Page 54 – Practical Ecommerce

Category

Business
‘Intrepreneurship’ Has Rewards, Says Company Founder

August 13, 2021 • Eric Bandholz

Bryan DeLuca has a name for folks who build brands within large corporations. He calls them "intrepreneurs." He should know. Having co-founded and then sold a successful ecommerce business, DeLuca worked for a traditional retailer, creating brands within the company.
Conversion
Is Your Supply Chain Vulnerable?

August 12, 2021 • Armando Roggio

The combination of pandemic lockdowns and rising freight prices has forced some companies to focus on supply chain vulnerabilities. Many commerce businesses have experienced some form of supply chain disruption in the past 18 months.
Cross-border Selling
Driven by Covid-19, India’s Ecommerce Surges

August 11, 2021 • Marcia Kaplan

Owing to its large population, India has always been an attractive ecommerce market, even if a relatively small percentage of its residents have access to the internet or adequate income. But ecommerce is now surging in India.
Business
Charts: Plastic Waste from Ecommerce Is Flooding the World

August 10, 2021 • Anna Kayfitz

In a seminal report titled "Amazon's Plastic Problem Revealed," Oceana, a nonprofit ocean-advocacy organization, described the amount of plastic packaging waste generated worldwide by ecommerce generally and Amazon specifically. "Amazon has a plastic problem," the report stated.
Payments
15 Mobile Payment Systems for Merchants

August 10, 2021 • Sig Ueland

Mobile payment systems provide flexibility to consumers and merchants while unifying online and offline operations. Here is a list of mobile payment services for merchants. There are point-of-sale systems, digital wallets, mobile hardware, software for mobile and web applications, and more.
Checkout Tactics
Ecommerce Conversion Rates beyond the Averages

August 9, 2021 • Pamela Hazelton

Monitoring the percentage of visitors that convert to paying customers helps businesses track the performance of marketing campaigns, landing pages, design and navigation, and the checkout process. Email signups, survey responses, and social media shares are important conversions, too.
Conversion
CommerceCo Recap: Winning the Digital Shelf

August 9, 2021 • Armando Roggio

Consumers with access to physical stores, ecommerce sites, online marketplaces, apps, and social selling seek consistent and frictionless shopping experiences. This makes it tough for brands to maintain product messaging. Call it the dilemma of the digital shelf.
Google Ads
Breaking Down Google Ads New ‘Strikes’ Policy

August 8, 2021 • Matthew Umbro

Google Ads recently introduced a pilot program to combat repeat policy violations. Beginning in September, advertisers who continually violate ad policies will suffer consequences. The system will use "strikes" to assign penalties.
Business
Greenbelly Thrives with Backpacking Meals

August 6, 2021 • Eric Bandholz

Chris Cage founded Greenbelly, a maker of high-nutrition meal bars for backpackers, after leaving his accounting job and traveling the world. That was in 2014. Fast forward to 2021, and the business is thriving.
Photography & Video
Product Photography, Part 1: Choosing Backdrops

August 5, 2021 • Carolyn Mara

Choosing a backdrop is the first step in product photography. Pairing a product with the right background is crucial when trying to convince shoppers to make a purchase. This post is the first in a series aimed at helping merchants take better product photos.
Content Marketing
5 Content Marketing Ideas for September 2021

August 5, 2021 • Armando Roggio

In September 2021, content marketers can offer courses, suggest gifts, celebrate holidays such as Grandparents’ Day and the Mid-Autumn Festival, or provide how-to help. Content marketing is the act of creating,
Business
July 2021 Top 10: Our Most Popular Posts

August 4, 2021 • PEC Staff

Since 2005 we’ve published thousands of articles, webinars, and podcast episodes to assist ecommerce merchants. What follows are the most popular articles that we published in July 2021. Articles from ...
Product Pages
What Online Shoppers Expect in 2021

August 4, 2021 • Pamela Hazelton

The pandemic-induced shift to online shopping is permanent for many consumers. That's the good news for ecommerce companies. The not-so-good news is those consumers have heightened expectations. Here are seven of them.
Shipping & Fulfillment
Warehouse Automation Starts with Picking, Sorting, Packaging

August 3, 2021 • Elaine Porteous

Your fulfillment warehouse is growing fast. More orders are arriving in increasingly varied dimensions and quantities. You may be considering additional employees and space. An alternative is improving productivity by automating some manual tasks.
Shipping & Fulfillment
17 Sustainable Packaging Providers

August 3, 2021 • Sig Ueland

Recycled cardboard, cornstarch peanuts, containers made from mushrooms or seaweed, minimal reusable mailers — there are plenty of sustainable packaging options to limit your business’s carbon footprint and drive eco-friendly customer loyalty. Here is a list of sustainable packaging providers.
Platforms & Apps
Ecommerce Product Releases: August 2, 2021

