Gagan Mehra

Articles by: Gagan Mehra

Gagan Mehra is an expert in ecommerce and data. He has worked in multiple industries, across four continents, deploying various ecommerce solutions and in the process has solved many Big Data challenges.

He works for a market leader in the data management space and, whenever time permits, dabbles in new technology. He is excited to share his knowledge and experience with everyone on the site.

He can be reached at gaganmehra@gmail.com, or on Twitter: @ga2n.

10 Ways That Artificial Intelligence Helps Merchants

March 21, 2018 • Gagan Mehra

The term "artificial intelligence" refers to software that learns from experience. It mimics the human mind in that it changes responses based on data. Self-driving cars and voice-enabled devices rely on artificial... Read More »
Staying Ahead of Fake Product Reviews

February 18, 2018 • Gagan Mehra

In the competitive world of online commerce, not every merchant is honest. Some post fake positive reviews for their products to entice shoppers. Others post fake negative reviews of competitors'... Read More »
The Rise of Human-free Retail

January 26, 2018 • Gagan Mehra

A few days back the first Amazon Go convenience store opened, in Seattle. Shoppers can simply pick up the items they want to purchase and walk out. There is no... Read More »
Tips for Selling and Buying on B2B Exchanges

January 9, 2018 • Gagan Mehra

In "20 Leading Global B2B Exchanges," my previous post, I shared B2B marketplace options for buying and selling products. In this post, I'll offer pointers on using those exchanges. Selling... Read More »
20 Leading Global B2B Exchanges

December 27, 2017 • Gagan Mehra

Business-to-business marketplaces have existed for years. Some are private, for a specific supply chain. Other exchanges are public, for any business to participate. In this post, I’ll list 20 leading,... Read More »
9 Startups That Are Disrupting Inventory Management

November 7, 2017 • Gagan Mehra

The sweet spot for inventory management is to spend the minimum amount to have adequate stock for customer orders. There is no shortage of software to help with this. But... Read More »
10 Retail Blockchain Vendors

October 20, 2017 • Gagan Mehra

In “10 Ways Blockchains Can Benefit Merchants,” my previous article, I addressed potential uses for blockchain technology. In this post, I’ll describe 10 service providers that already use that technology. Blockverify Blockverify... Read More »
10 Ways Blockchains Can Benefit Merchants

October 5, 2017 • Gagan Mehra

The Internet is buzzing with how blockchains can solve problems and disrupt multiple industries. But what exactly is a blockchain and how can it benefit merchants? A blockchain is a “distributed... Read More »
105 Leading Social Networks Worldwide

September 27, 2017 • Gagan Mehra

Much has changed since 2015 when we last updated our list leading social media sites. Many more social networks have been launched. Some have been discontinued. This post will list... Read More »
Can Personalization Save Shopping Malls?

September 10, 2017 • Gagan Mehra

The rise of ecommerce is impacting shopping malls. Traffic and sales are down significantly. 2017 has been a particularly bad year for brick-and-mortar retailers, with hundreds of announced store closures. In... Read More »
Using Google Home for Voice-enabled Shopping

August 11, 2017 • Gagan Mehra

My previous post, “10 Alexa Skills for Shopping (and Selling),” focused on Amazon’s voice assistant, Alexa, and the burgeoning number of third-party apps and APIs — “Skills” — for that technology.... Read More »
10 Alexa Skills for Shopping (and Selling)

July 26, 2017 • Gagan Mehra

In “The Growing Adoption of Voice Commerce,” my previous post, I addressed how Amazon’s Alexa is the leading voice-based assistant. I mentioned in the post that Amazon now offers Alexa Voice... Read More »
The Growing Adoption of Voice Commerce

July 2, 2017 • Gagan Mehra

Three years ago, in “Voice Commerce Ready for Prime Time?,” I presented the pros and cons of voice-activated transactions. Since then, voice commerce has grown significantly, with the adoption of... Read More »
Intelligent Ways to Manage Fraud

June 8, 2017 • Gagan Mehra

Fraud continues to impact online merchants. Some experience chargebacks, while others experience various forms of return fraud. Fraud hurts not only merchants but also consumers, as merchants often increase prices... Read More »
A Primer on Multichannel Marketing

April 20, 2017 • Gagan Mehra

Multichannel marketing is the practice of engaging with consumers across different channels, such as websites, mobile apps, brick-and-mortar stores, mail order catalogs, and even promotional events. Why Multichannel Marketing? Retailers typically have... Read More »
Getting Started with Real-time Product Targeting

March 29, 2017 • Gagan Mehra

Product targeting has been practiced for years in the online retail world, where segments of customers are targeted with products based on their preferences and purchase history. This has evolved... Read More »
Why Adopt Conversational Commerce?

