Convenience, flexibility and seamless are the top 3 buzzwords that sum up the ultimate online shopping experience, according to a new report entitled ‘The Pulse of the Online Shopper’. Over 19,000 consumers across the globe took part in the survey, which was conducted by comScore, to reveal the top elements of a smooth and satisfying ecommerce encounter. Not surprisingly, free shipping ranked high on shoppers’ wish lists, even when placing orders with overseas websites. Mobile also … [Read more...]

Starting a business is a daunting prospect, and the first year is definitely the hardest. However, it’s also the most rewarding, a time in which you’ll learn an incredible amount about how to successfully run a company. Here are just a few life lessons you may encounter during the first 12 months of launching your start-up: Your target market isn’t ‘everybody’ A sale is a sale, but undoubtedly certain sectors will yield more business than others. If you try to court everybody as a … [Read more...]

On the surface, the world is getting smaller. More companies than ever are using the relative low risk flexibility that ecommerce offers to trade internationally. However, moving beyond your domestic market is a major decision – one that comes with unique challenges. Setting up an overseas operation is not just a case of ‘lifting and shifting’ the model that’s working in your home region. There are many logistical considerations: how do you cope with a new language and currency? Are there … [Read more...]

One of the greatest things about operating online is the trail of data customers leave behind. Unlike the store environment, where it’s relatively difficult to track shopper activity and see how it impacts sales figures, online analysis tools make assessing – and improving – the digital journey a straightforward process. Google Analytics is one of the best free tools available to ecommerce retailers, yet it’s amazing how many companies feel uncomfortable extracting information from it. There … [Read more...]

Mobile traffic is going to be the biggest ecommerce battleground in 2015. Over the past 12 months we’ve seen consumers move away from using their smartphones and tablets primarily as research tools, toward buying directly through their mobile devices – and this has changed the game for online retailers. According to Criteo’s State of Mobile Commerce report, smartphones are now the most popular technology for online shopping; they drive 53% of mobile retail transactions. This means that while … [Read more...]

Shoppers today are driven by value, and nowhere is this more apparent than eBay. Competition is intense, especially for ecommerce companies going head-to-head with amateur sellers, who often set low benchmarks for the sale of items. So how do you optimize your prices to encourage sales without compromising profit? For professional eBay sellers in particular, getting the price right has a major operational impact. Set the bar too high and you’ll end up with a large quantity of leftover stock, … [Read more...]

The most beautiful ecommerce website in the world is worthless if it doesn’t function properly, yet many online retailers still do not optimize the most important element of their website: the checkout. To help you create a smooth end-to-end customer journey, which provides seamless user experiences and encourages sales conversions, we’ve put together some top tips for enhancing your ecommerce checkout: Make the journey to purchase as smooth as possible Often it’s not actually the … [Read more...]

If there’s one brand that has revolutionized the concept of customer delivery, it’s Amazon. Through it’s Prime delivery service, it has raised the bar – and consumer expectations – on fulfillment, promising to provide customers with their goods in as little time as one hour. This is creating golden opportunities for retailers to impress their customers with super-quick delivery, yet many ecommerce companies haven’t yet signed up to Amazon’s Prime service; despite it being rumored to include … [Read more...]

The rise of multi-channel shopping has created new logistical problems for ecommerce retailers, not least the management and fulfilment of orders placed across several platforms. Whereas once you might have only had an eBay order management system to contend with, chances are most emerging businesses today are juggling the demands of several ecommerce solutions – none of which are integrated. If this sounds familiar, it could be the case that you’ve outgrown your order management platform. … [Read more...]

Whatever your chosen design or layout, there is one thing all ecommerce websites share in common: sales are won and lost on the strength of imagery. Poor quality photography that doesn’t show products in their best light is one of the most common reasons for customer abandonment. However, creating great looking photography for your ecommerce website is easier said than done. For start-up online retailers in particular, cost can be a barrier to high quality images; professional photographers … [Read more...]