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
How to Streamline IRS 1099 Filings

October 21, 2018 • Cyndi Thomason

One of the earliest tax deadlines of the new year occurs on January 31, which is the filing date to the U.S. Internal Revenue Service of 1099s from your vendors. In this post, I'll offer guidance to streamline 1099 filing. I'll address auditing your records, filing requirements, and software tools that can make filing easier.
Staffing
Workers’ Compensation Basics for Ecommerce, Retail

October 18, 2018 • Armando Roggio

Retailers selling in a brick-and-mortar store or via ecommerce may have a statutory requirement to purchase workers' compensation insurance to ensure that employees get the care they need when accidents happen. The specifics of these compensation programs are state regulated. So the requirements for a particular company will depend on state law.
Business
Building an Ecommerce Business, Part 4: Copywriting Matters

October 17, 2018 • Eric Bandholz

Good copy sells. Spicing up your copy will give your online store a personality to stand above competitors. In this fourth installment in my series of conversations about building an ecommerce business, I visited with Neville Medhora, founder of Kopywriting Kourse.
Fraud Prevention
2 Prominent Ecommerce Fraud Risks in 2018 Holiday Season

October 16, 2018 • Armando Roggio

Incidents of ecommerce payment fraud rise in proportion to holiday sales. But merchants can protect themselves. The key is to recognize popular forms of fraud and then employ steps to prevent them. Two prominent examples this holiday season are account takeovers and coupon abuse.
Cross-border Selling
Luxury Ecommerce Merchant Farfetch Goes Public

October 14, 2018 • Marcia Kaplan

In one of the largest consumer-facing IPOs of the year, Farfetch, an online luxury-fashion marketplace, listed on the New York Stock Exchange on September 21. Initially priced at $20 per share, the stock — FTCH — opened at $27 per share, rose to $30 and closed at $28.20, 41 percent above the target opening price.
Business > Merchant Voice
Nonstop change is a certainty for ecommerce

October 10, 2018 • Richard Stubbings

The internet continues to disrupt the selling of products and services. The traditional ecommerce strategy of creating a single site and trying to market to the entire internet from that site ...
Business
Building an Ecommerce Business, Part 3: Early Days

October 9, 2018 • Eric Bandholz

The early days of an ecommerce business are among the most important. Growing a business from infancy is complicated and unforgiving. This is the third installment in my series of conversations about building an ecommerce business.
Amazon & Marketplaces
4 Myths about Amazon’s Private Label Brands

October 8, 2018 • Phil Masiello

To date, Amazon has introduced roughly 70 private label brands. This has rattled many observers. But private label products are not new. The only difference between Amazon and other retailers is that consumers shop on their computers instead of physical stores.
Business > Merchant Voice
The pain of relaunching my website

October 2, 2018 • Elizabeth Hollingsworth

When I launched My Wedding Décor in April 2015 on the Shopify platform, I chose the Retina Austin theme by New Zealand-based developer Out of the Sandbox. The theme was —
Staffing > Merchant Voice
Hiring for ecommerce, then and now

October 2, 2018 • Peter Keller

What’s the best method for hiring ecommerce employees? I have struggled with the issue over the years. In this post, I’ll describe FringeSport’s hiring process. When we were a bootstrapped startup,
Business
September 2018 Top 10: Our Most Popular Posts

October 1, 2018 • PEC Staff

What follows are the most popular articles that we published in September 2018, recognizing that articles published earlier in the month are more likely to make the list than later ...
Business
Blockchain Vendors with Solutions for Ecommerce

September 27, 2018 • Gagan Mehra

Blockchain uses are evolving, with many new vendors and participating merchants. The key benefits include lower costs, increased security, improved tracking, and enhanced convenience. In this posit, I'll list examples of vendors that use blockchain technology in their products.
Business
Ecommerce Briefs: Casper, PayPal Options, Amazon Ads

September 26, 2018 • Marcia Kaplan

“Ecommerce Briefs” is my occasional series of news and developments from online merchants. In this installment, I’ll address how an online brand is providing an experiential option for consumers, new ...
Business
Building an Ecommerce Business, Part 2: Selecting Platforms

September 26, 2018 • Eric Bandholz

Selecting an ecommerce platform is among the most critical decisions of a new entrepreneur. There are hundreds of choices — hosted, licensed, open source. Key factors in the process typically ...
B2B
A Simple Method for Tracking B2B Ecommerce Performance

September 21, 2018 • Shawn Arnold

Measuring B2B ecommerce performance should be straightforward. Too often, however, measuring means having a complex strategy with confusing key performance indicators aimed at presenting data just for its appearance. In this ...
Business
4 Steps to Ecommerce Profitability

