Page 86 – Practical Ecommerce

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Analytics & Data
Analyze Click Paths in Google Analytics to Improve Conversions

May 8, 2019 • Morgan Jones

Monitoring the navigation of visitors can help ecommerce merchants identify bottlenecks to the checkout page. There are two ways to analyze paths in Google Analytics: Behavior Flow and Navigation analysis.
Conversion
What’s a Good Conversion Rate? It Depends

May 8, 2019 • Pamela Hazelton

When it comes to analyzing online businesses, a common question is "What is a good sales conversion rate?" It's difficult to answer because conversion rates vary greatly and depend on many factors, including product offerings, target audiences, prices, and devices.
Business > Merchant Voice
What it takes to stay in business for 500 years

May 7, 2019 • Elizabeth Hollingsworth

Recently I read an article in “This England,” a history-focused magazine, about the oldest, continuously running family business in Britain. R. J. Balson & Sons was founded in September 1515
Email & Text Marketing
Boost Profits with a Win-back Email Campaign

May 7, 2019 • Armando Roggio

Sometimes customer relationships fade. A shopper may have made several purchases, but then, over time his orders become less frequent until finally, you don't hear from him. But your business can re-engage at least a few lapsed customers and win them back with email marketing automation.
Marketing & Advertising
How Smaller Fashion Merchants Can Outperform the Big Guys

May 6, 2019 • Viktoria Kanevsky

Smaller fashion and lifestyle businesses typically have limited budgets for marketing, personnel, and web development. Here are four ways that smaller online companies can thrive.
Schools & Resources
13 Free Learning Resources for Designers, Developers

May 6, 2019 • Sig Ueland

Here is a list of free online learning resources for designers and developers. There are tutorial sites, informative trade blogs, technical sites, educational games for designers and developers, and courses from a traditional university.
Content Marketing
Building an Ecommerce Business, Part 15: Content Essentials

May 5, 2019 • Eric Bandholz

Content marketing for ecommerce businesses is much more than a sales pitch. Done well, it connects with prospective customers and tells the story of a brand. In this episode 15 of my series on building an ecommerce business from the ground up, I spoke with Andrew Snavely, the founder of Primer, an online magazine, and Ryan Hunter Masters, the founder of Show Her Off, and a dance instruction site.
Google Ads
Comparing SEO to PPC

May 3, 2019 • Jill Kocher Brown

Search engine optimization is different than pay-per-click advertising. While they share the goal of driving searchers to a website, you can’t expect the immediate results in SEO that paid search often produces. Likewise, approaching PPC with an SEO orientation misses opportunities.
Content Marketing
5 Content Marketing Ideas for June 2019

May 3, 2019 • Armando Roggio

In June 2019, content marketers should have no shortage of potential topics to attract, engage, and retain customers. In much of North America, the weather will be grand. That is why my first two suggestions on this month's list of content marketing ideas have to do with the outdoors.
Business > Merchant Voice
Turns out, I’m a micromanager

May 2, 2019 • Peter Keller

I've been struggling with getting out of the way of my team and letting them do what they're best at. In other words, instead of micromanaging and being involved in everything for my team, I should create the accountability and the structure for them to create excellence…
Analytics & Data
How to Merge Data from Multiple Sources into a Single Platform

May 1, 2019 • Anna Kayfitz

Migrating to a new customer management platform may require merging multiple data sources or adding a new source. In this post, I’ll review how to merge multiple sources into a ...
Platforms & Apps
Ecommerce Product Releases: May 1, 2019

May 1, 2019 • Sig Ueland

Here is a list of new platforms, services, and integrations for late-April from companies that cater to online merchants. There are updates on blockchain, video production, email marketing, international shipping, and returns.
Technical SEO
How to Expedite Product Changes in Google Organic Listings

April 30, 2019 • Hamlet Batista

In this post, I will cover a technique of updating organic listings using the Google Shopping API. The goal is to accelerate the impact of the Shopping feed on natural search.
Business
April 2019 Top 10: Our Most Popular Posts

April 30, 2019 • PEC Staff

What follows are the most popular articles that we published in April 2019, recognizing that posts published earlier in the month are more likely to make the list than later ones.
Email & Text Marketing
Need More from Email Marketing? Learn from Competitors

April 29, 2019 • Armando Roggio

Email marketing provides a strong return on investment, requires very little money, and helps even fledgling businesses drive sales. The question, then, for most companies is not whether they should use email marketing, but how. One strategy is to monitor successful competitors.
Social Media
17 Instagram Accounts for Design, Color, Illustration, More

