Amazon adds telephone sales

I spent the early boom years in Seattle as co-founder of OpenSpace.com ('97-'00). I walked by Amazon's first office on 2nd street everyday to/from work - the company was a big part of the .com culture in Seattle. I remember arguing with "ecommerce purists" that Amazon would eventually sell via telesales. "They are in the direct response business and couldn't exclude call center sales and only focus on ecommerce." Well, it took 10 years, but I was right. I just saw my first toll free number on the site. They also offer eStara's click to talk option.

It is surprising that there is still such a narrow view of Internet marketing: web in one corner - offline in the other. National sites still either hide their contact phone numbers or do not publish them online. The (flawed) logic is that consumers shopping online can only interact online. What marketers must do is communicate with consumers in the manner they most prefer at that moment (phone, email, chat.) The "local" crowd seems to get this. They are better at using the web to drive offline conversion.

I am speaking at Search Engine Strategies (SES) in Chicago next week on the Local Track. The session is called: "The Transformation of Local in a Search Driven World." The panel will discuss offline transactions that originate online. I call this "revenge of the brick and mortar." I am a loyal Amazon user, but there are certain purchases I want to buy at local retail. Local search applications such as ShopLocal, who will be on the SES panel with me, are getting better at helping me find what's available and what's in stock. The phone will play a crucial role in bridging the last mile to the local merchant.

Here's the link to the SES session
http://www.searchenginestrategies.com/chicago/agenda2.html

Here's the copy from Amazon:

Need Help Deciding Which Audio or Video Product to Buy?
Our product specialists are available to call you Monday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. (CST). You can place your order over the phone or online.
or dial 866-216-1243.

StartUp Beat: FastCall411 Introduces Mobile Service

StartUP Beat
11/13/07 – Hollywood-based FastCall411, the local pay-per-call listing and search company, has introduced FastCall411 Mobile, a wireless version of the FastCall411 platform. The company says FastCall411 Mobile will formally debut tomorrow at the Mobile Marketing Forum at the Westin Bonaventure Hotel.

FastCall411 says this new mobile offering provides the same features as its landline service, which simultaneously calls multiple, highly rated local merchants and connectis the consumer with as many available merchants as they choose. The company says FastCall411 Mobile will work with most mobile browsers and most major carriers, including Verizon Wireless, Sprint and AT&T Wireless. The service is free to consumers and will be available first in Los Angeles. FastCall411 says it will expand to other metropolitan areas in 2008

FastCall411 Mobile will initially include search for more than 20 categories, including heating and air conditioning contractors, airport transportation services, carpet and rug cleaners, computer service and repair, housecleaning services, painting contractors, rubbish hauling and removal, tree services, and window and glass repair, according to the company.

FastCall 411 offers a service where users can enter a zip code and call-back number via either the web or telephone and be connected to a local business in the selected category. Within seconds, FastCall411 says its automated dialing application contacts as many merchants in the searched category as is necessary to connect the consumer to a relevant merchant who is both available and interested in providing the service, according to the company. The application will automatically dial recommended merchants until the one available merchant is on the phone and ready to satisfy the user’s need, according to FastCall.