Alexander Interactive

Continental Restaurant Week Site Wins Top IMA Honor

Mon, 21 Jul 2008 13:00:00 +0100

The Interactive Media Awards, recognizing the highest standards of excellence in website design and development, have given its 2008 IMA Best in Class award to the Ai-designed Continental Restaurant Week 2008 website.

The IMA competition recognizes the highest standards of excellence in website design and development and honors individuals and organizations for their outstanding achievement. Ai is proud to have created the Continental site, which won in the Airlines category. The IMA Best in Class award "represents the very best in planning, execution and overall professionalism," according to IMA's guidelines.

Congratulations to Continental Airlines and our collaborators at Kaplan Thaler on receiving the highest of honors from the IMA judges.

Alexander Interactive is a leader in ecommerce strategy, design, and development. Passionate about design and engineers at heart, Alexander Interactive focuses on creating rich Web experiences tailored to the needs of its clients' businesses. Ai builds award-winning sites and fulfillment systems for clients including Pepperidge Farm, Campbell Soup, FragranceNet.com, Steiner Sports, Action Envelope and Caché.

Alexander Interactive Launches ECommerce Capabilities for Social Marketplace myJambi

Thu, 03 Jul 2008 13:00:00 +0100

Alexander Interactive, a leading ecommerce strategy, design and development agency, today announced it has launched an ecommerce platform for myJambi, the only social marketplace for buying and selling services online.

myJambi users now can bid on services, schedule appointments, establish agreements, track engagements and review service providers and buyers right on the site. myJambi is a unique online community connecting people who offer services with the people who seek them - from babysitting to tutoring and beyond.

"Online communities are changing the way people do business today," says Rio Bennin, co-founder and CEO of myJambi." And the beta launch of myJambi will change the way people buy and sell services within their trusted myJambi network. Ai has built a robust ecommerce platform that's fast and functional. It lets our users simply get things done."

myJambi's Advanced Features

After developing the back-end for the February 2008 debut of myJambi, Ai went to work on the site's ecommerce platform, which contains the following features:

Bidding workflow system - an ecommerce-enabled system that lets users bid on services, send proposals and counterproposals, schedule appointments and book projects
Reviews - a ranking and review feature where users share feedback based on completed projects with myJambi service providers and buyers
Advanced Search - the ability to search for service providers or buyers based on provider availability, buyer deadlines, project costs, myJambi ratings and social connections

"Ai has enabled us to provide a dynamic interactive experience for myJambi users, who now can use the site to make the right service matches at the right time and for the right price-all within a trusted online environment," says Kristina Vetter, co-founder and COO of myJambi.

"Ai specializes in building ecommerce platforms that engage consumers and drive profitability for clients," says Alex Schmelkin, co-founder and president of Alexander Interactive. "We blended myJambi's business goals with user needs to develop ecommerce features designed to help everyone succeed."

myJambi is a rapidly growing social marketplace for buying and selling services. Founded in 2007 by Harvard graduates Rio Bennin, David Huebner and Kristina Vetter, myJambi is supported by a community of service providers and service buyers who build and tap their own trusted networks of contacts, rather than using anonymous postings, to connect with each other. For more information, visit myjambi.com.

Alexander Interactive Launches ECommerce Search Engine

Tue, 01 Jul 2008 13:00:00 +0100

Alexander Interactive, a leading ecommerce strategy, design and development agency, today announced it has launched AiSearch, a new search engine designed to help ecommerce companies better manage search results and boost online sales. AiSearch is the latest in Ai's growing line of advanced web solutions, placing the agency at the forefront of the interactive industry.

Ai: Interactive, Innovative

ECommerce providers typically rely on software-as-a-service (SaaS) vendors for search engine capabilities. Ai created AiSearch because the agency saw an opportunity to provide a more specialized solution to clients. A robust search, navigation and merchandising tool, AiSearch is a powerful platform that helps ecommerce companies achieve their merchandising objectives while meeting customer needs.

AiSearch in Action

Long-time client Steiner Sports is using AiSearch to better manage search results and maximize product sales. Ai custom built the product to meet Steiner's specific business needs, including the following features:

Multiple data sources - Steiner operates both an online store and auction. AiSearch is the first search engine that automatically pulls products from both sources, giving consumers the most complete search results
Faster filtering and sorting capabilities - Steiner can manage every individual search term with AiSearch, guaranteeing customers the most relevant results much faster
Administrative efficiencies - Steiner can use AiSearch to achieve its merchandising objectives much more efficiently. The company can track the most popular search terms and prioritize search results to promote specific products. Steiner also can re-sort results for any search term- including synonyms and misspellings - and re-direct customers to alternate pages to eliminate "no results found" and ensure consumers find what they need every time

"As the digital landscape quickly evolves, Ai continues to innovate so we can bring cutting-edge web solutions to our clients, helping them achieve measurable results," Schmelkin says.

Alexander Interactive Named Top 10 Agency

Tue, 17 Jun 2008 13:00:00 +0100

The Interactive Media Council has named Ai one of the Top Ten Agencies of 2007 in its Interactive Media Awards. The distinction is given to companies "for their high level of professionalism, extraordinary achievements, and consistent contributions towards a stronger, more useful, and more secure Internet."

Judged by an independent panel of interactive executives, the IMAs also named the Ai-designed Filmcatcher website one of the Top 10 Sites of 2007. Filmcatcher was chosen Best In Class for Community from more than 2500 sites considered across all sectors. Ai's Allen School site was also a finalist for top honors.

Alexander Interactive is thrilled to be recognized by its peers for its hard work and industry-leading expertise. "We couldn't be more proud of the work we do, and to be given this award by the IMAs is a great honor," said Alex Schmelkin, president of Ai.

