Business

An ecommerce site is a business. Our Management & Finance category addresses online payments, funding needs, employee issues, merchant profiles, key metrics, multichannel and omnichannel strategies, cross-border analyses, inventory management, accounting topics, sales taxes, and much more.

Business > Merchant Voice
E.U. anti-fraud legislation emphasizes mobile

November 7, 2019 • Richard Stubbings

Recent E.U. legislation requires banks and payment processors to use two-step authentication. For online transactions in the E.U., the payment now requires not only the card number and the three-digit ...
B2B
B2B Buyers Have High Ecommerce Expectations

November 6, 2019 • Armando Roggio

Manufacturers and distributors know that they need to offer their products online for easy, self-service ordering. But many of those same businesses fear they won't be able to meet customer expectations.
Amazon & Marketplaces
Using Machine Learning to Predict Amazon Search Rankings

November 4, 2019 • Hamlet Batista

Ninety percent of Amazon's product views come from the company's organic site search and not from advertising or external channels. Thus given the importance to merchants of optimizing for Amazon's search engine, A9, it's worth understanding the ranking factors.
Business
Innovative Ideas to Automate Ecommerce Tasks

November 1, 2019 • Gagan Mehra

This post is the second in a series that focuses on innovation in ecommerce. My objective is to highlight improvements that can help merchants. The first post addressed advancements in drone delivery. In this installment, I'll review progress in ecommerce automation, to streamline routine tasks.
Business
October 2019 Top 10: Our Most Popular Posts

October 31, 2019 • PEC Staff

Since 2005 we've published articles, seminars, and podcasts to help ecommerce merchants. What follows are the 10 most popular articles that we published in October 2019. Articles published earlier in the month are more likely to make the list than later ones.
Business
How to Find a Manufacturer for DTC Ecommerce Products

October 29, 2019 • Armando Roggio

Entrepreneurs and established retailers are developing their own private label, direct-to-consumer products for ecommerce. But most of these DTC sellers don't plan to manufacture those items in their own facilities with their own workforce, tools, and materials. Rather these businesses need a manufacturing partner.
Business
3 Tips for an Ecommerce Marketing SWOT Analysis

October 28, 2019 • Armando Roggio

A SWOT analysis — strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats — can help an ecommerce business improve its marketing, find new ways to promote its brand, and avoid competitive threats.
Fraud Prevention
19 Free Security Plugins for WordPress

October 28, 2019 • Sig Ueland

Here is a list of security plugins for WordPress. There are plugins for firewalls, spam protection, two-factor authentication, and more. All of these plugins are free, though several offer premium features.
Amazon & Marketplaces
4 Ways to Protect Your Brand’s Reputation on Amazon

October 24, 2019 • Mike Begg

Protecting a brand's reputation on Amazon requires diligence. Shady resellers and arbitragers could sell a brand's products. And inferior products and poor service can lead to negative product and seller reviews. In this post, I'll address how to protect your brand’s reputation on Amazon.
Business
Apparel from Plastic Waste Driving DTC Fashion Brands

October 24, 2019 • Marcia Kaplan

A lot of plastic waste is either going into landfills or sitting around in stockpiles. An unlikely savior, the fashion industry, is now buying a lot of that plastic. Here are five direct-to-consumer brands that are successfully making products out of recycled plastic and other recycled material.
Amazon & Marketplaces
Will Amazon’s Appstore Attract Indian Sellers?

October 18, 2019 • Jaydip Parikh

Amazon announced in August that its Marketplace Appstore has expanded to India, Europe, Japan, and Australia. The aim, Amazon stated, is to help sellers “identify trusted third-party applications that complement ...
B2B
The Full Cost of a Direct-to-consumer Product

October 17, 2019 • Armando Roggio

Deciding if your direct-to-consumer product would be profitable is more than subtracting the product's unit cost from the planned selling price. It requires estimating the full cost of bringing the product to market, selling it, and delivering it.
Cross-border Selling
U.S., China Trade War Is Impacting Ecommerce

October 10, 2019 • Marcia Kaplan

The trade war between the United States and China has been going on for over a year. A new round of U.S. tariffs on additional Chinese goods is looming. What follows is my analysis of the effects on ecommerce in both countries and possible future consequences.
Amazon & Marketplaces
Using Amazon Ad Attribution to Track Offsite Campaigns

October 8, 2019 • Phil Masiello

Sellers who run Amazon advertising on other platforms such as Facebook and Google have been unable to track performance easily. But no more. Amazon has just released a beta for advertising Attribution for marketplace sellers.
Business
3 Quick Fixes for Greener Ecommerce