August 2, 2021 • Sig Ueland

Here is a list of product releases and updates for late July from companies that offer services to online merchants. There are updates on customer chat, cross-border selling, live-streaming, social commerce, design tools, and local selling.
Marketing & Advertising
Win More Customers with the SOSTAC Model

August 1, 2021 • Armando Roggio

Developed more than 25 years ago, the SOSTAC framework can help marketers better understand their business, their customers, and the actions needed to grow sales and profits. Digital advertising can seem easy. But a business that grows in complexity and scale often becomes more challenging to market.
Business
Entrepreneur Loses $6 Million, Bounces Back

July 30, 2021 • Eric Bandholz

Shakil Prasla recently made a big mistake. An astute ecommerce operator and owner, Prasla purchased in late 2020 Covid-related protective gloves at roughly twice the ultimate selling price. His company, Gloves.com, lost $6 million.
Finance
Investment Robust in Retail, Ecommerce Technology

July 29, 2021 • Marcia Kaplan

The pandemic has posed obstacles for both brick-and-mortar and online merchants. Among the challenges are labor shortages, inventory problems, delivery conundrums, and the need for more personalization. New providers are addressing those needs, and venture capitalists and other investors are eager to fund them.
Inventory
Getting Investors to Buy Your Inventory

July 28, 2021 • Armando Roggio

When it comes to funding inventory, retail businesses can be creative, using loans, credit cards, supplier terms, and even advances from family. Whatever the method, however, raising the money can be a challenge.
Content Marketing
4 Favorite Blogs from Ecommerce Companies

July 27, 2021 • Kaleena Stroud

Publishing a blog on an ecommerce site builds community, creates trust, and gives consumers a reason to return. Sales would likely follow. But online merchants with long-term, quality blogs are rare. What follows are four of my favorites.
Influencers & Affiliates
Influencer Marketing, Part 4: Choosing Social Networks

July 27, 2021 • Joe Sinkwitz

Social networks are the primary channels of influencer marketing campaigns. Knowing who you're trying to influence is the first step in choosing the network.
Product Pages
The Full-funnel Product Detail Page

July 26, 2021 • Armando Roggio

Once found only at the bottom of a sales funnel, the ecommerce product detail page is evolving to address the entire buyer journey, from awareness to sale. Consider a free, basic theme on Shopify called "Simple." Its product detail pages are sales-focused, with eight sections.
Analytics & Data
15 Analytics Plugins for WordPress

July 26, 2021 • Sig Ueland

With the right analytics plugin, a WordPress merchant can track prospects and customers, get advanced stats to improve site performance, and fix what’s broken. Here is a list of analytics plugins for WordPress.
Platforms & Apps
Setting Up an Accessible Shopify Store

July 25, 2021 • Joseph C. Dolson

Ecommerce has come a long way in accommodating consumers with disabilities. I've addressed over the years many accessibility aspects of online shopping, from screen readers to lawsuits. Shopify, the focus of this post, is a rare ecommerce platform that supplies Voluntary Product Accessibility Templates.
Business
Keyword Sleuthing Propels Niche Publisher

July 23, 2021 • Eric Bandholz

Merchants know that content marketing can engage and retain customers. However, identifying a topic that prospects want to consume — read, watch, listen — is often difficult. But not for Kyle Boureston.
Amazon & Marketplaces
Amazon’s Review System Is Not Broken

July 22, 2021 • Chris Turton

Amazon’s review model has been through many upgrades and bolt-ons. It was once easy for sellers to buy reviews and entice customers to leave 5-star feedback, but no more.
Business
6 Things to Do before Selling an Ecommerce Business

July 22, 2021 • Armando Roggio

When it comes time to sell your ecommerce business, you may find you are not fully prepared for prospective buyers or your business isn't the smooth running machine you thought. The individuals considering your company may be looking for a new source of income or an addition to a portfolio of related businesses. These prospective buyers need assurances and info, to evaluate the potential.
B2B
The Overlooked Benefit of B2B Ecommerce

July 21, 2021 • Lori McDonald

An oft-overlooked benefit of B2B ecommerce tools is the value to internal sales and customer service teams. Both gain efficiencies from digital tools, resulting in happier customers that spend more money. Ecommerce gives users — internal and external — the ability to help themselves.
Analytics & Data
Combining Google Analytics Data with Other Sources

July 20, 2021 • Morgan Jones

Google Analytics provides data from a website or app on engagement, conversions, and transactions. However, many online merchants need data from other sources, such as search engines, social media, affiliates, and more. Some of these sources can be connected or imported into Google Analytics. Others cannot.