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
From Retail to Manufacturing, Kanban Improves Efficiency

February 12, 2018 • Armando Roggio

Kanban is a project management approach that can be applied to nearly any step-by-step process to increase efficiency, reduce waste, and help a business improve. Although Kanban was developed in the 1940s and 1950s to boost manufacturing efficiency at Toyota factories in Japan, the system has been adapted to many industries, including software development, publishing, and retail management.
Business
Create Google Docs from a Google Sheet

February 8, 2018 • Armando Roggio

Your business can use Google Apps Script to pull data from the rows and columns of a Google Sheet and create individualized Google Docs that include only the information needed. This can make your business and the folks running it more productive. Here's an example.
Business > Merchant Voice
My experience with product reviews

February 6, 2018 • Peter Keller

I'm a huge believer in product reviews for ecommerce sites. I have been for years — since the start of online reviews. I remember when Amazon first utilized reviews, in the early 2000s. I was working for LivingDirect, a retailer of home products. We marveled at reviews. What a strange innovation. A customer could post a review on the site — any review, any customer.
B2B
Driving B2B Revenue through Personalization

February 5, 2018 • Lori McDonald

Shoppers want a personalized experience. It used to be that ecommerce sites offered what shoppers asked for. Now, thanks to personalization, ecommerce sites do that, and more. They know what shoppers want or need even before they ask. Personalization adds value. It builds a relationship.
Amazon & Marketplaces
How to benefit from Amazon ads

February 1, 2018 • Phil Masiello

Amazon Marketing Services offers three advertising options, for vendors and sellers: Product Display Ads, Sponsored Products, and Headline Search Ads. To win the Buy Box and build your brand, the key is to know which type of ad to use and how to use it — whether you sell on Seller Central, Vendor Centra
Business
January 2018 Top 10: Our Most Popular Posts

January 31, 2018 • PEC Staff

What follows are our 10 most popular articles for January 2018. "5 Content Marketing Ideas for February 2018." Valentine’s Day dominates the retail calendar in February, driving more than $18 billion in consumer purchases in the United States alone, including, by some accounts, $5.4 billion in ecommerce sales. Valentine’s Day spending often includes dinner out and movie tickets.
Shipping & Fulfillment
New Electronic Logging Mandate May Increase Shipping Costs

January 30, 2018 • Armando Roggio

Critics of a new logging mandate for freight carriers claim it is creating a shortage of drivers and increasing shipping costs in many industries, including retail. Beginning December 2017, the U.S.
Amazon & Marketplaces
11 Amazon Seller Tools to Manage Customer Feedback

January 30, 2018 • Connor Gillivan

Amazon’s metrics help keep sellers aligned with the company’s overall mission of outstanding service for all customers. But the process of managing and optimizing customer feedback, product reviews, and overall seller rating can be time-consuming. Fortunately, third-party software companies can help. In this post, I'll list 11 vendors that help Amazon sellers manage customer feedback.
Cross-border Selling
Ecommerce in Nordic Region: Affluent Market, Appetite for Foreign Goods

January 28, 2018 • Marcia Kaplan

Scandinavia is an affluent market with an appetite for foreign goods. The Nordic region — Scandinavia — encompasses Denmark, Finland, Norway, and Sweden. Individually, each country may not seem to be an attractive cross-border opportunity for merchants. Combined, the population is just 26 million. However, Nordic ecommerce is primarily driven by foreign merchants that give consumers access to goods that they are otherwise unable to find in local physical stores.
Business
The Rise of Human-free Retail

January 26, 2018 • Gagan Mehra

A few days back the first Amazon Go convenience store opened, in Seattle. Shoppers can simply pick up the items they want to purchase and walk out. There is no need to stand in lines and go through checkout. Will Walmart, Target, and other competitors implement a similar technology? The answer is likely "yes." In fact, other companies are doing it already.
Business
New Sales Tax Law Targets Marketplaces

January 21, 2018 • Shane Ratigan

Sales tax calculation, collection, and remittance remain a challenge for ecommerce businesses. The state of Washington, for example, recently began enforcement of regulations that require marketplaces with a physical presence in Washington (or annual sales to residents of at least $10,000) to collect on behalf of third party sellers who utilize the marketplace’s platform.
Business
How to Plan for the Death of a Business Owner

January 17, 2018 • John Di Giacomo

The combination of a busy travel schedule and the death of my mother has kept me from writing this column. But these have also given me time to reflect on my own preparedness for life's unforeseen events. With this post, my hope is that others can learn from my reflection and better protect their businesses and families.
Local Business
2017 Ecommerce Round-up: 16 Percent Growth; ’Retail Apocalypse’?

January 11, 2018 • Marcia Kaplan

2017 was supposedly the year ecommerce pummeled the brick-and-mortar retail sector, creating what analysts called a “retail apocalypse.” Yet, according to research firm Statista, ecommerce contributed only 9.1 percent to total retail sales in the United States and 10.1 percent globally. In other words, there is room for much ecommerce growth. However physical stores will fight back by luring customers with new approaches.
Amazon & Marketplaces > Merchant Voice
Dissecting Amazon’s new ‘Pay by Invoice’ method

January 10, 2018 • Richard Stubbings

The new payment method is "Pay by Invoice." It is an attempt to entice new customers to Amazon that prefer to pay after receiving the goods. It is presumably based on the assumption that there are organizations — libraries, public bodies, larger companies — who do not let their staff pay in advance for an item. On the face of it, it seemed like a good idea.
Business > Merchant Voice
Would relocating damage my ecommerce business?

