31st October 2008
Major generic websites speak of the success of their partnership
Domain name news brought to you by DescriptiveDomainNames.com
Companies operating from websites with a generic name often see success within their own right, but when two enter into a partnership, the results are often reported to be particularly lucrative for both parties.
This was proven to be the case with American Greetings and Gifts.com, two firms that this week decided to partner up to offer their customers enhanced services and more extensive facilities.
Furthermore, the teaming-up makes perfect sense considering statistics from the Greeting Cards Association, which found that over 500 million e-cards were sent globally in 2007.
American Greetings has brought its status as one of the US' biggest deliverers of e-cards to the table, while Gifts.com has built its reputation as a reliable recommender of gift ideas since its launch nine years ago.
In 1999, the latter website was established by The Readers Digest Association and StarTek in a campaign which cost a total of $20 million.
The new partnership between these major firms will see customers using the services of Gifts.com being offered the opportunity to send a greeting card through American Greetings as they access the service.
One of the products to see the benefit is the Gifts.com gift card, a voucher redeemable at outlets such as Gap, Nike and Ticketmaster, that now comes with the added option of a personalised card, courtesy of American Greetings.
Chief executive officer of Gifts.com Jason Rapp outlined the benefits of the enhanced services.
"Our partnership with American Greetings offers a new twist on an e-favourite," he said.
Mr Rapp added that "gift givers are busier than ever but now they can send a personalised greeting and a gift in no time at all".
At the launch of Gifts.com Keith Fox, director of New Media at its parent firm Readers Digest, told attendees: "The development and launch of this site was exceptional because of the best-of-breed group who worked with us to bring it to life."
He added: "The explosive growth of the online gift market made it critical for us to work with a team that could help us make an immediate impact.
"The resulting site has terrific merchandise and it functions well, is easy to navigate, has the perfect domain name and can withstand the demands of high volume," Mr Fox concluded.
This partnership and both firms' ongoing success appear to be a testament to the effectiveness of generic domain names.
According to the American Greetings website, the firm began its online operations from its generic address in 1996 and now provides "one of the largest creative selections available on the web through its flagship site".
In terms of statistics, it also states that American Greetings and its associate sites - Egreetings.com and BlueMountain.com - boast over two million subscribers combined as well as attracting "tens of millions of unique visitors per month".
Gifts.com has also experienced continued success, as outlined on its website and illustrated by its evolution related to customer feedback.
For instance, in April of this year, the website introduced a new initiative, Gift Answers, whereby those stumped as to what to buy loved ones can now ask the advice of buyers working for the site through a forum.
Additionally, the service gives other users the opportunity to advise one another on gift ideas.
As Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year approach, the two firms will no doubt be gearing up for the rush ahead and offering the enhanced services to their currently registered customers - as well as new ones - who may stumble upon the websites through engines or by directly typing their generic names into a toolbar.
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