September 20, 2018 • Cyndi Thomason

Too many ecommerce sellers rely on credit card debt or other loans to pay for their inventory and operating expenses. Many are not paying themselves consistently, waiting until tax time to determine if they can take a paycheck. The traditional business equation of Sales – Expenses = Profit is destined to leave little left over.
Amazon & Marketplaces
Indian Grocery Sector Embraces Ecommerce

September 20, 2018 • Manish Dudharejia

An increasing number of young Indians are switching to smartphones with 4G data connections and making online purchases. Thanks to this ever-increasing consumer base, the Indian ecommerce sector has witnessed a steady growth in the recent years. It's the food and groceries segment that is fueling much of this growth.
Business
Building an Ecommerce Business, Part 1: Choosing Partners

September 18, 2018 • Eric Bandholz

This is an extended series on launching, growing, and selling an ecommerce business. This initial installment will address the process of choosing business partners. My two partners at Beardbrand are supportive and knowledgeable. I asked one of them, Lindsey Reinders, to offer suggestions and tips for selecting partners.
Business
4 Predictions for 2018 Holiday Shopping Season

September 13, 2018 • Armando Roggio

The Christmas shopping season will be here before you know it. Shoppers begin making holiday purchases as soon as October. Those earlier purchases could help drive online sales to a ...
Finance
8 Successful Ecommerce Startups Founded by Females

September 13, 2018 • Marcia Kaplan

Despite the fact that startups with all female founders receive only 2 percent of total venture capital investments, tenacious women are still achieving success in ecommerce. Here is a list of eight successful ecommerce companies that were founded by women.
B2B
B2B Ecommerce: Managing Product Data Sheets

September 12, 2018 • Lori McDonald

B2B merchants know that producing product literature can be a lot of work. Examples include specification sheets and safety data sheets. Both take time to create and keep current. In this post, I'll address how to streamline the process.
Amazon & Marketplaces > Merchant Voice
Accessing Amazon’s and eBay’s delivery services

September 12, 2018 • Richard Stubbings

As far as Amazon is concerned, a parcel is tracked only if a seller uses a delivery service that Amazon approves of — one it can interface with to confirm the tracking number and delivery. Any other service is not tracked as far as Amazon is concerned. This has consequences if you use a service that does not integrate with Amazon.
Business > Merchant Voice
Teaching sales and marketing with Girl Scout cookies

September 11, 2018 • Peter Keller

When Girl Scout cookie time rolls around, it's our time to shine. I teach sales techniques from Sandler Training. Before we approach a door, I ask them what they're going to say. They have their script ready. I teach them how to overcome objections.
B2B
5 Tips for Merging B2B Customer Data into B2C

September 11, 2018 • Anna Kayfitz

How can a merchant add B2B info to an established B2C database? Mapping all of the data and its use is the first step. Beyond that, follow these five tips for a smooth addition.
Local Business
5 Ways Local Brick-and-mortar Retailers Can Earn More Profit in 2019

September 10, 2018 • Armando Roggio

Profit might be the most important performance indicator for retail businesses. What follows are five suggestions to earn more profit for a local, brick-and-mortar retailer in the coming year. 1. Sell ...
Business
August 2018 Top 10: Our Most Popular Posts

August 31, 2018 • PEC Staff

What follows are the most popular articles that we published in August 2018, recognizing that articles published earlier in the month are more likely to make the list than later ...
Amazon & Marketplaces
4 KPIs to Improve Results from Amazon Ads

August 29, 2018 • Phil Masiello

Advertising on Amazon is challenging for many sellers. There are many KPIs that will help manage your seller account on Amazon. For advertising, I focus on four metrics: advertising cost of sales; search term impressions; conversion rate; and order acquisition cost.
Business > Merchant Voice
5 common communication errors with shoppers

August 27, 2018 • Richard Stubbings

Smaller ecommerce retailers should offer more value than the big box shifters. This includes helpful communication. In this post, I'll address often-overlooked communication errors that can affect a shopper's experience.
Staffing
11 Essential Tasks of an SEO Agency

August 24, 2018 • Jill Kocher Brown

One of the challenges of working with a search engine optimization agency is knowing what it should be responsible for. Depending on the scope of the contract, an agency should provide these 11 core services.
Fraud Prevention
Account Takeover Fraud a Growing Problem for Ecommerce

August 17, 2018 • Armando Roggio

Account takeover fraud is a form of identity theft, wherein a criminal gains access to a registered customer’s account. The criminal then logs in, posing as a known and trusted ...