What can e-retailers like Gilt Groupe learn from content providers like the FT, and vice versa?
At a panel debate hosted by the FT in New York last night, Rob Grimshaw, Managing Director of FT.com, made the case for media companies to follow best practices set forth by ecommerce. After two months of experimenting with small changes to the subscription barrier pages, he explains, FT.com acquired twice as many subscriptions. Susan Lyne, Chairman of Gilt Groupe, agreed that personalization is also key in her sector. She says that the popular luxury e-retail newsletter has “hundreds of thousands of versions” of every email they send to customers.