• Custom Apparel Business Overthinks a Routine Problem

  

  May 25, 2018 • Armando Roggio

  Roy needed product category pages, not custom online stores. What his competitors were really providing was a landing page on their own websites. The header, navigation, and layout were the... Read More »

• Beardbrand Founder on Moving Away from Amazon

  

  May 24, 2018 • Kerry Murdock

  In an ecommerce world that is seemingly dominated by Amazon, Eric Bandholz has just moved his company’s products away from that marketplace. The company, Beardbrand, is now focused on selling... Read More »

• Ecommerce Briefs: Walmart Wins Flipkart; Amazon Expands Prime; Target Beefs Up

  

  May 23, 2018 • Marcia Kaplan

  In “Ecommerce Briefs,” I address news and developments from online merchants. In this installment, I’ll review Walmart’s purchase of a majority interest in Flipkart, India’s dominant marketplace. I’ll also address... Read More »

• 11 Mobile Apps for Customer Management

  

  May 22, 2018 • Sig Ueland

  With a smartphone and the right app, a mobile entrepreneur can now develop sales and manage customers, from an initial lead to the deal close and beyond, all on the... Read More »

• 7 Reasons to Consider USPS Flat Rate Shipping

  

  May 21, 2018 • Armando Roggio

  The United States Postal Service offers flat rate boxes and envelopes that may help online stores reduce shipping costs while improving a shopper’s buying experience. Shipping can be a significant challenge... Read More »

• Reading List: Steven Cook, President of Voltage

  

  May 16, 2018 • Practical Ecommerce

  In “Reading List,” we ask ecommerce professionals to name some of their favorite books and blogs and tell us why they read them. For this installment, we corresponded Steven Cook,... Read More »

• Ecommerce Product Releases: May 16, 2018

  

  May 16, 2018 • Sig Ueland

  Here is a list of product releases and updates for mid-May from companies that offer services to ecommerce merchants. There are updates on analytics, automated campaigns, search, customer communication, and... Read More »

• Internet Attorney on GDPR Compliance for Ecommerce

  

  May 15, 2018 • Pamela Hazelton

  The General Data Protection Regulation from the European Union takes effect on May 25. The law is sweeping, with massive fines for noncompliance. It affects most every company worldwide, large... Read More »

• 12 Innovative Mobile Payment Apps

  

  May 14, 2018 • Sig Ueland

  Paying with a smartphone is easier than ever. Innovative mobile payment apps are providing consumers with new ways to exchange money with peers, purchase products, use alternative currencies, manage expenditures,... Read More »

• Amazon Has Superlative First Quarter, Raises Prime Fee

  

  May 10, 2018 • Marcia Kaplan

  Ecommerce giant Amazon had a blockbuster first quarter. The period from January 1 through March 31, 2018 easily surpassed analysts’ predictions. Revenue jumped 43 percent to $51 billion, compared with... Read More »

• Lessons Learned: Hollywood Mirrors Has a Good Problem

  

  May 9, 2018 • Jennifer D. Meacham

  With less than two years online, U.K.-based Hollywood Mirrors has a good problem: keeping up with demand. “I should have ordered more stock, instead of being cautious.” Adam Watson, founder of Hollywood... Read More »

• Net Promoter Score Is the Best KPI for Ecommerce Growth

  

  May 3, 2018 • Armando Roggio

  “Net Promoter Score” is a simple-to-understand customer loyalty indicator closely associated with sales and profit growth. Online sellers can use this metric and associated customer interactions to improve customer service,... Read More »

• Ecommerce Product Releases: May 1, 2018

  

  May 1, 2018 • Sig Ueland

  Here is a list of product releases and updates for late April from companies that offer services to online merchants. There are updates on A.I., category search, online advertising, cyber... Read More »

• April 2018 Top 10: Our Most Popular Posts

  

  April 30, 2018 • Practical Ecommerce

  What follows are our 10 most popular articles for April 2018, recognizing that articles we published earlier in the month are more likely to make the list than later ones. 13... Read More »

• Ecommerce Merchants Embrace Brick-and-mortar

  

  April 26, 2018 • Marcia Kaplan

  With all the talk of a “retail apocalypse,” you might wonder why any merchant would want to open a brick-and-mortar store. Yet several successful ecommerce companies are now operating physical... Read More »

• Former Amazon Exec on Maintaining Brand Control

  

  April 25, 2018 • Armando Roggio

  James Thomson spent six years as head of Amazon Services, which recruits sellers to Amazon’s marketplace. He is now co-founder and partner of Buy Box Experts, a consultancy, and co-founder... Read More »

• Does WooCommerce Fit B2B Companies?

