ARMONK, N.Y., June
23, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- IBM (NYSE: IBM) today announced
a new Event Readiness services offering that will enable businesses
in industries including retail, banking, telecommunications and
manufacturing to prepare for unexpected surges in online traffic
and sales.
Many consumer purchases today are driven by emotions, which
often occur in the spur of the moment. The ability to quickly
respond to these events, no matter what channel -- online,
smartphone, store -- has been a challenge. With this new services
capability, brands can now turn unexpected spikes in demand into
sales opportunities, better engaging with the consumer and building
brand loyalty.
For example, a young celebrity makes a statement at a red carpet
event by wearing an affordable dress. The item is an overnight
sensation, and the retailers that sell it face a dramatic surge in
traffic and orders. As fans turn to their smartphones, tablets and
PCs to buy that dress, can retailers handle too much of a good
thing?
To date, brands have prepared themselves for events that are
already on their radar. With this new capability, for the
first time, brands will be able to tap into the expertise from IBM
consultants, designers and analytics experts to make the most of
unexpected opportunities. IBM experts will work closely with
clients through a series of questions that analyze the capacity of
the current infrastructure in place and the potential
impediments. Using these insights, teams will quickly
identify specific areas of risk, concern and exposure, including
potential security vulnerabilities, and then deliver the hands-on
services and support needed to enable the client to tackle
unexpected events.
According to the Ponemon Institute, online outages or site
crashes can cost a business $5,600
per minute. With incident lengths averaging 90 minutes, a single
event can drive away loyal customers, tarnish the brand's
reputation and threaten critical revenue streams.
"Today, the customer is in control, which means every experience
that a brand delivers matters. Just one misstep can result in
the loss of a loyal customer," said Tom
Blaisdell, senior marketing manager for eCommerce,
Hanesbrands Inc., a clothing and apparel company. "Hanesbrands is
committed to delivering customers the items they want, when they
want. With this new offering, IBM is helping brands ensure their
infrastructure can meet the higher expectations of today's
customers."
Now, with these capabilities, brands can proactively identify
areas of vulnerability and prevent a crisis caused by unexpected,
high-volume traffic events. For example, a website crash
caused by a surge in new mortgage applications due to a drop in
interest rates or a spike in orders for the latest smartphone can
now become an opportunity for a brand to transform what would have
been an angry customer into a loyal one by delivering what they
expect -- a flawless and personalized experience.
"No matter what industry, businesses need to be ready to fully
engage their customers across all channels," said Deepak Advani, General Manager, IBM Commerce.
"Today, there are 5.2 billion mobile users who are connecting with
brands 24/7 so even the shortest periods of disruption, whether on
the site or in the supply chain, can become the weakest link for a
brand. Regardless of the scenario, businesses must be able to
handle the 'unexpected' and have the ability to deliver the
powerful, personalized experiences that drive enduring customer
loyalty."
IBM Event Readiness also gives brands additional assurances that
they are prepared for the surges in activity that come around all
key retail holidays, from Back to School, Cyber Monday and
Father's Day.
In regard to Father's Day, IBM's
Digital Analytics Benchmark data as well as data from partner
Northpage revealed some interested details on consumer shopping
trends as well as tactics that brands used to ensure they were
prepared to meet the needs of customers over the holiday.
- Smartphones are becoming the mobile device of choice for
consumers, driving 35.3 percent of all online traffic compared to
tablets at 12.5 percent while nearly closing the gap when it comes
to online sales.
- 83 percent of Sports Apparel and Gear and 75 percent of Home
Goods retailers presented customers with large, high-resolution
images as they browsed for gifts which more effectively engaged
shoppers, improved product identification and increased sales
conversion rates.
- 38 Percent of Home Goods and 31 percent of Sports Apparel and
Gear Retailers increased conversion rates by highlighting savings
details on the items in the customer's buy box including the
percentage discount off the original price and the dollar amount
they will be saving.
The offering will be made available to clients to help alleviate
concerns or risk on their initial deployment or peak period.
For more information, please click here. For more details on
the online shopping trends around the Father's Day holiday please click here.
About IBM Commerce
IBM Commerce helps clients understand customer behavior and use
insights to help deliver highly personalized and relevant
experiences at every touch point. For more information on IBM
Commerce, please click here.
Lizette Kodama
IBM Media Relations
1 (646) 675-0750
lkodama@us.ibm.com
Doug Fraim
IBM Media Relations
1 (617) 501-6376
dfraim@us.ibm.com
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SOURCE IBM