We worked hard this summer revamping?JCK’s online presence, brainstorming ways to make it better for you. I’m thrilled to let you know our results.
We began in July conducting research—our motto is always “research first!”—via focus groups in New York City and a phone survey of retailers nationwide. We were interested in the role the Internet plays in their lives in general, and what role, if any, it plays in their work lives.
Happily, the JCK brand—through our e-newsletters and website—already plays a role. Now, we’ve taken this input and made our online products even better.
On Sept. 13, we launched our first-ever daily newsletters (Monday through Friday of each week), the JCK News Daily. Two weeks prior to the launch, I sent an e-mail announcing the change to our database (from our magazine, our website, and our show), and the response was fantastic. In the first two days, we received more than 300 new e-mail subscriptions, and I personally received about 40 “Way to go!” messages.
The daily newsletters include each day’s top stories plus a day-of-the-week special focus featuring original content from our editorial team:
- Big Picture Monday: a look at the week past and the week ahead in the news
- New Product Tuesday: products and services for your store
- Diamond Wednesday: the biggest diamond news of the week from Rob Bates
- Retail Thursday: important news and operation tips from Paul Holewa
- Style Friday: fashion and style news and product from Jennifer Heebner
If you’re not already a subscriber, please log on to JCKonline.com and click on the “e-newsletters” link on the menu bar.
We’ve also added some features to our website:
- We have a new rotator on our homepage featuring top stories.
- Our Top News Stories list has been moved to top and center on the page.
- Product Spotlight has received an exciting new spot in the top right corner.
- We’ve placed our Calendar section in a new prominent position.
- We’ve added a weekly poll on topics important to you.
Finally, we’ve begun consolidating all the JCK-branded websites (JCKonline.com, JCKLasVegasShow.com, and JCKShowDirect.com) into a “one-stop shop” for the entire industry. Keep an eye out for a March 2011 launch.
Now that the weather has changed, summer is over, and the High Holidays are behind us, I’m looking forward to a very busy fall. Here’s hoping you’ll join me in rolling up my sleeves and getting to work!