October 3, 2019 • Charles Nicholls

Ecommerce is not very eco. It’s frequently the opposite. A next-day delivery — where a driver travels 45 minutes each way for a $7 item in a single-use plastic package — makes no sense for the planet. Here are three quick fixes.
Business > Merchant Voice
Sales training starts with The Dummy Curve

October 2, 2019 • Peter Keller

Say you are good at something, and you want to get even better. You study, practice, and work at it. But, instead of getting better, you get worse. It's what happens with many of the salespeople we hire at FringeSport.
Business
September 2019 Top 10: Our Most Popular Posts

September 30, 2019 • PEC Staff

The mission of Practical Ecommerce is to publish articles, seminars, and podcasts to help ecommerce merchants. What follows are the 10 most popular articles (based on page views) that we published in September 2019.
Business > Merchant Voice
The power of an ecommerce blog

September 27, 2019 • Elizabeth Hollingsworth

I used to post to my blog weekly. But now it's every three weeks as my business has grown and I have less time to write. I began to wonder whether I should continue posting. The answer is "yes." Here’s why.
Amazon & Marketplaces
Copywriting Tips for Amazon Product Pages

September 27, 2019 • Armando Roggio

Well written product detail pages can convince an Amazon shopper to buy your business's mattress topper, omega-3 supplement, or wooden bocce set — instead of your competitors'. Here are some tips to improve your company's Amazon product pages.
Amazon & Marketplaces
Amazon Alters Small-business Strategy; Competitors Take Advantage

September 26, 2019 • Marcia Kaplan

Amazon has told many small merchants that it would no longer accept bulk wholesale orders from them for its Vendor Central program. Several companies have seized on this change and are trying to attract smaller merchants who may be looking for alternatives.
B2B
How to Prosper as a B2B Distributor

September 26, 2019 • Lori McDonald

Distributors are easily replaced in the digital landscape. But many are prospering by emphasizing their expertise and by offering unique, value-add services. Here are a few ideas and examples.
Business > Merchant Voice
What’s the best ecommerce platform for your business?

September 20, 2019 • Richard Stubbings

I recently read arguments in forums regarding the best ecommerce platform. Two self-appointed “experts” stood out. One argued passionately for custom, bespoke coding for producing the most efficient system.
Shipping & Fulfillment
Will Drone Delivery Help Ecommerce?

September 17, 2019 • Gagan Mehra

Drones are already used for delivering products in Iceland and medical supplies in Tanzania and Rwanda. Denmark, France, and The Netherlands are soon to follow.
Finance
Certified B Corporations Gain Ground in a Changing Business Environment

September 12, 2019 • Marcia Kaplan

Certified B Corporations are for-profit companies that have been evaluated by B Lab using rigorous social benefit criteria. The certification is becoming a competitive advantage as consumers, employees, and investors seek out companies that look beyond profits in how they conduct business.
Amazon & Marketplaces
Amazon Retail Arbitrage as a Closeout Strategy

September 12, 2019 • Armando Roggio

Retail arbitrage is a booming business. Some practitioners are making six-figure incomes buying low-priced or clearance items and reselling them on Amazon. Mimicking or encouraging the practice could help retail merchants manage closeouts.
Business > Merchant Voice
The evolution of my customer service team

September 10, 2019 • Peter Keller

I love the book “Delivering Happiness” by Tony Hsieh, founder of Zappos. It is mainly about the culture of customer service that Zappos became famous for. One of the throwaway anecdotes ...
Amazon & Marketplaces
Survey of Amazon Sellers Offers Insights for 2019 Holiday Season

September 10, 2019 • Phil Masiello

My firm surveyed roughly 1,700 sellers with annual revenue from Amazon of at least $5 million. We received 218 responses. I'll focus on the results in this article.
Amazon & Marketplaces
Book Excerpt: ‘Three Secrets to Great, Sustainable Success on Amazon’

September 5, 2019 • Timothy Seward

As you consider how best to build your brand on Amazon, think broadly about your game plan for optimal success. Here are a few key strategies to help you focus your efforts on finding even greater success in commerce — whether you’re celebrating your fifth year in business or your 50th.
Amazon & Marketplaces
How to Write Amazon Product Titles That Drive Clicks

September 3, 2019 • Armando Roggio

On Amazon's marketplace, a product's title can be the difference between getting a click or being ignored. Next to a compelling product photo, a title is likely the most important aspect of the description. Amazon emphasized this when it enacted new product title requirements in June 2019.
Business
August 2019 Top 10: Our Most Popular Posts

August 31, 2019 • PEC Staff

Since 2005 we've published articles, seminars, and podcasts to help ecommerce merchants improve their business. What follows are the 10 most popular articles (based on page views) that we published in August.