December 2008 - ‘Global’ animation development for SolStonePlus launched

Bournemouth, England - 1st of December, 2008

E-creation has delivered a unique ‘website refresh’ for international business intelligence firm, SolStonePlus, in the form of a series of ‘global’ animations that can be edited by the client via Microsoft Word. E-creation created the Flash animations to refresh the visual look and feel of the existing website without the need for a complete redesign.

Traditionally, Flash animations are ‘built once’ and require a digital agency to update or change content within the animation at later stages. For SolStonePlus, E-creation created a series of animations that not only look stunning but by linking content in the animation with text files, have made it possible for SolStonePlus to easily update content simply through Microsoft Word.

"E-creation’s approach has been a cost effective way for SolStonePlus to revamp the look of their website without performing a complete redesign - saving both time and money. Given the current economic climate, businesses need to continue to be proactive with their marketing, whilst being as cost effective as possible" says E-creation’s MD, Jan Paul.

Leon Torka, E-creation’s head designer adds, "the animations were created using a combination of 3D animations and film effects created by Adobe ‘After Effects’ as used by the Hollywood special effects industry. This made it possible to bring a big screen feel to animations that are relatively small compared to the overall page size - enabling the client to perform well in search engine ranking without compromising the visual impact of their website."

View a PDF of this press release.

Nov 2008 - Clever online marketing helping smaller online e-commerce retailers compete for Christmas business with Currys, HMV, John Lewis & Comet

Nov 2008 - Clever online marketing helping smaller online e-commerce retailers compete for Christmas business with Currys, HMV, John Lewis & Comet

It has been another growth year for online retailers but how do smaller, pure online retail business compete with established high-street retailers like Woolworths (now a pure online business ed. Oct 09), Currys, John Lewis and Comet? E-creation has worked with many small online retailers to improve performance against the larger brand names who might have an advantage on the Internet through deeply embedded brand recognition in the minds of shoppers. After all, how easy is it to go to Amazon for books?

This brand awareness creates huge volumes of traffic for the larger retailers without the need to be price competitive, offer superior service or a wider range of products because people just think the brand because they don''t know what other options are potentially available.

For example, here is the current ''popular queries'' list from Google UK (Nov 08):

myspace
youtube
bbc
mayo clinic
angelina jolie
woolworths
currys
hmv
hsbc
britney spears
christmas
john lewis
debenhams
comet
pc world

As can be clearly seen, visitors using UK search engines in the run up to Christmas are using terms such as Woolworths, Currys, HMV, John Lewis, Debenhams & Comet - with these ''brand'' names dominate the list, accounting for close to 50% of the top search terms.

E-creation's online marketing consultancy for smaller online retailers, focuses on the following 'hitlist' of actions to drive their online e-commerce business to the next level. Obviously, this is just a launch point for your online marketing ...

Focus on the value proposition

For most users, the online shopping is price driven, something that larger online retailers can find difficult to compete with. Price strategy is an obvious and effective way to build traffic - particularly if you can get your site listed on price comparison sites. Most potential customers know exactly what they are looking for, most probably have a model number and will use that as part of their search terms. By researching the most popular models, and ensuring a very competitive price is applied, it is possible to rank highly in price comparision websites. This will drive traffic to your online retail site and as long as the site is easy-to-use and provides the appropriate 'buying' path, creates the opportunity to cross sell other products with higher margins.

Make the site easy-to-use & focused

Excess choice can lead to no purchase. Have a read of the book "The Paradox of Choice: Why less is more"...

The book has a chapter that deals with the behaviour of purchasers who are faced with excess choice and how it can prevent sales from occurring. It sounds counter intuitive but imagine a situation where a customer knows what they want, but are presented with numerous other production options with additional features ... all of a sudden the original product they were ready to buy there and then doesn't seem so attractive anymore. They still instinctively feel that its the one they had their heart set on but end the sales cycle while more 'thought' is put into the alternative products.

Offer the most appropriate products but ensure that you justify why you have chosen those products and then make is easy for the site visitor to see how the product could feature in their lives in everyday English (e.g. when selling a washing machine, in addition to the product size in mm, include details such as 'this dishwasher is the width of a standard kitchen cabinet, so you can simply replace a cabinet in your kitchen with this dishwasher.'