  

  April 24, 2018 • Lori McDonald

  WooCommerce is among the fastest growing platforms. We've addressed it many times. B2C merchants, especially, value WooCommerce's flexibility and plugin options. My expertise, however, is with B2B companies. In my... Read More »

• Ecommerce Product Releases: April 17, 2018

  

  April 17, 2018 • Sig Ueland

  Here is a list of product releases and updates for mid-April from companies that offer services to online merchants. There are updates on video content and format, accelerated mobile pages,... Read More »

• Ecommerce Briefs: Walmart, Amazon Vie for Flipkart; Etsy and Adidas Refocus

  

  April 11, 2018 • Marcia Kaplan

  “Ecommerce Briefs” is my occasional series of news and developments from online merchants. In this installment, I’ll address the competition between Walmart and Amazon to acquire Flipkart, India’s dominant marketplace. I’ll... Read More »

• Lessons Learned: Battic Door Thrives in Energy Conservation

  

  April 10, 2018 • Jennifer D. Meacham

  Massachusetts-based Battic Door is 15 years in the making. With a credit-card investment of $5,000, owner Mark Tyrol has turned his home-insulation ideas into $1.5 million of annual sales. “I found... Read More »

• 20 Helpful Alexa Skills for Merchants

  

  April 2, 2018 • Sig Ueland

  Alexa skills are voice apps that enhance Alexa-driven devices. With the right skills enabled, Alexa can help merchants tracks sales, get industry-related news and tips, monitor communications, organize tasks, and... Read More »

• The Next Generation of Ecommerce Management

  

  April 2, 2018 • Armando Roggio

  Ecommerce is disruptive. It has changed the way millions of people shop. But the management of many ecommerce businesses has not evolved. It often operates, seemingly, as an old-world dictatorship... Read More »

• Ecommerce Product Releases: April 1, 2018

  

  April 1, 2018 • Sig Ueland

  Here is a list of product releases and updates for March from companies that offer services to online merchants. There are updates on artificial intelligence, subscription services, new marketplaces, shopping... Read More »

• March 2018 Top 10: Our Most Popular Posts

  

  March 30, 2018 • Practical Ecommerce

  What follows are our 10 most popular articles for March 2018, recognizing that articles we published earlier in the month are more likely to make the list than later ones. How... Read More »

• ICOs Are the Newest Form of Alternative Funding

  

  March 28, 2018 • Marcia Kaplan

  If words like cryptocurrency, cryptocoin, Bitcoin, and blockchain befuddle you, you're not alone. Even the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission is having a hard time keeping up with all the... Read More »

• Reading List: Roxanne Abercrombie with Whoson

  

  March 28, 2018 • Practical Ecommerce

  In “Reading List,” we ask ecommerce professionals to name some of their favorite books and blogs and tell us why they read them. For this installment, we corresponded Roxanne Abercrombie,... Read More »

• Fulfillment Requirements of Retailer-owned Marketplaces

  

  March 21, 2018 • Stephen Bulger

  There are many marketplace options other than Amazon for merchants. We all know about eBay. Big retailers such Walmart, Costco, Home Depot, Best Buy, Nordstrom, and Dick’s Sporting Goods offer... Read More »

• 11 New Ecommerce Books for Spring 2018

  

  March 19, 2018 • Sig Ueland

  Spring is here. And so is a new batch of ecommerce books. There are titles on digital marketing, LinkedIn ads, brand development, standing out in a crowd, and artificial intelligence.... Read More »

• Ecommerce Product Releases: March 18, 2018

  

  March 18, 2018 • Sig Ueland

  Here is a list of product releases and updates for mid-March from companies that offer services to online merchants. There are updates on artificial intelligence, last-mile delivery, seed funding, “under... Read More »

• Costco Finally Embraces Ecommerce

  

  March 15, 2018 • Marcia Kaplan

  While Walmart, Amazon, Kroger, and Albertson's compete for online supremacy in groceries and household goods, Costco has until recently remained aloof, firmly committed to serving customers at its physical stores.... Read More »