Following are findings from recent studies on marketing and advertising-related topics. For a more in-depth look at these subjects, visit our sister site, MarketingCharts.com.
Product Price Figure into Software Vendors' Customer Acquisition Costs
There is a large divide between what small and large software vendors must spend to acquire customers, according to TrialPay's 2011 Customer Acquisition Report. Smaller vendors spend upwards of 50% or more of their revenues on marketing - three times more than their larger counterparts. The research also tells a striking story about the impact of pricing on customer acquisition costs: software companies with product prices in the $19-$39 range face the highest relative customer acquisition costs versus any other price point. Raising one's price to $50 could cut relative costs by a third, and lowering the price to under $15 could cut relative fees in half.
Relationship Marketing Could Help Banking Customers Swallow Distaste for Checking Fees
Banks are likely to start imposing fees on checking and savings accounts to make up for their restricted ability to charge overdraft fees. Consumers' opinions of their banks are already low - with a recent Mintel report finding that only 36% of big bank customers trust their bank, compared to 57% of credit union customers. Mintel research shows that people would feel less resentful about paying fees if larger banks made a greater effort to do more relationship marketing with their customers.
Americans Visit Gambling, Retail, Travel Sites
The gaming, retail and travel site categories were among the most popular with US consumers in July 2010, according to Media Matrix data from comScore. More than 13.4 million people visited an online gambling site during the month, an 11% increase from the previous month, with PokerStars ranking as the category leader with 2.4 million visitors (up 8%). In retail, that honor went to ToysRus Sites, which ranked first in the category with 6.6 million visitors during the month (up 4%). In travel, TravelAdNetwork ranked first with 18.9 million visitors, representing a 16% month-over-month increase.
