Page 57 – Practical Ecommerce

Category

Social Media
How to Supercharge an Instagram Bio

May 27, 2021 • Kaleena Stroud

I've addressed Instagram captions and advanced selling strategies. I have not addressed Instagram bios, however. Many companies use bios to simply state what they offer. But an Instagram bio can be much more.
Shipping & Fulfillment
Electric Vehicles Are the Future of Last-mile Delivery

May 27, 2021 • Elaine Porteous

The rise of ecommerce has catapulted electric vehicles to prominence. Concern about greenhouse gas emissions is driving the move away from diesel delivery vehicles towards trucks and vans using alternative power sources. Electric vehicles with a range of up to 150 miles are ideally suited to "last mile" deliveries, those with a limited radius.
Business
Ecommerce Briefs: Amazon Sellers, Walmart.com Grocery, Click-and-collect

May 26, 2021 • Marcia Kaplan

“Ecommerce Briefs” is my occasional series on news and developments that impact online merchants. In this installment, I’ll report on Amazon's program allowing brands to promote new products, Walmart.com's focus on grocery sales, and the growth of U.S. click-and-collect sales.
Business
As Cookies Crumble, Fingerprinting Could Grow

May 25, 2021 • Armando Roggio

Privacy advocates, tech companies, and government regulators are all working to bring an end to third-party cookies. But even as the cookies crumble, some ad networks could turn to browser fingerprinting to track individuals.
Influencers & Affiliates
Influencer Marketing, Part 2: Why Use It?

May 24, 2021 • Joe Sinkwitz

This is the second installment in my influencer marketing series. In "Part 1," I established what influencer marketing is. In this "Part 2" post, I'll address why ecommerce businesses should consider it.
Analytics & Data
‘Assisted Conversions’ in Google Analytics Are Attribution Gold

May 23, 2021 • Armando Roggio

Google Analytics "Assisted Conversions" reports are hidden attribution gold deep in the platform's conversion analysis tools. While most Analytics reports show the immediate source ("last click") of traffic and conversions, Assisted Conversions identify the relationship between all channels and conversions.
Platforms & Apps
Drupal Commerce Founder on Collaborative Code, Software Freedom, More

May 21, 2021 • Eric Bandholz

The viability of open-source ecommerce platforms may seem limited given the rise of SaaS providers such as Shopify and many others. Not so, says Ryan Szrama. He's the founder of Drupal Commerce. He wrote the code in 2005 as an addition to the open-source Drupal content management system.
Product Pages
3 Keys for High-converting Product Descriptions

May 20, 2021 • Pamela Hazelton

Writing product descriptions sounds simple. But it takes planning. The best descriptions address a broad audience, which is why many companies employ marketers to help. When writing descriptions for the masses, focus on the following three elements.
Business
CommerceCo Recap: Tailor-made Shopping Experiences

May 20, 2021 • Armando Roggio

When eBay and Amazon were founded, in 1995, ecommerce pioneers worried that pictures of products would never provide the same experience as handling a product on a rack. Ecommerce has generally overcome this challenge, but there are still products that are more difficult to present online.
Email & Text Marketing
Need More First-party Leads? Grow Your Email List

May 19, 2021 • Carolyn Nye

The elimination of third-party cookies and the removal of auto-tracking on Apple iOS devices has marketers scrambling. So-called "first party" data, where a company has a direct relationship with prospects and customers, is now paramount. There is no better type of first-party data than a robust email list.
Content Marketing
Using an Ebook for B2B Lead Generation

May 18, 2021 • Armando Roggio

Trading an ebook for a prospect's contact information is among the purest forms of content marketing. It's an effective way for B2B sellers to find their next customer. B2B companies supply the products that ecommerce and omnichannel sellers retail to the general public.
Customer Retention
17 Tools for Customer Feedback

May 18, 2021 • Sig Ueland

Feedback surveys can help determine what's working with your website or service and provide fresh insights from customers and prospects. Here is a list of tools for surveys and forms.
Inventory
Save Money on Inventory with EOQ

May 17, 2021 • Armando Roggio

An American production engineer developed the economic order quantity (EOQ) model to help buyers at manufacturing companies understand how much of a given raw material or part they should buy. Many companies now use EOQ to calculate the ideal amount of inventory to minimize costs.
Business
Charts: 2020 Global Ecommerce Sales

May 17, 2021 • Anna Kayfitz

The Asia Pacific region generated roughly 62.6 percent of 2020 global ecommerce sales. North America was second at 19.1 percent, followed by Western Europe (13.0 percent), Central and Eastern Europe (2.4 percent), Latin America (2.1 percent), and the Middle East and Africa (1.1 percent).
Platforms & Apps
Ecommerce Product Releases: May 16, 2021

May 16, 2021 • Sig Ueland

Here is a list of product releases and updates for mid-May from companies that offer services to online merchants. There are updates on fraud prevention, interactive video, campaign builders, product subscriptions, and sustainability tools.
Business
Chord.co Founders: Future of DTC Platforms Is Headless

May 14, 2021 • Eric Bandholz

Henry Davis and Bryan Mahoney anticipated in 2018 an avalanche of direct-to-consumer companies that served smaller, niche audiences. Chord, a DTC-first ecommerce platform, is their answer to bringing sophisticated, "headless" technology to smaller firms. "We like to call Chord the first headless platform with a brain," Davis told me.
Business
Is Apparel Sustainability Real or a Marketing Ploy?