April 29, 2019 • Sig Ueland

Here is a list of Instagram feeds to follow for all aspects of web design, including color, illustration, animation, photography, typography, and storytelling. The accounts are from independent designers and artists, design studios, and creative ad agencies.
Cross-border Selling > Merchant Voice
My plan for surviving a trade war

April 28, 2019 • Richard Stubbings

For most businesses, daily operations do not change based on who is in political power. Companies are primarily affected by their own decisions, not by the government. However, occasionally there are exceptions. Trade policies are an example.
Photography & Video
Optimizing Images for Google Search Results

April 26, 2019 • Jill Kocher Brown

Google search results now include images 34 percent of the time. Optimizing images for search engines is based on relevance to a keyword theme, as is optimizing textual content. For images, however, the lack of visible text means that the process is different.
Local Business
Is Experiential Retail Working?

April 25, 2019 • Marcia Kaplan

Looking to rejuvenate their stores and slow the wave of closings, many retailers and mall operators have embraced experiential retailing — shifting from selling products to providing an “experience” that sometimes does not include selling anything.
Business
How to Respond to a Copyright Infringement Notice

April 25, 2019 • Armando Roggio

Copyright infringement is a serious issue that could cost a business as much as $150,000 per instance. If your business receives an infringement notice, take it seriously. Aim to settle if, in fact, infringement occurred.
Local Business
The Keys to ‘Buy Online, Pick Up In-Store’

April 24, 2019 • Alex Berg

The emergence of buying online and picking up in store, as well as in-store returns for online purchases, is driving consumer shopping expectations. But less than half of physical retailers offer these capabilities. What follows are key factors in implementing BOPIS.
Link Building
SEO: How to Quickly Find Internal Linking Opportunities

April 23, 2019 • Bill Sebald

Optimizing internal links can be helpful for search engine optimization. The larger the website, the more that the optimization can help Google identify important pages. But how can we identify all of the pages to link from?
Customer Service
Using Facebook Messenger Chatbots to Support Live Chat

April 23, 2019 • Pamela Hazelton

Chatbots can help bridge the gap between live chat and self-help support pages. While highly customized automatic chatbots require a large financial investment, there are many ways to affordably integrate more personal conversations.
Design & Development
Moving Data May Become Software’s Best Feature

April 22, 2019 • Armando Roggio

The commerce technology stack is changing. And the ability to move information from one system or platform to another is, perhaps, the essential feature mid-sized or enterprise businesses should look for in software providers.
Schools & Resources
13 Podcasts to Spark Your Creativity

April 22, 2019 • Sig Ueland

An ecommerce merchant needs to be creative, whether it’s finding opportunities, designing a website, or growing a brand. Fortunately, there are a variety of podcasts to spark and harness your ...
SEO
Thinking about SEO Strategy

April 21, 2019 • Jill Kocher Brown

Think of your SEO strategy as a plan to grow your share of the pie. There are two options to increase your portion: (i) grow the size of the pie overall or (ii) take a larger piece from your competitors. Here are the three steps for getting more SEO pie.
Marketing & Advertising
Don’t Neglect Pinterest for Fashion, Lifestyle Marketing

April 19, 2019 • Viktoria Kanevsky

Fashion and lifestyle businesses typically favor Instagram and Facebook for marketing. Most neglect Pinterest. That's a mistake. Pinterest is a critical, untapped source of quality traffic.
Email & Text Marketing
Top 5 Email Marketing Questions in 2019

April 18, 2019 • Carolyn Nye

I consult with companies — B2B and B2C — on optimizing their email marketing efforts. Those clients and other businesses frequently have concerns about delivery, or spam, or other email matters. What follows are the five most common questions.
Platforms & Apps
Ecommerce Product Releases: April 17, 2019

April 17, 2019 • 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 social commerce, mobile ad networks, online marketplaces, content management systems, and voice-based shopping.
Business
Building an Ecommerce Business, Part 14: Using Kickstarter

April 16, 2019 • Eric Bandholz

A successful campaign on Kickstarter, the crowdfunding platform, can help validate a business and a product. Cathryn Lavery, the founder of BestSelf, a producer of productivity journals and tools, used Kickstarter in 2015 to launch the company. What follows is my entire audio conversation with Lavery, and a transcript, edited for length and clarity.