January 6, 2018 • Elizabeth Hollingsworth

When I met my English husband-to-be seven years ago, he had relocated to Melbourne, Australia. At the time, I lived in Sydney, roughly 540 miles (870 km) north of Melbourne. My mother lived on the Gold Coast, in Queensland, 540 miles (840 km) north of Sydney. On moving to Melbourne, I was easily able to relocate my ecommerce business, which sold hardbound and emailed astrology reports, boxed gift certificates, and telephone consultations.
Cross-border Selling > Merchant Voice
5 Russian fulfillment companies for cross-border ecommerce

January 5, 2018 • Maksim Komonov

In this article, I will profile five Russian companies that provide fulfillment services to foreign manufacturers and retailers, including customs clearance, returns, and marketing support. The market in Russia, according to the WBR Report, is number nine in the list of top expansion markets by U.S. brands. But small and midsized ecommerce merchants can expand into Russia, too, provided they master the local fulfillment and delivery challenges.
B2B
How to Set Ecommerce Goals for 2018

December 31, 2017 • Lori McDonald

Now is the time to set ecommerce performance goals for 2018. To do this, know where your business stands now. Be clear on past performance before you set goals for the new year. Create a spreadsheet with the key metrics to track for 2018. Fill in those metrics from 2017. You may even want to insert 2016 as well. This scorecard creates good visibility and accountability for you and your team.
Business
2017 Top 25: Our Most Popular Posts of the Year

December 29, 2017 • PEC Staff

As the year draws to a close, we’ve compiled a list of the 25 most popular articles published during 2017, based on the number of page views. Popular subjects included social networks, SEO,
Business > Merchant Voice
9 innovative ecommerce companies, for inspiration

December 28, 2017 • Peter Keller

2017 has been a good year for FringeSport. 2018 looks to be even better. Many ecommerce brands inspire my work. In this post, I will list several of them. I am a friend of the owners of some of these companies. Others I have no connection to. All of the companies are innovative.
Fraud Prevention
7 Telltale Signs of Payment Card Fraud

December 26, 2017 • Armando Roggio

Purchases made with stolen payment cards cost the ecommerce industry billions of dollars a year worldwide. But, in at least some cases, merchants could have avoided losses had they recognized ...
Amazon & Marketplaces
10 Repricing Tools for Amazon Marketplace Sellers

December 21, 2017 • Connor Gillivan

Repricing products on the Amazon Marketplace can determine if you generate sales, or not. Unless you sell your own private label item, you’ll likely compete with other sellers for the ...
Amazon & Marketplaces
Ecommerce Briefs: Walmart, Whole Foods, Target, Shipt

December 21, 2017 • Marcia Kaplan

“Ecommerce Briefs” is my occasional series of news and developments from online merchants. In this installment, I’ll address the continuing omnichannel wars between Walmart and Amazon as well as some ...
Business
4 Challenges for Mid-market Ecommerce in 2018

December 18, 2017 • Armando Roggio

Changes in shopper behavior, improvements in technology, and pricing policies meant to “protect” small, brick-and-mortar retailers all represent significant challenges to mid-market ecommerce and mid-market omnichannel retail businesses in 2018. These ...
Finance
11 Mistakes to Avoid When Seeking Business Financing

December 14, 2017 • Marcia Kaplan

Obtaining funding for your business, whether it’s new or established, can be grueling and frustrating. Success is not a certainty. But you can increase your chances of securing funds if ...
Amazon & Marketplaces
Align with Amazon’s strategy for marketplace success

December 13, 2017 • Phil Masiello

Sometimes it seems that Amazon doesn’t support sellers in its marketplace. Seemingly nonstop restrictions on what can be sold in each category make it difficult for some sellers to list ...
Shipping & Fulfillment
Does U.S. Postal Service Subsidize China-based Merchants?

December 12, 2017 • Kerry Murdock

Merchants in certain countries, such as China, can ship very cheaply to U.S. consumers with rates that are unavailable to U.S. merchants.
Finance
17 Cryptocurrency Plugins for WordPress

December 11, 2017 • Sig Ueland

Cryptocurrencies have garnered much attention recently off of Bitcoin's meteoric rise in value — currently around $15,000. The Chicago Board Options Exchange has even launched futures contracts on Bitcoin for investors to bet on the currency’s rise and fall. While Bitcoin's volatility won’t necessarily attract users, cryptocurrencies offer low-cost peer-to-peer aspects that should be appealing to both merchants and consumers.
Staffing
For SEO, Better to Hire an Agency or an Employee?

December 8, 2017 • Jill Kocher Brown

The decision to hire in-house search engine optimization talent or to contract with an agency is not easy. Consider these points when deciding for your company. In-house SEO In-house advantages stem primarily ...
Cross-border Selling > Merchant Voice
Made in Russia: 8 brands for cross-border consumers

December 6, 2017 • Maksim Komonov

Exports from Russia consist mostly of natural resources — oil, gas, wood, gems, uranium. Russian consumer goods such as apparel, jewelry, and electronics do not have strong positions on the ...
Business > Merchant Voice
Why can’t Australians purchase gift cards from U.S. merchants?

November 30, 2017 • Elizabeth Hollingsworth

The Black Friday-Cyber Monday sales phenomenon is beginning to make an impact online and in brick-and-mortar stores, in Australia. Five years ago, inspired by the U.S. Cyber Monday sales, Click Frenzy ...