Jerry Jao

Articles by: Jerry Jao

Jerry Jao

Jerry Jao is founder of Retention Science, a retention automation platform that turns Big Data analytics and predictive algorithms into actionable retention-marketing campaigns.

Prior to founding Retention Science, Jerry was an ecommerce operator and founder of two ecommerce marketing technologies, including incentiBox, a social media referral platform. Earlier, Jerry was an analyst with Morgan Stanley and an engagement manager with BearingPoint Management Consulting — formerly KPMG Advisory — where he advised FORTUNE 50 companies, such as Chevron, on product pricing strategies.

He was most recently an advisor to the CFO of Clear Channel, the media company, working on digital sales initiatives, and at iHeartRadio. Jerry currently serves on the board of directors of Penango, an enterprise email and cloud security company.

Conversion
Tools, Tips for Collecting Customer Feedback

December 24, 2014 • Jerry Jao

The rise of sophisticated data and reporting tools is providing tremendous insights for merchants. Etailers can now measure customer sentiment and even predict shoppers’ behavior. But while such tools are indeed ...
Conversion
Using ‘Selfies’ to Gather Ecommerce Data, Serve Shoppers

November 18, 2014 • Jerry Jao

“Selfies” — photographs that people take of themselves — can be rich sources of data for ecommerce businesses. They can also help enhance the online shopping experience. In this article, I’ll ...
Business
How to Gather Intelligence on Your Competitors

October 14, 2014 • Jerry Jao

Tracking the competition is something every e-tailer should do. In addition to helping you better understand your market and industry, tracking competitors can also assist you when generating ideas for ...
Business
3 Ways to Harness Big Data, for Ecommerce

September 10, 2014 • Jerry Jao

The use of Big Data by ecommerce companies is increasingly common. To stay competitive, many companies, especially larger ones, use extensive datasets to better understand their customers and provide services,
Business
Collecting Data Responsibly from Ecommerce Shoppers

August 18, 2014 • Jerry Jao

Collecting data from customers requires sensitivity. While analyzing that data largely involves using calculations and algorithms to spot trends and generate insights, retailers that do it also need to be ...
Business
4 Guidelines to a Bricks-and-Clicks Business

July 21, 2014 • Jerry Jao

Online retailers are finding the “bricks-and-clicks” strategy to be an effective way to serve and engage shoppers. Perhaps that is why an increasing number of ecommerce merchants — Bonobos, Birchbox,
Analytics & Data
Using Data to Empower an Ecommerce Business

June 12, 2014 • Jerry Jao

Ecommerce companies now have access to data sources and tools to empower decision-making. This post explores some of the sources and tools, and the kinds of decisions you can derive ...
Business
4 Ways Ecommerce Merchants Misuse Data

May 22, 2014 • Jerry Jao

The use of customer data can help you make smarter decisions that can improve your store, enhance the shopper experience, and increase conversions. When used incorrectly, however, data can waste ...
Business
7 Ways to Protect Ecommerce Customer Data

April 4, 2014 • Jerry Jao

One of the biggest mistakes that small ecommerce merchants make with data security is assuming that they’re too insignificant to be targeted by hackers. This simply isn’t true. According to Verizon’s ...
Email Marketing
Using Data to Attract, Retain Email Subscribers

March 17, 2014 • Jerry Jao

Email marketing remains crucial to most ecommerce companies. Attracting and retaining new subscribers is key to that effort. Merchants no longer have to guess which subscription offers have the widest appeal.
Business
4 Mistakes to Avoid with Ecommerce Customer Data

February 27, 2014 • Jerry Jao

Collecting data about shoppers is essential for ecommerce businesses. Demographic, social, and behavioral data provides insights to merchants for marketing campaigns, product improvements, and to offer better customer service. However, when ...
Platforms
How to Integrate Cloud-based Platforms

February 13, 2014 • Jerry Jao

Ecommerce businesses increasingly rely on cloud-based applications, such as hosted shopping carts, analytics platforms, cloud-based accounting, customer service tools, and more. To operating smoothly, a merchant’s cloud-based apps should integrate with ...
Marketing & Advertising
3 Steps to Efficient Ecommerce Content Marketing

January 23, 2014 • Jerry Jao

Implementing an effective content marketing strategy can be a challenge. Coming up with ideas, developing content, and distributing it takes work. Many businesses feel that they don’t have the time ...
Business
6 Tips to Beat the Afternoon Slump

January 8, 2014 • Jerry Jao

Fatigue or lack of enthusiasm in the afternoon is a common problem for many office workers. Those of us running Internet businesses are especially susceptible because most of our activities ...
Conversion
6 Tools for Building Unique Landing Pages

