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
Direct-to-consumer Brands Gaining Customers and Clout

May 30, 2019 • Marcia Kaplan

Watch out traditional retailers. Digitally native direct-to-consumer brands are stealing your thunder, and more of them are popping up. DTC companies manufacture and ship their products directly to customers, retaining ...
B2B
Live Chat Is Critical for B2B Ecommerce

May 22, 2019 • Shawn Arnold

Live chat is arguably more important for B2B sites than for B2C. The B2B purchasing process is typically complex. Buyers frequently have questions. Increasingly, they expect a live-chat function for real-time conversations. In this article, I will review the basics of building a successful live chat program.
Business
4 Steps to Discover an Ecommerce Product Niche

May 21, 2019 • Armando Roggio

Amazon sells everything, seemingly, as does Walmart. And they do it well. But for most ecommerce businesses, attempting to sell everything to everyone can lead to failure. A niche with fewer competitors can have a better chance at success.
Local Business
Physical Stores Can Bolster Online Sales, for a Price

May 21, 2019 • Alex Berg

Opening a physical store was an anathema for early-day, pure-play ecommerce merchants. Why take on the financial burden of leases, construction costs, and staff? But the ecommerce landscape has changed.
Business
Building an Ecommerce Business, Part 17: Growing a Community

May 20, 2019 • Eric Bandholz

An engaged, passionate community around an ecommerce business can drive referrals, loyalty, and repeat sales. But developing that community is not always easy. This is episode 17 in my series on building an ecommerce business from the ground up. For this installment, I spoke with Andrew Youderian, the founder of EcommerceFuel, a popular community of ecommerce merchants.
Business
Use Pre-orders to Gauge Demand, Generate Cash

May 17, 2019 • Armando Roggio

Pre-orders have dual advantages for product makers and for retailers selling online or in a brick-and-mortar store. First, pre-orders can be a good indicator of demand. Second, pre-orders can generate cash ahead of a product's release.
Business
3 Immediate Blockchain Uses for Ecommerce Companies

May 14, 2019 • Brandon Bidlack

Blockchain technology offers much potential for ecommerce businesses. Payments, supply chain, and decentralized marketplaces are the three main uses, currently. But many more applications are in the works.
B2B
Common B2B Mistakes, Part 3: Shopping Carts, Order Management

May 14, 2019 • Gagan Mehra

This post is the third in a series in which I address common mistakes of B2B ecommerce merchants. For this installment, I’ll discuss mistakes related to shopping carts, checkout, and order management.
Amazon & Marketplaces > Merchant Voice
A seller is never bulletproof on Amazon

May 10, 2019 • Richard Stubbings

Relying on one or two platforms for ecommerce revenue is risky. It is relatively easy to build a business on Amazon and eBay. Both marketplaces can present your merchandise to millions of potential customers. But the tradeoff is becoming vulnerable to their foibles.
Finance
Direct Public Offerings: Unconventional but Gaining Traction

May 9, 2019 • Marcia Kaplan

The initial public offering has a challenger. Known as a direct public offering or direct listing, this technique avoids involvement from investment bank underwriters that buy shares at a set price in an IPO and then sell them to their clients. In a DPO, a private company lists itself on a stock exchange but does not raise money.
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
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…
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.
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.
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.
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.
Business
Ecommerce Briefs: Amazon Shipping, Kohl’s Collaboration, Teen Shopping

April 12, 2019 • Marcia Kaplan

In “Ecommerce Briefs,” I address news and developments that impact online merchants. In this installment, I’ll report on Amazon's expansion into shipping and logistics; the success of the returns partnership between Amazon and Kohl's; and where teenagers like to shop.
B2B
Common B2B Mistakes, Part 2: User Management, Customer Service

April 10, 2019 • Gagan Mehra

This post is the second in a series in which I address common mistakes of B2B ecommerce merchants. The first post addressed B2B mistakes in catalog management and pricing. For this installment, I’ll review mistakes related to user management and customer service.
Business > Merchant Voice
Are we surfing hidden tailwinds?

April 4, 2019 • Peter Keller

From 2001 until 2008, times were good. I thought we were just smarter than everyone. But then 2008 rolled around. What happened? We were surfing three major tailwinds that we took for granted.
Business
March 2019 Top 10: Our Most Popular Posts

March 31, 2019 • PEC Staff

Our mission since 2005 is to publish independent articles, podcasts, and seminars that help ecommerce merchants. What follows are the most popular articles that we published in March 2019, recognizing ...
Finance
Pinterest Files for an IPO; Focuses on Shopping

March 28, 2019 • Marcia Kaplan

In a year that looks promising for tech IPOs, Pinterest has filed to go public on the New York Stock Exchange using the ticker "PINS." The company hopes to raise at least $100 million, in April.
Business
Building an Ecommerce Business, Part 13: Raising Money

March 25, 2019 • Eric Bandholz

Launching an ecommerce business takes perseverance, passion, and, typically, money. Raising that money can be time-consuming and frustrating. I recently spoke with Joshua Bingaman and Brad Day of Helm Boots, a manufacturer and seller of handcrafted leather boots. We discussed the process of evolving from a start-up, bootstrapped company to one that needs investors, money, and structure.
B2B
Essential Guide to Ecommerce Punchout

March 22, 2019 • Shawn Arnold

B2B ecommerce merchants that facilitate punchout make the purchasing process easier for their customers. In this article, I will share my experience with punchout, including what it is, how it works, and how B2B merchants can deploy it for success.
Business
Online Marijuana Sales a Burgeoning Market in North America

March 13, 2019 • Marcia Kaplan

The North American ecommerce market for marijuana products is gaining momentum as Canada legalized the sale of recreational marijuana across the country in October 2018 and more states in the U.S. legalize the sale of both medical and recreational marijuana.
B2B
Common B2B Mistakes, Part 1: Catalog Management, Pricing

March 10, 2019 • Gagan Mehra

This post is the first in a series in which I address common mistakes of B2B ecommerce merchants. For this installment, I'll review errors related to catalog management, pricing, and user experience.
B2B
Amazon Business Is Winning. Here’s Why

March 7, 2019 • Lori McDonald

After only four years, Amazon Business hit $10 billion in sales in 2018. If you sell to companies, Amazon Business should get your attention. In this article, I will address what B2B sellers can learn from Amazon Business — and how Amazon Business impacts them.
Business
February 2019 Top 10: Our Most Popular Posts

February 28, 2019 • PEC Staff

Since 2005, our mission at Practical Ecommerce has been to publish independent content — articles, seminars, podcasts — that helps online merchants. What follows are the most popular articles that we published in February 2019 ...
Finance
Shopify Excelled in 2018, Attracted More Merchants

February 27, 2019 • Marcia Kaplan

Operating in the shadow of online marketplaces and located in Ottawa, Canada, Shopify does not get as much attention as it should. A $41 billion market-cap business, Shopify is the choice of approximately 820,000 online merchants in 175 countries, growing from 600,000 in 2017.