract, then your sharper, shrewder competitors will eventually win over your precious customers and you will lose business.

As a starter for ten, here are some basic tips to get you on your way to eCommerce Zen:

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