Dale Traxler - Practical Ecommerce - Page 4 of 5

Articles by: Dale Traxler

Dale Traxler

Dale Traxler

Dale Traxler is a contributing editor for Practical Ecommerce. He is an ecommerce veteran with hands-on experience — since 2002 — as co-founder and C.E.O. of an online jewelry supply distributor that was successfully sold in 2012.

Dale is now V.P. Commerce Solutions for Rightpoint, a digital agency, where he focuses on delivering world-class digital commerce solutions for enterprise companies in manufacturing, distribution, healthcare, and retail.

Email Dale at dale@practicalecommerce.com.

User Experience
Understanding User Experience vs. User Interface

February 4, 2013 • Dale Traxler

I’ve had many discussions this year with web designers and developers concerning user interface (UI) and user experience (UX) and what the differences are. For ecommerce merchants, it’s important to know the difference if you are planning any type of redesign of your online store. On...
Conversion
Personalizing the Customer Experience

January 24, 2013 • Dale Traxler

I recently shopped for a new wallet in several online stores. Later that day, I saw ads for one of the same wallets on The New York Times' website and Facebook from eBags.com. Since I had shopped at eBags.com, I knew that it was not a coincidence. It was a remarketing ad. In this case, ...
Conversion
13 Tips for Ecommerce Success in 2013

January 18, 2013 • Dale Traxler

Running your ecommerce business can be a grind. You need to replenish products, drive more traffic to your store, create new promotions, respond to customers, develop your employees, and so forth. In "Reviewing Your Ecommerce Business at Year End," my article from last month, I addres...
Email Marketing
Don’t Forget Email Marketing; 13 Reasons

January 11, 2013 • Dale Traxler

With all the focus on social media, it seems that email marketing is almost an afterthought for many companies. Email may not be trendy, but it’s cheap, easy to measure, and easy to target. It's a good place to do testing, it keeps your brand visible, and at the end of the day it delive...
Conversion
What Do Shoppers Think of Your Ecommerce Site?

January 9, 2013 • Dale Traxler

In "Reviewing your Ecommerce Business at Year End," I offered a framework to critique your business's performance for 2012. This week's article focuses on how to improve your ecommerce businesses for 2013. To start, look at your business from the perspective of your shoppers. Revie...
Platforms & Apps
Mobile Commerce: Website or App?

January 1, 2013 • Dale Traxler

According to Forrester Research, mobile commerce sales will grow from $10 billion in 2012 to $32 billion in 2016, accounting for more than 7 percent of total ecommerce sales. With the adoption of smartphones and tablets accelerating worldwide, that percentage could be even higher. For...
Business
Reviewing your Ecommerce Business at Year End

December 19, 2012 • Dale Traxler

Many ecommerce businesses owners will soon perform a year-end count of their product inventory. For many merchants, this process will determine cost of goods sold — and profit — for the year. Beyond your products, however, I recommend you critique your entire business. As you close you...
Conversion
Analyzing B-to-B Ecommerce

December 12, 2012 • Dale Traxler

As sales channels become more complex, many business-to-business companies — including brand manufacturers — face the dilemma of whether to sell online directly to their customers. Likewise, there are many business-to-consumer stores that are large enough to command low inventory pric...
Conversion
Marketplace Mania, Part 4: Leveraging Technology

December 6, 2012 • Dale Traxler

This is "Part 4" in a four-part series on using marketplaces to help your ecommerce business. In "Part 1: Reviewing the Buying Experience" and "Part 2: Buying Unique, Niche Items," I examined marketplaces from a buyer’s perspective. In "Part 3: Choosing the Right Marketplace," I focused...
Conversion
Marketplace Mania, Part 3: Choosing the Right Marketplace

November 27, 2012 • Dale Traxler

This is "Part 3" in a four-part series on using marketplaces to help your ecommerce business. In "Part 1: Reviewing the Buying Experience" and "Part 2: Buying Unique, Niche Items," I examined marketplaces from a buyer’s perspective. This installment focuses on choosing the right marketp...
Conversion
Marketplace Mania, Part 2: Buying Unique, Niche Items

November 23, 2012 • Dale Traxler

Editor's Note: This is "Part 2" in a series on buying and selling products on marketplaces. "Part 1: Reviewing the Buying Experience" we published previously. Last week, I examined the buying experience in the larger marketplaces: Amazon, eBay, Buy.com, Sears.com, and Newegg. They all ...
Conversion
Marketplace Mania, Part 1: Reviewing the Buying Experience

November 15, 2012 • Dale Traxler

Editor's Note: This is "Part 1" in a series on buying and selling products on the major marketplaces. This installment focuses on the buying experience. eBay.com launched the first online marketplace back in 1995 with its large-scale auction platform. Amazon.com has since focused on s...
Business
Strategies for Free Shipping

November 8, 2012 • Dale Traxler

With the holidays quickly approaching, it's a good time to review your shipping strategies. Free shipping is ubiquitous as ever, even though shipping costs are increasing. If you choose to charge for shipping, even a nominal fixed amount, like $4.99, you risk a shopper abandoning your c...
Marketing & Advertising
How to Diversify Your Traffic Sources

November 1, 2012 • Dale Traxler

In “Understanding Google’s Algorithm Changes," contributing editor Jill Kocher explained the frequency and magnitude of Google's ongoing search algorithm changes. Having read that terrific article, it reminds me of the importance of diversifying your store’s traffic sources. As an ecomm...
Conversion
Niche vs. Mass Market Product Strategies

