Armando Roggio

Articles by: Armando Roggio

Armando Roggio

Armando Roggio is the longtime senior contributor to Practical Ecommerce. He's a global ecommerce authority and a practicing merchant, developer, and journalist.

Since 2008 he's written over 1,300 articles for Practical Ecommerce addressing all matters of ecommerce and presented dozens of webinars.

His previous positions include director of ecommerce for a regional retail chain and marketing publications manager at Micron Technology, a publicly-traded computer-chip manufacturer. He holds a B.A. in English Writing and Journalism from The University of Pittsburgh.

Contact Armando via email or LinkedIn. Follow his ecommerce tweets at @ecommerceboy.

Analytics & Data
Is Marketing Just an Art?

March 30, 2021 • Armando Roggio

Modern commerce marketing can be data-driven and repeatable. At some companies, however, marketing is unplanned and unorganized. This came up during a recent job interview when a candidate said, "Marketing isn't construction work. It is not workmanlike. It is more like art." But is it really?
Customer Retention
Here’s Why Your Ecommerce Subscriptions Aren’t Selling

March 29, 2021 • Armando Roggio

A recurring subscription model is a powerful tool for growth and profit — if you can get subscribers. “A lot of brands install our subscription software and slap a ‘subscribe and ...
Marketing & Advertising
Using Clubhouse to Promote a Business

March 24, 2021 • Armando Roggio

Clubhouse, the invitation-only audio discussion app, launched in April 2020. It has since garnered about 2 million active weekly users. The app's fleeting nature and live-conference format force its content to be instructional, not promotional. Tactics such as advertising or sponsoring influencers either are not an option on Clubhouse or are not usually effective.
Local Business
Bike Retailer Solves a Pandemic-driven Problem

March 23, 2021 • Armando Roggio

Lots of consumers wanted to get outside when the pandemic hit last year. Among the beneficiaries was Erik's Bike Shop, a Minnesota-based retailer, which experienced a massive increase in web traffic and customer service requests — phone calls, emails, and chats. The staff was overwhelmed.
Conversion
Will AI for Ecommerce Go Mainstream in 2021?

March 18, 2021 • Armando Roggio

Buzzwords such as "personalization" and "artificial intelligence" have been around ecommerce for years. But could 2021 be the year these technologies go mainstream? Some industry participants believe so.
Google Ads
CommerceCo Recap: Google Ads Smart Bidding Explained

March 17, 2021 • Armando Roggio

Google Ads Smart Bidding uses machine learning to optimize performance and streamline account management. Done well, Smart Bidding should lead to improved results as your campaigns (small or large) tap into Google's insights about the folks who use its search engine and advertising network and what makes a successful ad.
Business
Retailers, Brands, Manufacturers Are Converging in 2021

March 15, 2021 • Armando Roggio

The distinction between direct-to-consumer ecommerce and traditional retailing has been vanishing for years. But in a post-pandemic 2021, the convergence could be accelerating.
Marketing & Advertising
CommerceCo Recap: Podcast Endorsements Drive Traffic, Sales

March 10, 2021 • Armando Roggio

Audio advertising can take many forms, but at least one industry leader thinks companies should aim for host endorsements for the best return on investment.
Social Media
Will Social Commerce Disrupt Retail in U.S., Europe?

March 8, 2021 • Armando Roggio

Social commerce in China combines content, chat, live streaming, and sharing with in-app retail purchases, obliterating the distinctions between social media networks and online stores. China's style of ecommerce is so successful it has the potential to disrupt retail in the U.S. and Europe.
Content Marketing
5 Content Marketing Ideas for April 2021

March 4, 2021 • Armando Roggio

Content marketing is the act of creating content to attract and retain prospects. Opportunities abound in April 2021, with topics as diverse as the Pony Express, National Beer Day, Arbor Day, and TikTok.
Content Marketing
CommerceCo Recap: Is the Clock Ticking on TikTok Marketing?

March 2, 2021 • Armando Roggio

Marketing on the popular TikTok platform can attract and engage an audience of potential customers. But like so many social media platforms, as it matures TikTok may become more difficult to earn a following.
Design & Development
Even Small Companies Use AI, Machine Learning

February 24, 2021 • Armando Roggio

Data, technology, and people are at hand to make artificial intelligence and machine learning available to all commerce companies. To be certain, artificial intelligence and its sub-field, machine learning, have gone through cycles of inflated expectations followed by disappointments.
B2B
B2B’s Digital Shift Is Permanent and Incomplete

February 21, 2021 • Armando Roggio

The pandemic has forced many B2B companies to add ecommerce capabilities quickly to keep orders flowing. The transformation is almost certainly permanent, changing how the companies operate. It's also incomplete.
Marketing & Advertising
A Human Approach to Marketing Automation

February 18, 2021 • Armando Roggio

Marketing automation can seem daunting. It may require segmenting customers, understanding behavioral triggers, writing dozens or even hundreds of messages, and developing complex if-then workflows. Fortunately, a successful automation campaign can be done in small, simple steps.
Keyword Research
SEO: Keyword Research for Product Content