Action Envelope at IR2008

Wed, 11 Jun 2008 13:00:00 +0100

We were there when Action Envelope gave a terrific presentation at the Internet Retailer 2008 conference in Chicago this week. IR posted a story today about the terrific metrics from the new Ai-designed website.

Congratulations to Action COO Seth Newman on a successful presentation and a successful new site!

Alexandra Mor, Cache Prom Win IMA Honors

Tue, 10 Jun 2008 13:00:00 +0100

The Interactive Media Awards, recognizing the highest standards of excellence in website design and development, have given 2008 IMA Outstanding Achievement Awards to the Alexandra Mor and Cache Prom 2008 websites.

The IMA competition recognizes the highest standards of excellence in website design and development and honors individuals and organizations for their outstanding achievement. Ai is proud to have created the sites, which both won in the "Consumer Goods" category. The sites each "excelled in all areas of the IMA judging criteria," according to IMA's guidelines.

Congratulations to Alexandra Mor, the demi-couture jewelry house, and the team at clothing retailer Cache, as well as the Ai designers and developers who made these projects a success.

MCM Awards to Ai

Thu, 22 May 2008 13:00:00 +0100

Multichannel Merchant's MCM Awards, the industry's top honor for multichannel marketers, has awarded top honors to two Ai websites for 2008.

We are proud to have won a gold medal for PetCareRx, in MCM Awards' Small Web Merchant category (although PetCareRx has outgrown its "small" designation!). The new design is contemporary, inviting, and leading to double-digit improvements in conversion.

Ai also received a silver medal in the Office Supplies, Furniture, and Stationery category for Action Envelope, one of our most sophisticated sites in terms of consumer personalization.

Congratulations to our friends at PetCareRx and Action Envelope! Ai is working hard on award-winning efforts for 2009.

Alexander Interactive Names New Head of Client Services

Tue, 20 May 2008 13:00:00 +0100

Alexander Interactive, a leading ecommerce strategy, design and development agency, announces the appointment of Kathy Weisbrodt as executive producer. Weisbrodt will oversee the project management team at Ai, which serves a growing roster of global brands.

With 12 years of client management and interactive industry experience, Weisbrodt will be responsible for ensuring the highest level of service to all Ai clients. She will direct project management initiatives; manage and train Ai's project managers; launch professional development programs; and create new processes to increase operational efficiencies across the agency.

"Kathy is uniquely qualified to take the reins of the project management team at Ai," says Alex Schmelkin, co-founder and president of Alexander Interactive. "She brings significant digital marketing experience to Ai, coupled with a strong ability to communicate a client's brand message with impact. Kathy will enhance Ai's client-service capabilities to further build client trust and firm-wide growth."

Weisbrodt joins Ai from interactive agency imc², where she managed account teams serving a range of influential brands, including one of the world's leading pharmaceutical manufacturers and a global consumer electronics company. Before that, she was an account manager at a branding firm, where she spearheaded interactive, print and broadcast campaigns. Earlier in her career, Weisbrodt spent several years at various branding and marketing firms launching and managing multimedia campaigns.

Weisbrodt's appointment demonstrates Ai's commitment to building a strong foundation for sustained growth. Ai most recently expanded its executive team with the addition of Internet industry veteran David Wertheimer as director of strategy - another critical step in continuing to position Ai as a leading digital agency.

Weisbrodt holds a BA in communications from Canisius College.

Continental Restaurant Week Site Recognized by Adobe

Fri, 02 May 2008 13:00:00 +0100

We are pleased to note that our most recent site launch, Continental Airlines International Restaurant Week, is the Showcase Site of the Day on Adobe.com.

The website is the online home of Continental's restaurant promotion in New York and was developed in conjunction with Kaplan Thaler Group, Continental's agency of record.

Adobe's Showcase is part of their Customer Success program. Ai's Continental Airlines project joins such esteemed company as MySpace, Philips Medical Systems, CondeNet and Toshiba.

Alexander Interactive Appoints Director of Strategy

Wed, 16 Apr 2008 04:00:00 +0100

Alexander Interactive, a leading ecommerce strategy, design and development agency, today announced the appointment of David Wertheimer as director of strategy.

In this newly created role, Wertheimer will develop and drive overall business and client service strategy for the growing firm. He will be responsible for revolutionizing Ai's ecommerce business analysis and consulting services for the firm's industry-leading clients. He also will head up Ai's information architecture team and steer overall strategic marketing and business development efforts for Ai.

"David's remarkable track record and versatile background will be a tremendous asset to Ai," says Alex Schmelkin, co-founder and president of Alexander Interactive. "His proven ability to drive traffic and revenue growth through smart interactive initiatives will bring significant value to every client as he directs the strategy behind every Ai engagement. David will be instrumental in building long-term strategic partnerships with our clients."

An Internet strategist with expertise in online communication, usability, ecommerce and web marketing, Wertheimer has been building brands on the web for more than 12 years. He comes to Ai from Clarins Groupe USA, where his initiatives as director of Internet marketing resulted in 200 percent growth in online retail sales.

Prior to that, Wertheimer founded and ran User Savvy Business Solutions, where he delivered strategy, branding, usability, metrics analysis and design solutions to clients including Yahoo! and HotJobs. Before that, Wertheimer served as web design director for The Economist Group, where he rebranded economist.com. Traffic to the site more than doubled following the relaunch. Over the course of his career, Wertheimer has been a web designer, manager and director; blogger; author; columnist; educator; and speaker on a wide range of Internet topics.

Wertheimer holds a BA from Franklin & Marshall College and an MBA from New York University's Stern School of Business.