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Technical SEO
SEO: 3 Paths to Crawlable JavaScript

June 3, 2018 • Jill Kocher Brown

Last week’s primer described some of the reasons that Googlebot, in particular, has trouble with modern forms of JavaScript. This article addresses solutions to compensate for bots’ limitations.
Analytics & Data
Use Google Analytics, Data Studio to Plan Inventory

June 1, 2018 • Morgan Jones

Inventory planning is essential for merchants. Overestimating inventory needs can be costly. But underestimating can be costly, too — hurting revenue and profit. Just-in-time inventory preserves cash, reduces storage needs,
Business
May 2018 Top 10: Our Most Popular Posts

May 31, 2018 • PEC Staff

What follows are our 10 most popular articles for May 2018, recognizing that articles we published earlier in the month are more likely to make the list than later ones. 7
Platforms & Apps
Ecommerce Product Releases: May 31, 2018

May 31, 2018 • Sig Ueland

Here is a list of product releases and updates for late-May from companies that offer services to online merchants. There are updates on app development, personalized shopping, fintech, shipping, influencer ...
Business > Merchant Voice
The elements of a (successful) ecommerce strategy

May 30, 2018 • David Sasson

The importance of an ecommerce strategy is clear. What is not clear is how to develop a good one. Some strategy statements do not provide a lot of direction, such ...
Inventory
Strategies for Discontinued Inventory Pages

May 30, 2018 • Armando Roggio

When an item in an ecommerce store is temporarily out of stock, the site can add a notice or send a message to a shopper. But what should an online ...
Business > Merchant Voice
10 ways to offer shoppers a discount

May 29, 2018 • Elizabeth Hollingsworth

Many online retailers unintentionally train consumers to expect discounts. Clothing stores are amongst the worst offenders. Constant discounting makes full-price shoppers believe they’re being overcharged. They often won’t shop until the next sale, which leads to a vicious cycle. It is a rare company that doesn’t get asked for discounts. In this post, I'll review 10 ways to offer clients a discount.
Inventory
9 Tips to Manage Out-of-stock Inventory

May 28, 2018 • Armando Roggio

Sometimes even the most-prepared retailers sell out of popular items. How these inventory shortages are communicated on an ecommerce website may impact shopper experience, search engine optimization, and sales. Although not ...
Social Media
Navigating Changes to Facebook Ads

May 27, 2018 • Michael Stancil

In the wake of the Cambridge Analytica scandal, Facebook is running its own advertising campaign. The ads proclaim how terrible Facebook was, how it compromised your data, and how it’s ...
Technical SEO
SEO: No, Google Does Not Support Newer JavaScript

May 25, 2018 • Jill Kocher Brown

Some search engine optimization professionals and developers have concluded in the last couple of years that Google can crawl JavaScript. Unfortunately, that’s not always the case. Sites using Angular (the ...
Business
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 same for all customers. Only the products displayed and a header graphic were unique to the specific team, business, or organization.
Amazon & Marketplaces
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 ...
Code
Despite the GDPR, Cookies Are Vital to Ecommerce

May 23, 2018 • Eric Davis

Cookies are in the spotlight with the E.U.’s new General Data Protection Regulation. It follows the E.U.’s “Cookie Directive,” which has been in effect for several years. Cookies are important for ...
Amazon & Marketplaces
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 ...
Product Pages
6 Alternatives to Customer Reviews (to Sell Products)

May 22, 2018 • Pamela Hazelton

Customer reviews can boost conversions. Reviews are also a crucial part of an ecommerce site’s social proof. Otherwise, shoppers have only sales copy to guide them. But product reviews are not ...
Analytics & Data
Drowning in Data? Consider a Business Intelligence Tool

May 21, 2018 • Anna Kayfitz

Ecommerce businesses use multiple tools and services. Most have their own dashboards, which measure different aspects of the business. So how does a merchant pull all the data together to see the big picture? Many companies use business intelligence tools, which combine data from multiple sources and display it in a meaningful way.
SEO
Consumers Search by Voice. Do You Listen?

May 20, 2018 • Jill Kocher Brown

The future of search is, increasingly, spoken. At its annual I/O conference earlier this month, Google made 100 announcements. More than 20 related to voice interaction. (Many others involved visual ...
Email & Text Marketing
5 Ways to Make a Good Email Great

May 18, 2018 • Carolyn Nye

Consumers are inundated with marketing emails. The challenge for ecommerce merchants is to craft subject lines and body content that are relevant to recipients, who typically scan their inboxes to ...
Amazon & Marketplaces > Merchant Voice
Has Amazon altered A-Z claims process to help sellers?

May 17, 2018 • Richard Stubbings

I recently took a break from selling on Amazon whilst reorganizing my stock. When I returned I noticed a difference in the A-Z claim process. First, I found that customers are ...
Marketing & Advertising
Is Text Messaging a Game-changer for Ecommerce?

May 17, 2018 • Armando Roggio

Mobile devices are ubiquitous. I don't go anywhere without mine, and I bet you have a smartphone with you now. But are you doing everything you can to connect with shoppers on mobile? According to a survey from Quiq, a provider of chat software, 66 percent of consumer-respondents ranked mobile messaging as their preferred channel for contacting a company. I recently spoke with Chris Albro, head of enterprise sales for Quiq.
Schools & Resources
Reading List: Steven Cook, President of Voltage

May 16, 2018 • PEC Staff

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, president and chief operating officer of Voltage, a Colorado-based marketing agency for fashion and restaurant brands.
Platforms & Apps
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 artificial intelligence.
Analytics & Data
New Google Analytics Settings Reflect GDPR Requirements

May 15, 2018 • Morgan Jones

The E.U.’s General Data Protection Regulation becomes effective on May 25. Google and other data gathering services are protecting themselves by allowing users to control the data retained from customers and ...
Analytics & Data
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 ...
Payments
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,
Customer Retention
Overlooked Ways to Encourage Repeat Business

May 13, 2018 • Marcia Yudkin

Given how much more profitable returning customers are than first-time buyers, it’s amazing how many companies put so little effort into encouraging repeat sales. Consider imparting something visible and obvious to your customer as a memory prompt. This doesn’t have to be elaborate or expensive.
SEO
Google Lens Ups the Ante on Image Search

May 11, 2018 • Jill Kocher Brown

Ecommerce businesses have a love-hate relationship with image search. They appreciate the conversion benefits, but they are wary of the labor required to optimize images and the risk of competitors ...
Local Business
Offline Sales Tips for Online Merchants

May 10, 2018 • Curtis McHale

Many brick-and-mortar stores have found success in migrating online. But the trend has reversed somewhat. Pure-play ecommerce companies are finding success with physical stores. We addressed the topic last month,
Amazon & Marketplaces
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 ...
Business
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 ...