February 14, 2021 • Armando Roggio

For many commerce businesses — omnichannel retailers, ecommerce-only merchants, wholesalers — attracting a steady flow of site visitors from organic search results is vital for success. But achieving high rankings in those results requires optimizing a site with relevant content.
Shipping & Fulfillment
When to Consider Ecommerce Shipping Insurance

February 10, 2021 • Armando Roggio

High-end products, high volume, and quality customer service are among the reasons for considering shipping insurance for ecommerce. Shipping insurance can protect businesses from costs associated with damaged, stolen, and lost packages.
Staffing
The Benefits of an Ecommerce Technology Advocate

February 7, 2021 • Armando Roggio

Managing an ecommerce technology stack is complicated. Many companies could use help. "As the marketplace for ecommerce [software] starts to broaden and becomes more complex, adding platforms and apps [can be] really hard," said Mark Wexler, a founder and partner at Whirlwind Ecommerce.
Business
5 Content Marketing Ideas for March 2021

February 3, 2021 • Armando Roggio

Content marketing is the act of publishing articles, videos, and similar to attract, engage, and retain customers and prospects. What follows are five content marketing ideas your business can use in March 2021.
Marketing & Advertising
Adding SMS to an Ecommerce Marketing Mix

January 31, 2021 • Armando Roggio

Text messaging can help ecommerce marketers engage and retain customers, but it is not a replacement for email communication or mobile apps. How does an ecommerce marketer use SMS? Here are seven tips to help.
Technical SEO
Don’t Overlook Technical SEO in 2021

January 27, 2021 • Armando Roggio

Good ecommerce and blogging platforms should, by default, take care of most technical search engine optimization concerns. But this doesn't mean B2B and B2C ecommerce companies can ignore technical SEO in 2021.
Conversion
What’s the Future of Traditional Retail?

January 25, 2021 • Armando Roggio

The combination of Covid-19 lockdowns, supply chain problems, and economic woes accelerated the adoption of digital retailing in several areas of the economy. While some experts believe this will result in more individual retail businesses, it may be an indication that the traditional retail model will not work or at least not work as well in the near future.
Fraud Prevention
Porch Piracy Is Growing

January 20, 2021 • Armando Roggio

Porch piracy is on the rise, with 43 percent of American consumers surveyed saying they had an ecommerce delivery pilfered from their front porch in 2020, according to a recent report. C+R Research asked 2,000 self-reporting shoppers about delivery theft in November 2020.
Fraud Prevention
Online Fraud in 2021 Is Booming

January 19, 2021 • Armando Roggio

Fraud-prevention expert Uri Arad will give an exclusive, live-stream presentation to the CommerceCo by Practical Ecommerce peer-to-peer community on Thursday, January 21, at 2:00 p.m. Eastern Time.
Conversion
Print-on-demand Services Create Sourcing Opportunities

January 18, 2021 • Armando Roggio

Technology, software, and business innovation are enabling the print-on-demand industry to expand from second-rate t-shirts, mugs, and wall art to quality manufacturing-as-a-service solutions.
Business
Bloomreach CEO: Future of Retail Is Marketplaces, Brands

January 13, 2021 • Armando Roggio

Raj De Datta, CEO and co-founder at Bloomreach, said it succinctly, "The future of retail is marketplaces which require scale. But, the future of retail is also brands. The industry is seeing an explosion of small brands setting up shop online."
Conversion
Retail Returns Can Be Hazardous and Subject to Fines

January 11, 2021 • Armando Roggio

Booming retail sales in November and December can lead to tons of returns and exchanges in January. Some of those returned items can be hazardous and require special handling and disposal. The return of hazardous materials poses several problems for retailers, including identification, reverse logistics, and disposal.
Customer Retention
7 Customer Retention Strategies for 2021

January 6, 2021 • Armando Roggio

Retaining ecommerce customers lowers costs and boosts profits. In 2021, customer retention could be critical. “In 2020 we saw multiple years of ecommerce growth….And when we look at [2021], the big question is 'Will this shift to ecommerce last?'"
Content Marketing
5 Content Marketing Ideas for February 2021

January 4, 2021 • Armando Roggio

Your company's February 2021 content marketing could cover the obvious, such as Valentine's Day, and the obscure, such as Ice Cream for Breakfast Day. Content marketing is the act of creating content, publishing it, and promoting it with the goal of attracting, engaging, and retaining customers.
Business
5 Retail Insights from a Covid Christmas

December 30, 2020 • Armando Roggio

Holiday consumer spending offers insights into the retail industry, including ecommerce's continued growth, consumer spending, and customer relationships. 2020 has been extraordinary — the pandemic, natural disasters, and a divisive U.S. election. What follows are five insights from the 2020 Christmas season.
Conversion
The Keys to More Ecommerce Conversions

December 28, 2020 • Armando Roggio

Ecommerce conversion rate optimization and user experience are complementary, but the former works best when businesses focus on shopper expectations, competitive innovation, and the industry segment.