Businesses are leveraging interactive technology to create new channels, build their brand and reduce business cost. According to analysts, doing this requires the recruitment of a new type of partner. ShockTheory has experience in partnering with clients to help them use the Internet to building relationships with its partners, customers, suppliers and all other clientele. And naturally, we believe that the strategy for how to do this is the critical component of any successful project.

Our position in providing interactive services, combined with the maturity and wisdom of our people gained from earlier careers in advertising, marketing, production, product management, programming and systems integration, enables us to provide insight and guidance to your company as you seek the next level of interactivity.

Our consulting services include:

Discovery Phase: Strategic thinking at the project-level is critical for success. As part of the Shock Methodology, before we start any project, we perform a comprehensive discovery process to gain a complete understanding of your current needs and objectives. This discovery phase includes a competitive and category overview, internal interviews and a review of current and planned marketing initiatives. This culminates in a final presentation detailing our findings and provides the groundwork for development moving forward.

• Strategic Planning: The greatest advantages will be realized by those businesses in which Internet technologies are extended throughout the enterprise-into customer service, supply and sales channels, investor relations and professional alliances, partnerships and services. Our team develops a strategic direction for both the short and long term. We work with all levels of your business to deliver an Internet strategy and a resulting set of initiatives that allow you to securely embrace interactive technology throughout your organization.
   

• Performance Reporting: ShockTheory uses off-the-shelf and custom applications to rigorously track the performance of your site and your return on investment (ROI). Our reports go beyond the raw data, interpreting performance to develop new marketing initiatives and site enhancements. Traffic measurements can tell us when an area of the site is extremely popular so that more time and effort may be spent on developing that area. Additionally, statistics can help us understand site visitors’ paths through the site-allowing us to make decisions on what content should be offered to site visitors at particular points.
   

• Site Assessment: Part of our consulting services includes analysis of your current site, comparing it to those of key competitors and the best practices in and outside of your industry. Our site assessment includes a qualitative and quantitative look at all areas of your site. From this assessment, we make strategic, creative and technical recommendations to enhance your site.

Research

All of our consulting services require research to ensure our projects and plans are on target to deliver solutions that will help you gain a competitive advantage. We conduct three types of research:

• Primary Research: using our own internal resources, we focus on topics that are closely related to your project strategies that could affect overall project direction. Deliverables include: corporate analysis, industry analysis, competitive situation analysis and emerging business models analysis.
   

• Secondary Research: Research develops quality, proprietary data on user perceptions and attitudes about the online experience within the specific context of various solutions proposed by ShockTheory. Typical research would include: surveys, focus group testing, and human factors and usability testing.
   

• Third-Party Research: If necessary for the project, this research is purchased from leading research firms such as Forrester, Gartner Group and Jupiter Communications.