December 26, 2013 • Jerry Jao

Sending all traffic to a generic landing page can be a mistake for ecommerce owners. Remember that shoppers who found your store via paid search are different from those who clicked ...
Business
5 Tips for Managing Freelance Contractors

December 17, 2013 • Jerry Jao

Outsourcing non-core or seasonal tasks can allow you to focus on essential duties. It can also be a wise financial decision because hiring freelancers doesn’t come with full-time expenses such ...
Conversion
Big Data Requires Focus; Key Ecommerce Metrics

November 28, 2013 • Jerry Jao

Online consumers generate an avalanche of data. Product purchases; Facebook Likes and comments; Twitter follows; Pinterest pins; on-site searches; pages viewed; recommendations; clicks — consumers do it all, from different ...
Business
5 Steps to a More Productive Ecommerce Business

November 13, 2013 • Jerry Jao

Ecommerce owners and managers seek improved productivity. Whether you’re looking to scale your business faster, launch new features, or streamline your operations, here are five productivity tips that I practice ...
Business
5 Productivity Tools to Help You Focus

October 29, 2013 • Jerry Jao

Being productive isn’t about the things you do. It’s about the things that you don’t do. By eliminating distracting tasks such as following people on social media or checking your ...
Business
6 Timesaving Automation Tools for Ecommerce Merchants

October 4, 2013 • Jerry Jao

Lack of time is common among business owners. Between sales, marketing, customer service, accounting, and everything else, it’s no surprise that many entrepreneurs feel overwhelmed. The good news is there is ...
Product Pages
5 Ways to Add Personality to Your Product Descriptions

August 28, 2013 • Jerry Jao

If you’re doing business online, chances are you know other companies selling similar, if not identical items. With that in mind, how can you differentiate your products from those of the ...
Marketing & Advertising
9 Back-to-school Tips to Increase Sales

August 19, 2013 • Jerry Jao

Fortunately for ecommerce businesses, many back-to-school shoppers this year will shop online. According to a recent PriceGrabber survey, when asked where they would shop for back-to-school items, respondents selected discount stores ...
Marketing & Advertising
Using Forums to Generate New Business

August 12, 2013 • Jerry Jao

As a small business owner, I am always looking for channels to reach a new audience. One way to do this is via established forums. Forums help many small businesses to profitably grow revenue. In Nielsen’s recent “Global Survey of Product Purchase Sentiment” PDF, web-based forums tied ...
Design & Dev Tools
5 Tools to Personalize your Marketing Efforts

July 25, 2013 • Jerry Jao

In "8 Tools to Personalize your Ecommerce Site," I discussed methods to customize visitors' experiences on your website. In this article, I'll list five tools to help personalize your advertising and marketing efforts. PadiAct Not everyone is going to buy from you on the first visit....
Design & Dev Tools
8 Tools to Personalize your Ecommerce Site

July 23, 2013 • Jerry Jao

Personalizing an ecommerce site doesn’t have to be difficult or expensive. Often, it’s just about finding the right tool, implementing it on your site, and letting the software do its magic. If you’re thinking about adding more personalization features, the following tools and services ...
Shipping & Fulfillment
6 Order Fulfillment Extras your Customers Will Love

July 8, 2013 • Jerry Jao

Order fulfillment is a critical part of the ecommerce customer experience. As ecommerce operators, we need to ensure that our customers are taken care of even when the merchandise lands in their hands. Here are six examples of extra services to offer customers when you ship their orde...
Conversion
Implementing Live Chat: Dos and Don’ts

June 26, 2013 • Jerry Jao

Many online merchants who use live chat on their stores have seen significant increases in sales. This includes Bloom Nation, an online florist. According its founder, Gregg Weisstein, shoppers are 11 times more likely to convert when engaged in live chat. Similarly, David Handmaker o...
Business
5 Advantages of Small Merchants over Industry Giants

June 11, 2013 • Jerry Jao

Large online retailers may have the technology, marketing budget, and resources to automatically generate personalized websites or to build sophisticated marketing campaigns, but smaller merchants also have strengths. One of those is the ability to create more personal encounters for cu...
Conversion
11 Personal Gestures to Turn Casual Buyers into Lifelong Customers

May 17, 2013 • Jerry Jao

Developing loyal customers isn’t always expensive or difficult for businesses with small marketing budgets. It may sound cliché, but when it comes to boosting customer loyalty, it's the little things that count the most. Small yet thoughtful actions can have a big impact on how custom...
Conversion
6 Small-business Personalization Strategies

April 24, 2013 • Jerry Jao

A personalized shopping experience can increase conversions. There are many sophisticated personalization platforms that help with this. But there are also simple, inexpensive personalization strategies that most any merchant can use. This article profiles six examples of effective p...