February 26, 2017 • Gagan Mehra

New methods of engaging consumers are launched frequently. Few are successful. Conversational commerce, however, has gained widespread adoption in a short period. Conversational commerce enables transactions via instant messaging tools, such... Read More »
Real-time Pricing Affordable for Smaller Merchants

January 22, 2017 • Gagan Mehra

Most retailers change product prices infrequently. But larger companies, such as Amazon, Jet, and Sears, continually adjust prices in real time. Now smaller merchants can also benefit from real-time pricing and promotions.... Read More »
Does Visual Search Improve Ecommerce Conversions?

December 9, 2016 • Gagan Mehra

Last month I addressed the rise of visual search for ecommerce. Many larger merchants now offer the feature as part of their mobile app. This holiday season gave me an opportunity to test the... Read More »
Visual Search for Ecommerce Going Mainstream

November 8, 2016 • Gagan Mehra

Back in 2006, a company named Like.com enabled consumers to upload a photo to search for products. Like.com was popular as a price comparison site, but visual search did not... Read More »
Ecommerce in India: Marketplaces, Cash on Delivery Dominate

June 21, 2016 • Gagan Mehra

India is the second most populated country in the world with a large, educated workforce. It is a robust market for selling online. Ecommerce started in India in the late... Read More »
Ecommerce in Taiwan: Thriving Market, Huge Mobile

May 12, 2016 • Gagan Mehra

Taiwan might be a small island but it is big on ecommerce. Taiwan is among the world leaders in terms of ecommerce penetration — the percentage of residents that have... Read More »
Ecommerce in Australia: Cross-border Shopping Common

April 7, 2016 • Gagan Mehra

According to National Australia Bank, online retail spending in Australia increased by 10 percent, to $17.6 billion, in 2015. This compares to roughly $562 billion for China, the country with... Read More »
Ecommerce in South Korea: Aggressive Discounting, Rewards

March 9, 2016 • Gagan Mehra

South Korea is the seventh largest retail ecommerce market in the world and the third largest in Asia Pacific, after China and Japan. It boasts the fastest Internet speeds in... Read More »
Ecommerce in Japan: Marketplaces Dominate

February 23, 2016 • Gagan Mehra

Amazon is no longer the world’s largest ecommerce site in terms of number of visitors. That position now belongs to Taobao, the online marketplace, from China. Ecommerce is growing quickly... Read More »
8 Low-cost IoT Vendors for Retailers

February 2, 2016 • Gagan Mehra

In “‘Internet of Things’ Helping Ecommerce Merchants,” I explained how IoT could make smaller retailers more efficient and save money. This post takes IoT a step further, by listing affordable... Read More »
5 Signs of Conversion Leaks on Ecommerce Sites

January 26, 2016 • Gagan Mehra

Conversion is critical for ecommerce merchants. Most retailers hover around a 2 percent conversion rate. Many of the techniques to improve conversion focus on the checkout flow. While checkout should be... Read More »
10 Surprising Mistakes on Large Ecommerce Sites

January 7, 2016 • Gagan Mehra

Most people start their holiday shopping before Thanksgiving Day. I am no different. I also started the shopping ritual before Thanksgiving Day this past year. I prefer shopping online and... Read More »
Jet vs. Amazon: A Quick Comparison

October 20, 2015 • Gagan Mehra

Jet launched a few months back, claiming that it will be the Amazon killer. Jet’s original model was similar to Costco, where consumers must pay a membership fee to shop... Read More »
‘Internet of Things’ Helping Ecommerce Merchants

October 8, 2015 • Gagan Mehra

The adoption of Internet of Things has grown in the retail world since I last wrote about it in December 2013. While larger companies are benefitting from this technology, many... Read More »