Onsite Targeting: An Elegant Solution For Boosting Website Relevance And Sales

By Brian Deagan, CEO, Knotice

It is a dreaded situation. Direct digital marketing technology is evolving faster than ever, and eCommerce software that has been used for five successful and profitable years is quickly becoming outdated. It lacks the newly mandatory, sophisticated personalization and relevance tools necessary to maintain the blistering pace of innovation the competition has set. So, it is decision time for the marketer: What is the best way to incorporate these capabilities?

One option is to open up a buying process for a new eCommerce engine. It is a long, arduous task that begins with a drawn-out courting process and ends in a massive, expensive implementation and transition process. The second option, building a homegrown eCommerce solution, is not much more appealing because it takes a tremendous investment of both time and resources. Plus, leading edge personalization and relevance tools are some of the first features to be cut from the road map in order to save time and money.

Option three, an onsite targeting solution, is the best bet and the least adopted. Onsite targeting is a simple concept. Rather than relegating a webpage to a single message prominently displayed, onsite targeting plugs in to an existing webpage's framework and transforms the formerly static space – whether that space contains copy or images – into a "live zone" able to rotate dynamic, personalized, and relevant content specifically designed to appeal to all of a brand's diverse audience. Whether an onsite targeting solution is rules-based or algorithm-based – and there are good reasons for both – tools for personalization and relevance have evolved to the point where users are able to have complete control.