Increasing Online Sales

Every month Meredith Artely, Executive Editor of LATimes.com, releases the number of unique visitors to the Los Angeles Times online edition. And every month the numbers grow to a new record, which prompts champagne toasts by the online group. This reminds me of the pressroom of old, where we would toast a beer or maybe more (usually the latter)at Anthony’s bar everyday for no particular reason, which was razed to make way for a new police headquarters at 1st and Spring.

The online advertising revenue has not kept pace with the crowd of online readers, which should prompt the Los Angeles Times, and other online newspaper editions, to educate their users on the safety of using the Internet for ordering products and services via their web sites.

Many online users have mentioned fear of using the Internet to order anything, with all the ado about identity theft. Which prompt’s my explanation of my online experiences over the last two decades, from purchasing my home, car, music, books, software, and anything else you can think of without a problem.

It’s rather easy to see the Internet surpassing the print edition of newspapers for advertising dollars down the road, which will certainly impact my colleagues and I in the pressroom.

If newspapers want to increase online sales, educate your audience that online sales are safe and secure.