"To be successful, Web sites need a loyal audience that returns…one of the best ways to keep people coming back is to create a sense of community."

- S. Ryan, C-Net
Why Community?

It’s simple. To succeed in e-commerce, you need to succeed in e-community. Every site is fighting to attract and retain users. By adding interactive community features, your site can grab their attention, keep them on the site, and encourage them to return. The ability for interactive sites to keep users on their sites longer (three times the average according to Businessweek), extends the opportunity to get users interested in the site’s e-commerce initiatives. It is the combination of content and community that will make your site "sticky".

By engaging your customers with a netVillage interactive community site, you’ll realize the following benefits:

  • Increase Traffic.  Community builds relationships between people, and once they have relationships with other members of your community, they come back. And traffic makes your online property a more valuable and important place for advertisers
  • Increase Advertising Revenue. Community members segment themselves into interest groups, providing a ready-made audience for focused advertisements and other messages. For sites that support themselves with advertising and sponsorship, specialized communities provide the most powerful form of targeted advertising.
  • Increase E-Commerce Revenue. CD-Now has found that return visitors buy 150 percent more product than first-time visitors. According to Forrester Research, members of a community are 36% more likely to buy than non-members.
  • Build stronger customer relationships -Online communities help companies create and maintain a two-way dialogue with their best customers. Companies can use community to understand and respond to their wants and needs on an ongoing basis.
  • Increase Brand Loyalty - Reports show that community members are more loyal to and remain customers of an e-business 50 percent longer than people who choose not to join these virtual marketplaces.
  • Tap Market knowledge - Community provides an important source of consumer feedback on products and services, allow you to examine trends, and learn more about the behavior of your customers. Forget about commissioning expensive marketing research, communities are an opportunity to engage a real live focus group.
  • Viral Growth - Through word-of-mouth marketing from community members your site acquires new users at no cost to you. Research indicates people share their experiences with colleagues and friends, since it's not uncommon for a community member to refer up to 20 new users to a business.
  • Viral Marketing - Online communities bring your company closer to loyal customers or partners who strongly identify with your product or service, putting their energy and enthusiasm to helping you build your business faster.
  • Higher Visitor-to-Customer Conversion Rates
  • Highly Targeted E-marketing - Focused areas allow delivery of targeted messages to just the right members.
  • Realize Cost savings - Leveraging chat and discussion forum technology for technical support can result in significant manpower cost savings.
  • Cost Effective Content Strategy - Communities will generate its own relevant and authentic content. Member-generated content includes such things as postings of text, images, and sounds by members, polls and ratings, and shared best practices.
  • Engage your customers - Forty percent of visitors to your web site want to connect with other visitors to discuss your content, services, and products, according to Jupiter Communications

Not convinced? See what the industry is saying about online communities, check out the latest in our community news section.
"Why a community?
It's all about retaining enough eyeballs to view the advertisements. "

- Forbes