AutoResponderMax is our very own custom Volusion autoresponder and we’re pretty proud of it. It’s affordable, loaded with features, easy to use and it’s a part of Volusion’s Partner Marketplace. It is, quite honestly, too good to be true.

… but don’t take our word for it. Ask our peppy new commercial. It’ll tell you how wonderful AutoResponderMax is – and if you can’t trust a commercial, who can you trust?

We talk quite a bit about custom development in this blog.  It’s our bread and butter and we’ve always got some fun new bit of programming to share, so given half a chance, we’ll go on and on about it.  What we don’t always talk about is the fact that “custom programming” doesn’t have to be a big, intimidating thing.  Sure, we can build a deep, intricate data synchronization system to link your online store with your brick and mortar store (or your factory, or your warehouse), but we can also do smaller things – tweaks – that just make your website a little better.

Take Emily’s Chocolates for example…

Emily’s wanted a little change.  They wanted their wholesale customers to see a different template than the one that appears in their retail store, so we made it happen.  You’ll see in the shot on the left that the site is clearly labeled “wholesale” and if you compare the shot to the one above, you’ll also see that while the site is clearly different, it retains the look and feel of the original (building the brand in the process).

See?  Simple.

Ecommerce experts, patrolling North America (and specifically the metro Detroit region) to bring quality online sales and marketing solutions to manufacturers and retailers in need – they live by their own set of rules (governed largely by ecommerce best practices) as they work for truth, justice and massive conversions.  If you have an online problem and you can find them on the exhibit floor in Booth 317 at the Military Vehicles Exhibition and Conference this Wednesday and Thursday (August 10 & 11), maybe you can hire the… B-Team!

… that’s “B” as in “Brand Labs“, not like there’s an “A-Team” that’s better than us, ‘cuz there totally isn’t.

… except for the actual A-Team, who are completely awesome.

… the original guys with Mr. T, not the new ones with Liam Neeson and that guy from The Hangover.

Brand Labs is on the road again!  Our VP, Dane Downer, is (at this very moment) at the sold-out MozCon in Seattle, Washington.  He’s there to commune with some of the biggest brains in the world of the Interwebs.  He’ll be stealing all of their knowledge (and any magical SEO-related charms and talismans they may have) and bringing his newfound marketing super-powers back to Brand Labs for the exclusive benefit of our customers.

Scheduled to appear at the three day conference are speakers from Facebook, Apogee, Audette Media and SEOmoz  (and many more!)  They’ll be discussing the latest SEO techniques and tools, learning about SEOmoz’s latest, secret offering(s) and networking under the famous gray, drippy skies of the American Northwest.

If you’re in Seattle and you’d like to meet up with Dane, just shoot him an email at dane.downer@brandlabs.us.  He’ll be the guy in the flannel shirt, hanging outside the coffee shop and listening to Pearl Jam.

As we write this, several members of our staff (heretofore known as The Brand Labs Mobile Awesomeness Squad) are well on their way to San Diego for the Internet Retailer Conference & Exhibition.  They’ll be setting up camp in booth 936 for the duration of the show.

If you’ll be at the show, be sure to stop by for your chance to win one of two AutoResponderMax one-year subscriptions or an iPad!  We’re giving away the iPad with our friends at Volusion, who will be right down the aisle in booth 908.

If you are at the show and you’re having trouble finding us, just look for the greenest thing you ever saw in your whole life – like the kind of green that will burn straight through your eyeballs and turn your brain green.  That ultra green greenness will be our booth.  Feel free to come on by and bask in its otherworldly glow while you learn the secrets to eCommerce riches.

Photo via ThunderdogStudios.com

Continuing in what seems to be the “Brand Labs Employees Do Nerdy and Cool Things” series, one of our own has recently done something nerdy and cool: Kevin Skinner, our Marketing Director, has an illustration featured in Tristan Eaton’s 3D Art Book! Click the link to read more.

The 3D Art Book is a compilation of retro 3D art pieces from 100 of the most esteemed contemporary artists, and it features a piece from Kevin. He recently traveled to New York City for the official launch, signing, and exhibition of the book at the Opera Gallery.

The 3D Art Book is really an amazing collection of art, illustrations, and designs, and is available for purchase on the Internet! Classic blue and red paper 3D glasses are included.

There is no more overused phrase in this industry than “A/B testing”.  Our previous post is testament to that.  However, that doesn’t mean that all the attention is undeserved.  A/B testing is a truly valuable tool in the hands of skilled web professionals, like Brand Labs, for instance.

We have a well-established track record as effective online marketers.  Our reputation in this arena is matched only by our reputation as skilled web designers, which is a good thing because you need both skills in order to build and maintain a strong A/B testing program and to react properly to the results.  Oh… speaking of results, it helps if you’re Google Analytics experts like we happen to be.  That way, when you see the results you’ll know what to do with them, which is good because knowledge without action is like Hall without Oates; useless.

After the jump we have some recent examples of A/B successes and some tips if you’d like to follow our example.  Hit the link below to check it out…

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Photo by Eric Henrickson for The Detroit News

This weekend, southeast Michigan played host to the most sacred of geek rituals: the comic book convention.  More specifically, The Motor City Comic Con rolled into town with a gaggle of comic & sci fi celebrities right anlongside our very own Tim Zulewski.

In addition to being one of Brand Labs’ lead designers, Tim is also the proprietor of Cricketbow Design – specializing in fantasy illustration and suing people who steal his fantasy illustration.  So if you were planning to grab a screenshot from this picture and send it to a Chinese potholder manufacturer for some quick cash, watch your step.  Tim’s got a wicked legal team.

In addition to the honor of appearing at the same event as several people who have worked with (and possibly touched) William Shatner, Tim also got a shout out from The Detroit News.  Congrats, Tim!  Way to represent!

As we take on more and more eCommerce clients who are also manufacturers, we find an ever-increasing need to express a lot of information on a single page.  Recently, Unichip (a manufacturer and distributor of custom car tuning products) approached us with just such a need.

Unichip wanted a single landing page that offered a side-by-side comparison of several different aspects of several different products.  They also needed the ability to associate live links and video to the chart itself, making for a potential infographic nightmare.

Our custom-developed solution resides on Unichip’s existing Volusion site and allows the user to simply roll over each intersection on the chart to see a informational pop up.  Some windows contain explanatory text while others contain links or video.

Click here to check out the custom Unichip landing page.  We’re pretty happy about it and we think Unichip is, too, if this direct quote is any indication: “You all rock to no end”!  So do you, Unichip!

It must be conference season because once again, our intrepid leader is about to hit the road.  This time, he’ll be attending the very exclusive LessConf in Atlanta, GA on Friday and Saturday this week (April 29 & 30).

Now, you can call something “exclusive” all you want, but the word is so overused that it’s lost all of its meaning… except in this case.  Limited to a mere 225 attendees, LessConf is intended to allow for small groups to engage in real discussions about eCommerce and the Internet in general.

With that in mind, Mr. Harman asked that we put a call out to anyone interested in meeting up with him during the conference (especially fellow Michiganders).  Either drop Kevin a line at kevin.harman@brandlabs.us or just look for his happy, smiling face and go on up and introduce yourself.  He doesn’t bite and can reliably be expected to buy the first round.