Online Shoppers Want Human Helping Hand

Impersonal e-commerce doesn’t always cut it

(Cited From eMarketer.com)

Despite Americans’ widespread adoption of e-commerce, sometimes there is no replacement for the personal touch.

According to an August 2009 survey conducted by Harris Interactive for human-assisted shopping site IMshopping, 77% of US Internet users who made an online purchase in the past six months would be interested in help from a real person before buying certain things on the Web.

Those who wanted human help were most likely to be interested in purchasing real estate (56%), automobiles (54%) and insurance (51%).

Items for Which US Online Buyers Would Like Live Help Before Making an Online Purchase, June 2009 (% of respondents)

Though a majority of online shoppers reported a desire for help at least some of the time, 82% of respondents said they had not been able to get that assistance in the past. And more than one-half of that group said it had affected their purchase decision negatively—at least some of the time.

“No level of automation can replace the human touch,” said Prashant Nedungadi, CEO and founder of IMshopping. “The results indicate that shoppers still want real people to help them purchase products, even in a digital setting,”

Some e-tailers provide help via click-to-call or click-to-chat services, which allow online shoppers to interact with customer service reps in real time. (For more information, see “How Helpful Is Live Chat?”)

Harris and IMshopping found that overall, 74% of US adult Internet users had made an online purchase in the past six months. The most common Web purchases were items less likely to require human assistance before buying, such as clothing (44%), books (38%), music (28%), health and beauty products (28%) and travel-related goods (28%).

Select Products Purchased in the Past Six Months by US Online Buyers, June 2009 (% of respondents)

eMarketer estimates 69.7% of US Internet users ages 14 and older will be online buyers in 2009, rising to 74.2% in 2013. Higher usage of services that allow shoppers to interact with real people during the e-commerce process could provide the reassurance that some Web users need to boost penetration.

Synapse Is Streaming 2009 Barksdale Air Force Base Air Show LIVE on the net this weekend!!!

Synapse will be streaming the 2009 Barksdale Air Force Base Air Show LIVE on the net!!!
May 9-10, 2009
10:00am – 6:00pm

Featuring U.S NAVY BLUE ANGELS and CANADIAN FORCES SNOWBIRDS!!!!

Click to view the 2009 Barksdale Air Force Base Air Show: Defenders of Liberty

Synapse just launched a new website for Louisiana Association on Compulsive Gambling and for CORE, Center of Recovery

Synapse just launched a new website for Louisiana Association on Compulsive Gambling and for CORE, Center of Recovery.

The Louisiana Association on Compulsive Gambling is a non-profit organization dedicated to advocating and/or providing cost-effective, quality assistance for all individuals in the State of Louisiana who may be affected by gambling problems.

The organization further promotes the development of more educational programs and professional resources for problem gambling assistance.

www.helpforgambling.org

CORE, Center of Recovery, is a place of help and hope for problem gamblers and their families. CORE was conceived in 1998 with the sole purpose of providing treatment for those whose lives have been adversely affected by gambling.

www.centerofrecovery.org

Synapse Multimedia to attend NAB Show 2009

Synapse Multimedia will attend the NAB (National Association of Broadcasters) Show in Las Vegas, NV from April 18-23, 2009.

GE Plugs Into The Smart Grid With Augmented Reality

Synapse Multimedia n-view-news 53

Sited From: The Future of Ads

GE’s Plug Into The Smart Grid campaign is a fantastic example of how augmented reality can be used to engage viewers and encourage them to

interact directly with the message.

Though augmented reality isn’t a new concept, GE does do a few unique and innovative things with it:

  • You have to ‘open the door’ – By twisting and turning the Smart Grid marker, you are actually activating it, so that right from the start you feel like a part of the experience.
  • You can interact with the model – By blowing into the microphone, you actually cause the wind turbines to spin, which encourages you to interact with the experience and experiment with what’s possible. You can also tilt the Solar Energy model back and forth to move the sun and cause the solar panels to follow.
  • You can see through the page – By turning the marker into a ‘window’, GE has added an extra dimension to the experience. Instead of looking at a semi-3D model that pops off the page, it actually looks like it has become a part of the page, and that you’re holding a whole little world in your hands.

In addition to the details of the model, there are a couple of interesting ways that GE has extended the campaign to reach an even larger audience.