October 25, 2012 • Dale Traxler

In "Multichannel Selling a Necessity," I addressed the need for ecommerce merchants to utilize multiple selling channels because that is where the customers are. In this article, I will focus on matching your product strategy to the appropriate channel. Niche vs. Mass Market In market...
Conversion
Envisioning Your Business in 2022

October 17, 2012 • Dale Traxler

I delivered a speech last week to a group of ecommerce business owners about the process of developing business strategies. As I was preparing my presentation, I tried to envision what an online shopping experience might be in 10 years — in the year 2022. Last week, in "Descriptive Pr...
Business
Descriptive Product Content Produces Sales

October 9, 2012 • Dale Traxler

My wife and I are opening a new business. We are buying a lot of equipment, and I’ve spent more time shopping on ecommerce sites than I have in several years. As a former merchant, I judged those sites themselves almost as much as I did the products I was researching. And I was amazed a...
Conversion
Multichannel Selling a Necessity

October 3, 2012 • Dale Traxler

Selling products across multiple channels is a growing trend for ecommerce merchants. If you rely on a single online store, you will likely to be left behind, because consumer-shopping behaviors are changing rapidly. This article examines sales and marketing channels that are now ava...
Conversion
Managing Your Ecommerce Sales Funnel, Part 2

September 27, 2012 • Dale Traxler

Editor's Note: This is part two of a two-part series on improving the conversion rate of an ecommerce site by managing its sales funnel. Part one, "Managing Your Ecommerce Sales Funnel," we published previously. An ecommerce sales funnel refers to the steps involved in converting a tar...
Conversion
Managing Your Ecommerce Sales Funnel

September 19, 2012 • Dale Traxler

Editor's Note: This is part one of a two-part series on improving the conversion rate of an ecommerce site by managing its "sales funnel." An ecommerce business has a sales funnel. Business-to-business sales funnels are generally more complex than business-to-consumer ones. But the bas...
Design & Development
Choosing an Integrated Ecommerce System; 4 Steps

September 14, 2012 • Dale Traxler

Editor's Note: This is part three of a three-part series on the advantages of an integrated, all-in-one ecommerce platform. The previous installments, "The Benefits of an Integrated Ecommerce System" and "Defining Your Integrated System Requirements," we published previously. Last week...
Design & Development
Defining Your Integrated System Requirements

September 6, 2012 • Dale Traxler

Editor's Note: This is part two of a three-part series on the benefits of an integrated, all-in-one ecommerce platform. The first installment is "The Benefits of an Integrated Ecommerce System." The final installment is "Choosing an Integrated Ecommerce System; 4 Steps." There are clea...
Platforms & Apps
The Benefits of an Integrated Ecommerce System

August 30, 2012 • Dale Traxler

Editor's Note: This is part one of a three-part series on the benefits of an integrated, all-in-one ecommerce platform. The second installment is "Defining Your Integrated System Requirements." The third is "Choosing an Integrated Ecommerce System; 4 Steps." I am consulting with a com...
Staffing
Outsourcing v. Hiring In-house: Pros and Cons

August 22, 2012 • Dale Traxler

Looking back at my 10-years of managing a growing ecommerce business, I realize that online retailing is not simple. It requires many specialized skills and resources to succeed. I've listed some of these, below. Website design and development. A moving target, with new releases, d...
User Experience
Evaluating Mobile Strategies for Ecommerce Sites

August 15, 2012 • Dale Traxler

This article is my annual check-in on the evolving impact of mobile technologies on ecommerce. I wrote a blog post, "Going Mobile - A Year Later," in August 2011 as a follow-up to my post from May 2010 titled "Going Mobile" when I first realized that mobile shopping was becoming a reali...
Conversion
Tips for a Successful Seasonal Marketing Campaign

August 9, 2012 • Dale Traxler

One strategy for increasing your website traffic and sales is to run integrated campaigns on seasonal merchandise. Almost any type of business-to-consumer — and even many business-to-business — stores sell items that are more appropriate for various seasons or holidays. This article e...
User Experience
10 Tips to Freshen Your Ecommerce Site

August 2, 2012 • Dale Traxler

One important strategy to grow your ecommerce revenue is to keep your store fresh and vibrant. That includes your content, products, and promotions. It may also mean regularly refreshing your navigation, themes, and other design elements. When was the last time you really looked at you...
Business
Analyzing a Startup, and Pivoting

July 26, 2012 • Dale Traxler

Editor's Note: Contributing Editor Dale Traxler is a former ecommerce owner who now consults with other businesses on financial and strategy matters. His piece below describes his work for a startup manufacturer and retailer. I mentioned in previous articles that I’m involved in two s...
Conversion
Launching a New Ecommerce Business

July 20, 2012 • Dale Traxler

I am helping a friend who is considering setting up a new ecommerce business. Even though she has done it before, we are both reminded of all that is involved. My ...
Conversion
7 Strategies to Grow Ecommerce Revenue

July 17, 2012 • Dale Traxler

As an ecommerce business owner, I focused on growing revenue. With increasing competition in most markets, ecommerce merchants need to continually grow revenue to add stability to their businesses and to cover rising operating costs. Recall from my previous articles — such as "Who Nee...

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