Habanero: St. Louis

RED

2008-04-17T11:22:00.004-05:00

Seeing Red can be a good thing sometimes....after all it's an intense color that elicits a reaction, right?

In the case of interactive media, there's a certain RED that has everyone talking: RED ONE™ Camera. The RED ONE™ is a high-definition digital camera that was used to film Academy Award®-winning director Peter Jackson's feature, "Crossing The Line" and the topic du jour at this past week's 2008 National Assocation of Broadcasters Conference.

We're lucky enough to have access to one of these cutting-edge cameras via our media production partner, Company Films. Already, our clients have jumped at the chance to push the boundaries of their online media through commercials, testimonials and other related projects.

Apparently, 2008 is the year of the RED, not the rat.

About the Author: Shelly Murray is the redheaded Director of Client Services for Habanero.

Want to get the most out of your Internet?

2007-08-09T11:21:00.001-05:00

Some people say the Internet is just a bunch of crap. If it is then this is the best crap we’ve ever seen…

Recently we decided to put together a list of some of our favorite sites; and well… here it is:

KEVIN CROKE, Application Developer
http://www.digg.com/
One of the best things to come out of Web 2.0, Digg is a great site that utilizes the powers of the masses. People submit stories and web sites that peak their interest. If enough people submit or Digg (read vote) a story, it is sent to the front page. Important news stories that are not picked up by the mainstream media are certainly bound to show up on Digg. Also, it provides a great method of keeping up with technology news. For a weekly synopsis of the most highly Dugg stories, listen to the podcast available at http://www.diggnation.com/.

SHELLY MURRAY, Client Services Director
http://www.alistapart.com/
90% of the articles are extremely relevant, useful and well-written. The format focuses on getting the user to the information quickly. It's a shining example of how a site can be great without complex design, a colorful palette or interactivity.

http://www.woot.com/
Great deals daily.

DENNY WEBB, Application Developer
www.csszengarden.com/
I love the clever simplicity of one source of HTML w/ content that can create an infinite number of designs using Photoshop and CSS.

CHRIS FEIX, Brand Scientist / Creative Director
http://www.uxmagazine.com/
Usability and Content trumps any other aspect of your site.

http://www.eatock.com/
This is one of the most creative people I’ve ever had the pleasure to follow.

JEFF ST. GERMAIN, Senior Application Developer
http://www.gamespot.com/
Most accurate, complete and thorough game reviews bar none. They have a collaborative rating system and great teasers for games in development.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Chris Feix is a usability specialist and lead creative for Habañero in St. Louis, MO.

Store Visitors: Increase or Convert?

2007-08-09T08:05:00.000-05:00

Last year, over 70% of shoppers abandoned their online carts before checkout. If Wal-Mart had that conversion rate, it would be bankrupt in 9 months.

You may have the best/least expensive/coolest products in the world. You may even have a really awesome-looking website with (what you perceive as) a great online store; but what is your conversion rate? More importantly, how can it be improved?

While most online store owners concentrate their funds on increasing the amount of visitors I encourage my clients to increase their conversion rate. Not only is it less expensive with better results; but it increases customer happiness and loyalty.

Put it this way –
If you have 1 million monthly visitors and it costs you $100,000.00 to double that number then you have 2 million visitors. But if only 20% of them are buying and 30% of the buyers are completing the checkout process; you just spent $100,000.00 to gain 60,000 buyers.

Now try this –
You have 1 million monthly visitors. Only 20% of them are buying and 30% of the buyers are completing the checkout process. Spend $60,000.00 to gain to increase the VSR (Visitor to Shopper Ratio) to 30%; and increase the percentage of buyers that finish the checkout process to 70%. You’ve just spent $60,000.00 to gain 150,000 buyers.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Chris Feix is a usability specialist and lead creative for Habañero in St. Louis, MO.