  • GE used a YouTube video to demonstrate the technology – By Synapse Multimedia n-view-news 54taping into the YouTube community, they opened up the experience to a wholenew audience. Plus, it’s such a new and interesting idea that people want to watch and pass along the video demo all on its own, leading to more than a million views in less than a month!
  • GE used semi-interactive Flash banner ads to bring users to the microsite – When users mouse over the ads, the wind turbines begin to spin, giving you a preview of what’s to come at the full site.
  • GE provided more information for the curious user – Right below the augmented reality model, they posted a link directly to the source code for the technology used to power the model. Rather than hiding the technology or trying to claim it as their own, they embrace the open source community and encourage others to experiment with their own ‘ecomagination’.

The Good:

  • New and innovative uses of augmented reality keep the already new technology fresh and engaging.
  • Interactive elements encourage users to engage with the ad.
  • Taps into YouTube and the open source movement to reach a larger audience.

The Bad:

  • The augmented reality technology is a barrier to entry for those with computers that can’t support it.

The Future:

  • Interactive augmented reality allows users to engage directly with a brand and that brand’s message in a fun and unique way.

Check it out for yourself! GE Smart Grid

Chat with your customers live while they are on your website

Having a “Live Chat” on your site is a very good way to help your potential customers either make a selection, find out more information about a product or help them in any way they need. This option can help tremendously with e-commerce websites… Find out more about “The Synapse Website Usher” which provides many features to help clients while they are on your site, as well as provide useful data and stats for your business. Synapse Website Usher

Synapse just launched a new website for Bradley Murchison Kelly & Shea

Synapse just launched a new website for Bradley Murchison Kelly & Shea. Bradley Murchison Kelly & Shea was formed in February, 2009 by a group of lawyers who had practiced together for many years in a large, well established law firm. Nine partners from the Shreveport office and eight from the New Orleans office of the firm, many listed in The Best Lawyers in America® and Super Lawyers®, most with AV® ratings, found common ground in their dedication to high standards of professionalism and in the quality of service they deliver to their clients.

www.bradleyfirm.com

Synapse just launched a new website for O’Brien Energy Company, implementing our new Synapse Content Management System (CMS)

Synapse just launched a new website for O’Brien Energy Company, implementing our new Synapse Content Management System (CMS).

O’Brien Energy Company is a leading independent oil and gas exploration and production company with offices in Shreveport, Louisiana; Houston, Texas; Dallas, Texas; and Denver, Colorado. O’Brien currently operates more than 200 wells in Texas, Louisiana, Kansas, Illinois, Arkansas, and Mississippi.

The company focuses on acquisition and development-driven programs, aggressively exploiting proved reserves and exploring new fields that have significant upside potential. Since its inception in 1997, O’Brien Energy Company has been dedicated to helping generate fuel America needs, maximizing profits for our investors, and remaining responsible stewards of the lands on which we operate.

www.obrienenergyco.com

Edit Your Website Photos Online

Need help editing your images for your website? Photos coming up to big? Not a Photoshop Pro? There is a solution, www.Picnik.com offers a free online photo editing application that provides many useful tools for editing photos for your websites without registration! You can also upgrade to Premium for more available features. This is the easiest solution we have found for editing your pictures. It works on Mac and PC, let’s you re-size the images, upload from social networking sites, change colors, adjsut brightness, saturation, rotate, flip, format your files and many more!!! If you are looking for an easy photo editor Picnik is definitely the best bet!!!

Some of the options offered:
• Fix your photos in just one click
• Use advanced controls to fine-tune your results
• Crop, re-size, and rotate in real-time
• Tons of special effects, from artsy to fun
• Astoundingly fast, right in your browser
• Awesome fonts and top-quality type tool
• Basketfuls of shapes from hand-picked designers
• Works on Mac, Windows, and Linux
• No download required, nothing to install

Synapse just launched a new website for J Frazier Service Company

Synapse just launched a new website for J Frazier Service Company. J. Frazier Service Company is owned and operated by John S. Frazier a multi-line property & casualty adjuster since 1990. Based in North West Louisiana the company is strategically placed to operate in Louisiana, East Texas, South Arkansas and Western Mississippi. The company strives to provide quality service in all assignments based on industry best practice. Our goal is to provide the required service as per the directions we receive, on time and within budget.

www.jfrazier.net

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