Use multimedia to create impact & improve the shopping experience

Consumers have come to expect an 'experience' when shopping. Whilst its not possible to replicate things like smells and the feel of items, clever use of multimedia can add to the shopping experience. For example, for B&Q, E-creation created an interactive fireplace that simulates the look of a real fire - enabling visitors to apply their chosen surrounds and 'see' it live in action. Immerse people in your site and build a 'feel' that makes them happy to spend their money.

Communicate with your audience in a positive way - but don't spam them!

Everyone experiences spam - whether its through your post box or onto your computer - and it's ANNOYING. However, there are times when potential customers are happy to hear from you - a case of being in the right place at the right time. Find out what your customer would like to know about, what it going to make their lives easier and better in terms of information - then offer that information for free.

E-creation is doing so right now by producing this posting. We are providing valuable information that can help a business to grow with the understanding that you have to give a little in order to get something back - so give something of your business and see the benefits.

These are just a few of the small things you can do to make your online retail sizzle in the run-up to Christmas. For more advice, visit www.e-creation.eu to see how we can assist in building your online retail business. We are always happy to chat and offer useful advice (with the hope that you will see the value and choose us for more ''in-depth'' development).

New ‘Facebook’ delivers social benefits to young people across the UK

New ‘Facebook’ delivers social benefits to young people across the UK

Bournemouth, England – 16th of July, 2008 – A new social networking site that can be installed into the websites of youth centres and young people’s agencies is set to improve the employability and social lives of young people across the UK as well as providing an anonymous resource for information on stop & search rights, bullying, sexual health and other ‘sensitive’ subjects.

iYoof (www.iyoof.co.uk) launched in July 2008, after a three month test period for Slough Borough Council. E-creation, one of UK’s leading design agencies for creative digital projects, developed iYoof as part of rebrand & website redevelopment for Slough Young People’s Centre. In June, the SYPC site averaged over 2,000 visitors per week and the site is projected to achieve 20% usage by the young people in Slough within a year of its launch. Sascha White, manager of SYPC, described iYoof as delivering “what we believe to be the best young people’s website, combining the best cutting edge technology with extremely sharp, relevant design, both things being vital to attract young people to our site and giving SYPC digital presence credibility.” E-creation has been developing its ‘youth oriented’ designs using Facebook pages with voting functionality for the clearest feedback.

iYoof helps engage young people with education, increases their employability and provides a valuable resource for sensitive information in areas such as stop & search rights, bullying & sexual health in an ‘anonymous’ safe environment. The online CV builder uses profile information to pre-populate as much as possible of a young person’s CV, followed by a series of questions ensuring all information required by employers is included and correctly formatted. Young people can then chose the ‘style’ of CV, which becomes available for download, as well as being published online with key information ‘blackout’ for security reasons.

A ‘reality soap’ feature is currently being built, providing young people with the chance to create their own multimedia soap operas based on reality TV programs like Big Brother, published through iYoof. The ‘reality soap’ functionality will create weekly podcasts for Apple iPods, animated photo stories & integrated blogging, providing creative outlet for young people.

Social networking sites tend to focus on adults, yet Ofcom’s recent survey of 8 to 17 year olds revealed that 49% have an online profile. Jan-Erik Paul, MD of E-creation, says “Previous social networking sites have not delivered the true benefits of social networking for young people. With iYoof, young people become more employable through better quality CVs, more creative through publishing function that addresses the needs of the ‘reality’ generation and better educated in important areas that can be difficult to discuss with adults or peers. Every youth organisation should give consideration to the effectiveness of their web-based communications. The ‘digital generation’ is reducing time spent in front of the television, in favour of the computer and most specifically social networking. Childnet International’s recent report has highlighted the importance of providing young people with a ‘voice’ on the Internet. iYoof’s safe, engaging environment enhances the lives of young people online and offline.”

E-creation (www.e-creation.co.uk) is an award winning design agency, established in 1998, specialising in creative projects for the web, CD-ROM and other media. E-creation’s clients include Royal Bank of Scotland, Unisys & WHSmith.

Contact: Jan-Erik Paul
Phone: 01202 853685
E-mail: jp@e-creation.eu