Page 140 – Practical Ecommerce

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Payments
Check Credit Card Processing Rates before Holiday Rush

October 2, 2015 • Phil Hinke

Sales over the next three months will be crucial to the profitability of many ecommerce merchants. Credit card processing costs over this timeframe will affect profitability, too. This article is ...
Shipping & Fulfillment
The (Many) Benefits of Offering Free Shipping

October 1, 2015 • Armando Roggio

Free shipping is a competitive necessity for some online retailers. While there are certainly costs associated with free shipping, there are also some reasons to feel good about offering it. When ...
Shipping & Fulfillment
Holiday Checklist for Ecommerce Operations

October 1, 2015 • Michael Manzione

We’re fast approaching the time of year that typically accounts for more than 20 percent of annual retail sales. It usually defines whether a company is profitable or not. Communication, organization,
Social Media
10 Niche Social Networks for Small Business Marketing

October 1, 2015 • Paul Chaney

If you thought all social networking activity took place on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, or Google Plus, think again. There is a preponderance of niche social networks that appeal to nearly every interest and taste, many of which are ripe for small businesses to inhabit and participate.
Marketing & Advertising
Increase Social Engagement with Event Marketing

September 30, 2015 • Richard Sexton

Increasing your company’s social engagement is one of the most cost-effective ways to keep your brand front-and-center. After all, brand recognition is the best way to influence your shoppers’ purchasing ...
Shipping & Fulfillment
USPS Regional Rate Shipping Saves Money

September 30, 2015 • Armando Roggio

The United States Postal Service’s Priority Mail Regional Rate shipping can save ecommerce businesses money and deliver orders somewhat more quickly than similar services. First introduced in 2011, USPS Priority ...
Influencers & Affiliates
5 Pointers to Help Affiliates with Holiday Selling

September 29, 2015 • Carolyn Kmet

As a retailer, you are likely focused on the fourth quarter — lining up promotions, ordering inventory, and readying your fulfillment processes. Now is time to also start preparing your ...
Photography & Video
9 Popular Product Videos, for Ecommerce

September 28, 2015 • Sig Ueland

Creating a product video can be a good way to deliver useful information about a product, as well as to convey the essence of your brand. If you’re interested in ...
Content Marketing
5 Content Marketing Ideas for October 2015

September 27, 2015 • Armando Roggio

Halloween costume suggestions, list-based articles, content roundups, how-to videos, and even product tips and tricks will all make for good, useful content in October 2015. Content marketing — which relies on ...
Shipping & Fulfillment
Adjusting to third-party fulfillment

September 25, 2015 • Kenny Kane

My last two posts — “My search for a third party fulfillment company” and “Life after in-house fulfillment” — have addressed Stupid Cancer’s massive change from in-house to third-party fulfillment. While ...
Google Ads
Turn Social Traffic into Sales with AdWords Remarketing

September 25, 2015 • Robert Brady

Social media is huge. Facebook has more than 1.7 billion accounts. It reportedly had a 24-hour period where 1 billion of those accounts logged in. That’s one in seven people ...
Email & Text Marketing
Holiday Email Marketing: 3 Ways to Save Time

September 24, 2015 • Carolyn Nye

The busy holiday season is heating up. With it come increased marketing duties, such as creating and executing email campaigns, which take time. In this post, I’ll suggest three ways ...
Social Media
Get More Guest Reviews with TripAdvisor Review Express

September 24, 2015 • Paul Chaney

TripAdvisor now offers a free service called Review Express that lets hotel and B&B owners who have their business listed on the site send review request emails for up to 1,000 guests.
Social Media
Creating Facebook Custom and Lookalike Audiences, to Drive Traffic

September 23, 2015 • Michael Stancil

Facebook custom audiences can greatly help a business. Facebook has one of the most advanced targeting systems — every Facebook user tells you what she likes and doesn’t like. While that’s ...
Marketing & Advertising
4 Predictions for 2015 Holiday Shopping Season

September 23, 2015 • Armando Roggio

Earlier shopping, ecommerce sales growth, improved email marketing, and mobile commerce will be among the most important ecommerce trends during the 2015 Christmas shopping season, which lasts from the end of ...
Checkout Tactics
7 Quick Changes to Boost Ecommerce Conversions

