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.

Shipping & Fulfillment
How to Offer Free Shipping without Going Broke

July 11, 2022 • Armando Roggio

Online consumers expect free shipping. But small and mid-size merchants sometimes struggle with the cost. Here are innovative approaches to meet shopper expectations without losing money.
Business
Guatemalan Entrepreneurs Are Gay, Married, Successful

July 8, 2022 • Eric Bandholz

Hans Schrei launched Wunderkeks, a direct-to-consumer cookie company, from his mom's kitchen in Guatemala in 2012. Amid obstacles, he immigrated to Austin, Texas, with his husband in 2019. Here's their story.
Payments
Does Ecommerce Need a New Payment System?

July 7, 2022 • Armando Roggio

Ecommerce payments in 2022 largely involve a Byzantine setup of intermediaries. Is now the time for a more efficient method of exchanging value?
Business
Charts: Global AI Stats and Trends

July 6, 2022 • Adel Boukarroum

The global adoption of artificial intelligence continues. In four charts, we show the leading countries and industries as well as tasks most suited for AI use.
Business
Ecommerce Product Releases: July 4, 2022

July 4, 2022 • Sig Ueland

Twice monthly we publish a rundown of new products, updates, and services that could help merchants. This installment includes updates on live stream shopping, sales analytics, social commerce, and more.
Business
Custom Teeth Guards Propel Online Dental Lab

July 1, 2022 • Eric Bandholz

Selling custom-fitted teeth guards would seemingly involve in-person visits from customers. But not for Pro Teeth Guard. It sells made-to-order guards online. Co-founder JP Ji explains.
Finance
For Global Unicorns, It’s Growth and Volatility

June 30, 2022 • Marcia Kaplan

The availability of private capital allows companies to delay going public. The result? More than 1,000 private companies worldwide are now valued in excess of $1 billion. But it's not always smooth sailing. We explain.
Fraud Prevention
Charts: Cybersecurity Stats and Trends

June 29, 2022 • Adel Boukarroum

The rise of global cyber fraud has promoted elevated prevention expenditures by businesses and a flurry of funding in cybersecurity firms by investors. We tell the story in this week's charts.
Business
5 Predictions for the 2022 Holiday Shopping Season

June 27, 2022 • Armando Roggio

Since 2013 senior contributor Armando Roggio has predicted ecommerce sales for the upcoming holiday season. His 2022 predictions consider inflation, which he believes could have multiple impacts.
Business
Lessons from Shopify 2.0 Upgrade, New Theme

June 24, 2022 • Eric Bandholz

Host Eric Bandholz's company, Beardbrand, recently migrated to Shopify 2.0. Jenny Durre, Beardbrand's in-house designer, managed the entire process. She describes it in this conversation.
Amazon & Marketplaces
SEO: Amazon Keyword Research Tools

June 23, 2022 • Ann Smarty

Consumers conduct more product searches on Amazon than on any other site, including Google. Hence understanding those search terms on Amazon informs merchants not just on that platform, but for Google optimization, too.
Shipping & Fulfillment
7 Reasons to Consider USPS Flat Rate Shipping

June 22, 2022 • Armando Roggio

Merchants in North America have many carrier choices for delivering goods to customers. The U.S. Postal Service's flat-rate shipping boxes can save money in certain instances. We compare prices in this post.
Amazon & Marketplaces
Ecommerce Briefs: Google Marketplace; Walmart; Drones

June 19, 2022 • Marcia Kaplan

This installment of "Ecommerce Briefs," an occasional series, includes developments on Google ecommerce, Walmart fulfillment and infrastructure, and drone deliveries.
Amazon & Marketplaces
Charts: Walmart’s Ecommerce Sales, Outlook

June 15, 2022 • Adel Boukarroum

Will Walmart's physical stores become "shoppable fulfillment centers"? That's the assessment of the company's new chief ecommerce officer. This post tells the story in four charts of Walmart's ecommerce progress.
Inventory
Supply Chain Bottlenecks from the Trenches