May 13, 2021 • Marcia Kaplan

Much of the media assumes consumers want products that are manufactured and sold in an environmentally conscious manner. However, research suggests that sustainability is not the most important factor in consumer decision-making; people may still emphasize price.
Amazon & Marketplaces
How to Use Terapeak for eBay 2021

May 12, 2021 • Armando Roggio

The Terapeak research tool takes some of the guessing out of whether a product will sell on eBay. eBay acquired Terapeak in 2017, rolling the analytics tool into its Seller Hub and eventually making its product research function free to use. eBay sellers can look up individual products or product categories, discover sell-through rates, average prices, shipping costs, and more.
Shipping & Fulfillment
Soft-hand Robots Are Coming to Ecommerce

May 11, 2021 • Elaine Porteous

For decades, manufacturing and industrial warehouses have used "hard" robots. They handle repetitive tasks and heavy lifting. But “soft” robots are much more sophisticated. They can safely grasp perishable and fragile items such as eggs, fruit, and bottles. Soft robots could transform fulfillment in many ecommerce warehouses.
Platforms & Apps
15 Mind-mapping Tools for Entrepreneurs and Teams

May 10, 2021 • Sig Ueland

Mind mapping is a creative exercise to capture, organize, and structure ideas. It was once done on paper. But there are now tools for entrepreneurs and teams to develop mind maps, brainstorm ideas, and manage the resulting projects. Here is a list of mind-mapping and brainstorming tools for entrepreneurs and teams.
B2B
Checklist for a Post-pandemic B2B Surge

May 10, 2021 • Lori McDonald

Many B2B businesses are already experiencing a post-pandemic surge. Certainly the revenue growth is welcome, but it can bring challenges as well. Here is a checklist to prepare for pent-up demand.
Influencers & Affiliates
Influencer Marketing, Part 1: What Is It?

May 9, 2021 • Joe Sinkwitz

What do Kim Kardashian, Armando Roggio, and your neighbor have in common? They're all influencers. Influencer marketing is the digital equivalent of word-of-mouth promotion. Within ecommerce, we can segment influencers into three categories: celebrities, authorities, and peers.
Business
The Magic of Fringe Sport? Improving Lives

May 7, 2021 • Eric Bandholz

Peter Keller launched Fringe Sport in 2010 to help folks assemble home-based gyms. He also wanted to make a lot of money. "I was very financially motivated," he told me. Then he attended a seminar a few years ago that focused on a company's purpose, its mission.
Product Pages
Can Pantone Colors Drive Online Sales?

May 6, 2021 • Pamela Hazelton

Adopting retail and societal trends can keep your brand fresh and relevant. Some fads are short-lived, lasting just days or months. Others might stick around for years. Here are three trends that inspire consumers to buy.
Conversion
Consumers Want Visibility into What They Buy

May 5, 2021 • Elaine Porteous

Is that new summer dress 100-percent organic cotton? How can you prove it? What happened after the cotton was picked until the dress was delivered to the customer? Consumers have questions, and they are not getting answers.
Content Marketing
5 Content Marketing Ideas for June 2021

May 4, 2021 • Armando Roggio

From bicycles to Omaha Beach, June 2021 is full of international celebrations and historical events to fuel your company's content marketing. What follows are five content marketing ideas you can use for your business this June.
Schools & Resources
15 YouTube Channels for Design and Development

May 4, 2021 • Sig Ueland

Interested in improving your web design and development skills? There are many options to learn — for beginners to advanced users. Here is a list of YouTube channels for web design and development.
Google Ads
When to Auto-apply Google Ads Recommendations

May 3, 2021 • Matthew Umbro

Google Ads is steadily incorporating machine learning into daily account management. Google recently introduced a feature to auto-apply its suggestions in the “Recommendations” tab, offering 17 types of auto-apply recommendations in three categories.
Business
Ecommerce Insights from China’s Pinduoduo

May 3, 2021 • Armando Roggio

At the end of 2020, the five-year-old Chinese shopping app Pinduoduo had 788.4 million users and more than $9 billion in annual revenue. Pinduoduo's incredible growth may provide some insights into the future of ecommerce.
Platforms & Apps
Ecommerce Product Releases: May 2, 2021

May 2, 2021 • 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 storefronts, payment services, tax compliance, fraud protection, and virtual photo and video shoots.