September 22, 2015 • Pamela Hazelton

“How do I boost conversions?” It’s often the number one question from smaller online retailers. The question has potentially thousands of answers, and there is no cookie-cutter plan that suits every ...
Business > Merchant Voice
Low-cost alternative to multichannel software

September 21, 2015 • Richard Stubbings

Due to the ever increasing cost of multichannel software, I have looked for an alternative solution. Until recently I have not found any. I have now. I use Linnworks, an ...
Staffing
U.S. Puts Short Leash on Independent Contractor Status

September 20, 2015 • Elizabeth Lewis

Independent contractor or employee? It is a question that most business owners face as they grow from being self-reliant to needing help. Initially, many business owners choose to classify individuals ...
Schools & Resources
11 New Ecommerce Books for Fall 2015

September 17, 2015 • Sig Ueland

Autumn is here. Here is a list of new ecommerce books for fall 2015. There are titles on branding, online ratings, contest theory, social media, attracting new business, management principles,
Marketing & Advertising
4 Tips for Small-business Retail Marketing for 2016

September 16, 2015 • Armando Roggio

Given limited information, time, and money, small retail business owners and marketers must decide which ad formats and promotions merit investment. Their growth depends on making good choices. But what ...
Conversion
Google AdWords or AdWords Express: Which Is Better?

September 15, 2015 • Phil Frost

Google AdWords Express is a stripped-down, simplified version of Google AdWords. In Google’s words, “AdWords Express is an advertising option for businesses that want to get started quickly. It's ideal for business owners who don't have a lot of time to manage their online advertising.”
Amazon & Marketplaces
7 Overlooked Holiday Tactics for Amazon Sellers

September 15, 2015 • James Thomson

For many ecommerce merchants, the holiday shopping season is the busiest, most critical time of the year. On Amazon, things can get crazy for sellers, even if they have been ...
SEO
SEO: New Google My Business App Makes Local Search Easier

September 14, 2015 • Jill Kocher Brown

For companies with physical locations and ecommerce sites, driving customers into physical stores can be just as important as selling online. Organic search can be a powerful channel for both. Google just ...
Local Business
Beacons: Local Retail Game-changing Technology?

September 14, 2015 • Paul Chaney

Beacons, a new technology designed to drive customer loyalty and in-store sales, is growing in popularity among larger retailers. But is it something smaller retailers can use?
B2B
4 Tactics B2B Ecommerce Can Borrow from B2C

September 13, 2015 • Lori McDonald

“We don’t need ecommerce. Our customers don’t buy that way. They find us through Thomas Register and place orders with us by phone and fax.” That’s what the president of a ...
Conversion
The Case for Registering Online Shoppers

September 11, 2015 • Armando Roggio

With the addition of one unobtrusive form field, online retailers may provide shoppers with a better ecommerce experience and possibly earn loyal customers. Unfortunately, to enjoy this additional ecommerce success,
Shipping & Fulfillment
Will Robots Take Over Ecommerce Warehouses?

September 10, 2015 • Marcia Kaplan

Robots have always played a prominent role in movies, television, and children’s toys. They are now navigating a new arena — warehouses — and changing the way businesses handle their ...
Social Media
7 Ways to Get Yelp Reviews (without Violating Its Policy)

September 10, 2015 • Paul Chaney

Yelp is possibly the most restrictive of all the business directories and review sites when it comes to asking for customer reviews. Basically, “asking” is forbidden, according to its policy guidelines.
Business > Merchant Voice
8 tips for setting up gift certificates, for ecommerce

September 9, 2015 • Elizabeth Hollingsworth

With the festive season fast approaching, setting up a gift certificate option on your website can increase sales. This is something I plan to add on my wedding decor site, like ...
Marketing & Advertising
4 Tips for a Successful Holiday Pop-up Shop

September 9, 2015 • Armando Roggio

Short-term holiday pop-up shops can boost sales, help test a new channel, reduce Christmas inventory, and even help online brands grow. The pop-up retail trend is not particularly new. In the ...