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.

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 ...
Finance
Does Dual-class Stock Hurt Independent Investors?

August 16, 2018 • Marcia Kaplan

If you think buying stock in a public company guarantees you some input into how the company operates and who is elected to the board, you may be mistaken. Thanks ...
Business > Merchant Voice
Event management contest helps students (and my business)

August 14, 2018 • Elizabeth Hollingsworth

I have been slow to adopt videos to showcase my decór products. But I had a brainstorm: I would create a competition for three event management students to produce nine themed events for three stylists in three hours — while being videoed and photographed.
Business
Moz Founder Rand Fishkin on New Book, New Company

August 13, 2018 • Kerry Murdock

Rand Fishkin founded Moz in 2001 as a blog, calling it SEOmoz. It became an industry beacon. He left Moz earlier this year. His new book is a transparent view of running that company. I spoke with Fishkin last week about the book, leaving Moz, and his new venture, SparkToro.
Cross-border Selling
3 Tips for Selling Products Online in India

August 12, 2018 • Manish Dudharejia

Ecommerce is developing rapidly in India. The increasing penetration of smartphones and mobile data, along with the rise in digital literacy, has led to an influx of investment in ecommerce startups. For merchants interested in entering the Indian ecommerce market, here are three tips.
Business > Merchant Voice
Lessons from Ikea’s negative reviews

August 8, 2018 • Richard Stubbings

Those of us who sell on Amazon tend to believe that reviews are all important and that negative reviews can dampen sales, in part, because Amazon likely includes an element ...
Business > Merchant Voice
The ‘why’ of my company

August 5, 2018 • Peter Keller

Here's the story of FringeSport's why and how it has evolved. When I started Fringe, my why was focused on me. I desired to assist customers, but, really, I wanted something. I wanted to start a business so that I could be an entrepreneur.
Finance
Why Wall Street Loves Amazon, Not Facebook

August 2, 2018 • Marcia Kaplan

Wall Street has always been kind to Amazon, waiting patiently for many years for the company to become profitable. Facebook used to be a Wall Street favorite but never to the same extent as Amazon. Facebook's second quarter financial results were not what rattled analysts.
Amazon & Marketplaces
Growing a Business on Amazon — and Beyond

August 1, 2018 • Phil Masiello

Success on Amazon requires work, effort, and time. Don't believe the get-rich-quick peddlers. If they were as successful as they claim, they wouldn't be selling you their secrets.
Business
July 2018 Top 10: Our Most Popular Posts

July 31, 2018 • PEC Staff

What follows are the most popular articles that we published in July 2018. Articles published earlier in the month are more likely to make the list than later ones. 58 Leading ...
B2B
4 Expectations of B2B Ecommerce Customers

July 26, 2018 • Shawn Arnold

It’s easy to fall into the trap of assuming that a compelling B2C experience will be sufficient for B2B users. For me, it took sitting face-to-face with 50 B2B customers and learning what really matters to them. In this post, I'll share what I discovered.
Cross-border Selling
How the Trade War Affects Ecommerce and the U.S. Economy

July 25, 2018 • Marcia Kaplan

On July 6 the United States placed tariffs on trading partners around the world. The European Union, Canada, China, and Mexico have all implemented retaliatory tariffs on American goods. These tariffs concentrate on agricultural and food and beverage products. The effect on U.S. ecommerce merchants varies.
Cross-border Selling
DHL Executive on International Selling, Logistics

July 25, 2018 • Kerry Murdock

Selling across international borders can provide helpful revenue to merchants. But the complexity of laws, transit times, and delivery cost can be daunting. Dr. Eugene Laney is an authority on ...
Amazon & Marketplaces
58 Leading Online Marketplaces Worldwide

July 23, 2018 • Gagan Mehra

In this post, I will list all major worldwide marketplaces — B2C and B2B. I have categorized the marketplaces by their home continent.
Amazon & Marketplaces
Amazon’s 2018 Prime Day Sets Record Despite Glitches

July 19, 2018 • Marcia Kaplan

Amazon’s 2018 Prime Day event got off to an inauspicious start at 3 p.m. Eastern time on July 16 when eager shoppers received error messages due to overwhelming site traffic.