June 13, 2022 • Christopher Dobroth

Contributor Christoper Dobroth, a longtime ecommerce manager, purchases inventory for his employer, a seller of lighting and home decor items. He explains his reality of keeping goods in stock in mid-2022.
Business
PostPilot Is Klaviyo for Postcards

June 10, 2022 • Eric Bandholz

Apple's iOS 14 privacy changes have upended Facebook advertising performance, forcing merchants to seek alternative marketing channels. Direct mail is back.
Amazon & Marketplaces
Network Effects Drive Ecommerce Marketplace Growth

June 9, 2022 • Armando Roggio

The collective value buyers and sellers provide to a marketplace is known as the network effect. Longtime contributor Armando Roggio discusses.
B2B
Charts: Advanced Manufacturing in U.S., Canada

June 8, 2022 • Adel Boukarroum

Sophisticated technologies are spurring manufacturing productivity worldwide. In this week's charts, we look at "advancing manufacturing" in North America.
Staffing
Feeling Stuck or Burned Out? Get a Fresh Start

June 6, 2022 • Armando Roggio

When work performance is down, a fresh start might be just the thing to spark a breakthrough. Take Major League Baseball, for example.
Business
Cocktail Syrup Manufacturer Pivots to DTC

June 3, 2022 • Eric Bandholz

Liber & Co., a maker of cocktail syrups, thrived by selling to bars and restaurants. Then Covid hit, decimating revenue. Co-founder Chris Harrison explains what happened next.
Business
Charts: Digital Health Trends Worldwide Q1 2022

June 1, 2022 • Adel Boukarroum

Covid-19 has accelerated investments in healthcare technology — telehealth, digital therapeutics, clinical trials, and more. We tell the story in four insightful charts.
Finance
9 Europe-based Ecommerce Unicorns

May 29, 2022 • Marcia Kaplan

Post-pandemic investments soar for many European startups. Here are nine notable ecommerce-related companies valued at more than $1 billion.
Business
‘Impossible Sleep’ Makes Sleep Possible

May 27, 2022 • Eric Bandholz

Struggling to sleep, the founder of "Impossible" launched a nutritional supplement to help high-performing individuals improve rest and recovery.
Amazon & Marketplaces
Will Amazon Convert Shipping Expense into Profit?

May 26, 2022 • Armando Roggio

Amazon is on the brink of becoming the second-largest parcel delivery service in the U.S. Its shipping cost may become a profit center.
Business
Charts: Impact of Ukraine War on World Economy

May 25, 2022 • Adel Boukarroum

The war in Ukraine will slow global economic growth and accelerate inflation. That's according to the new "World Economic Outlook" by the International Monetary Fund. We address in four charts.
Amazon & Marketplaces
Fed-up Toy Company Responds to Knock-offs

May 20, 2022 • Eric Bandholz

Viahart is a manufacturer of educational toys. Having experienced repeated intellectual property theft, its owner, Molson Hart, responded with a new company, Edison Litigation Financing.
Business
Charts: State of AI in Q1 2022

May 18, 2022 • Adel Boukarroum

Artificial intelligence is transforming industries worldwide. In this week's charts, we address Q1 2022 AI funding, deal size, regional activity, and more.
Shipping & Fulfillment
Shopify Buys Logistics Company Deliverr

May 16, 2022 • Marcia Kaplan

Shopify's acquisition of fulfillment company Deliverr will help it compete with Amazon and will otherwise jumpstart stalled growth.
Staffing
Efficiency Pro: Happy People Are More Productive

May 13, 2022 • Eric Bandholz

Thanh Pham is the founder of Asian Efficiency, a productivity training company. He believes building in-person connections and nurturing relationships naturally enhances productivity.
Finance
Charts: Global Funding of Non-fungible Tokens

May 11, 2022 • Adel Boukarroum

Non-fungible tokens are digital representations of any asset as verified by blockchain technology. The global market for NFTs is proliferating. We tell the story in four charts.