From the earliest days of sales and marketing, what prospects see, rather than what they read or hear, has often determined the campaign’s success. Today, the professionals from Oxygen Marketing will tell you that whether it be a drawing, a photograph, an infographic, a video, a logo, a colour, or a font, they have all made positive differences in the success of a marketing campaign.

At one time, graphics and imagery were the domain of skilled graphic artists and designers; to be fair, their talents still have a massive role in the world of marketing today. However, with the advance of technology, several tools and software have allowed almost anyone to create high-quality designs. As such, we would like to share 10 of the best of them with you so that if you wish to test your design skills for your next marketing campaign, you can do so.

Canva: Probably one of the most well-known and popular sites on the internet for those who need marketing graphics and want a simple and affordable way to create them. CCanva’s drag-and-drop interface can be used to create infographics, logos, charts, graphs, or just about anything visual you can think of.

Venngage: As with Canva, it would probably be quicker to tell you what Venngage cannot be used to create than list all the graphical assets for your marketing that it can be used to make. It has a free and paid version, with the paid version opening up many additional templates and customisations.

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Why The Largest Australian Retailers Are Losing The Online Battle

Australia’s large retailers face increasing competition online from both Australian and overseas retailers. We have conducted research into 62 of Australia’s largest retailers in Australia and their basic capabilities across web, email, social and email.

Today, consumers use multiple online channels throughout the purchase lifecycle – for information search and evaluation, for purchase and for post-purchase service and reassurance about a product or service. Every Australian retailer therefore needs to understand their customer and these digital touch points to ensure they provide a seamless customer experience and optimal engagement.

Our research found a broad range of capabilities used by Australia’s largest retailers. The most basic capabilities are used by almost all retailers. Going beyond the basics we found that most retailers are selling online but the techniques and capabilities used vary widely with tried and tested techniques in some cases only used by a small minority of retailers.

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A recent Round Table discussion we held asked the question “Is Australian online retail really that bad?” Recent reports have highlighted that online sales in Australia continue to grow but that a large proportion of these sales continue to go overseas.

In June Pacific Brands chief executive Sue Morphet told an Australian Institute of Company Directors event that Australia was about three to four years behind other countries in retailing trends, (source – The Australian 27/5/2011). She said online represented about 10 per cent of total sales in the UK and 8 per cent in the US, but only 3 per cent in Australia.

Overseas online retailers have a disproportionate share of the market, and whilst the market is growing overseas suppliers will grow their market share to the detriment of local online retailers. It also seems to be generally accepted that Australia is 2-4 years behind the US and UK (our closest cultural comparison) in online retail and eCommerce.

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