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.
Amazon & Marketplaces | B2B | Cross-border Selling | Finance | Fraud Prevention | Inventory | Local Business | Payments | Shipping & Fulfillment | Staffing-
Fraud Prevention
Intelligent Ways to Manage Fraud
June 8, 2017 • Gagan Mehra
Fraud continues to impact online merchants. Some experience chargebacks, while others experience various forms of return fraud. Fraud hurts not only merchants but also consumers, as merchants often increase prices ...
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Shipping & Fulfillment
Better Order Fulfillment Starts with Receiving Department
June 6, 2017 • Stephen Bulger
Online shoppers expect to receive their orders quickly, with little-to-no added cost. There are many ways for ecommerce merchants to decrease fulfillment and delivery times. One area of the supply chain that ...
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Shipping & Fulfillment
Ship-from-store Fulfillment a Must for Brick-and-click Retailers
June 5, 2017 • Armando Roggio
Implementing a ship-from-store fulfillment program may help mid-market multichannel retailers better serve customers and earn more profit. This year, about one of every three brick-and-click, omnichannel retailers will have adopted a ...
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Merchant Voice
Would mandatory training help new business owners?
June 4, 2017 • Richard Stubbings
I moderate an online business forum in the U.K. A growing number of people are starting their own business here. On one level this is inspiring. But sometimes I think there ...
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Business
May 2017 Top 10: Our Most Popular Posts
May 31, 2017 • PEC Staff
What follows are our 10 most popular articles for May 2017, recognizing that articles we published earlier in the month are more likely to make the list than later ones.
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Amazon & Marketplaces
2 strategies to boost Amazon sales
May 26, 2017 • Phil Masiello
Amazon is a great additional sales channel for any ecommerce company. Not only will it provide incremental sales, but it also provides brand exposure. In my prior posts, I have focused ...
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Cross-border Selling
Navigating International Payment Methods, for Ecommerce
May 23, 2017 • Patricia Carlin
Many ecommerce retailers desire to expand internationally. Understanding the preferred payment methods in other countries is a key component. In this post, I’ll explore some of the issues involved with accepting ...
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Business
Applying the Uniform Commercial Code to Ecommerce
May 19, 2017 • John Di Giacomo
Consumers and ecommerce merchants often take the complexity involved in buying a product online for granted. But behind the ease of the one-click checkout and free shipping is 65 years of ...
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Shipping & Fulfillment
Does Ecommerce Need a Cooperative Shipping Revolution?
May 18, 2017 • Armando Roggio
If small and mid-sized online retailers cooperated, they may be able to develop a fast and reliable shipping network competitive with what Amazon, Walmart, and other industry-leading merchants can offer. Online ...
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Business
Teen Shopping Habits and Trends
May 11, 2017 • Marcia Kaplan
While marketers are preoccupied with satisfying the needs of millennials, another demographic group with enormous spending power is nipping at their heels: teenagers. There are about 26 million teens in the United ...
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Shipping & Fulfillment
For Retailers, ‘Less-limited Aisle’ beats ‘Endless Aisle’
May 9, 2017 • Jeremy Hanks
The concept of “endless aisle” has been discussed in ecommerce for years. Many online merchants have watched Amazon’s rise to market domination and believe their own path to success lies ...
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B2B
5 Payment Options in B2B Ecommerce
May 8, 2017 • Lori McDonald
Many B2B merchants have avoided ecommerce because they believe their customers will not do business in that manner. Merchants often have concerns about payments, as B2B customers pay in different ...
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Payments
Credit Card Processing: Beware of ‘Rate Reductions’
May 2, 2017 • Phil Hinke
In my experience, most merchants feel that their credit card account provider is more likely to increase their rates or invent new fees rather than offer an unsolicited rate reduction. The ...
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Finance
Has Crowdfunding from Ordinary Investors Been Successful?
May 1, 2017 • Marcia Kaplan
May 2017 marks the one-year anniversary of the implementation by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission of Regulation CF crowdfunding for non-accredited investors. Some observers believe it is a disaster while ...
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Business
April 2017 Top 10: Our Most Popular Posts
April 30, 2017 • PEC Staff
What follows are our 10 most popular articles for April 2017, recognizing that articles we published earlier in the month are more likely to make the list than later ones. Google Analytics:
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Staffing
5 Reasons to Hire Remote Workers
April 28, 2017 • Armando Roggio
Your ecommerce business is growing. You need developers, marketers, and customer service representatives. But how do you find the best employees? It’s simple: hire remote workers. Often ecommerce businesses start small.
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Shipping & Fulfillment
ShipStation CEO on ‘Fast and Free’ Shipping Demands
April 26, 2017 • Armando Roggio
The process of creating satisfied customers starts with providing a level of service that’s greater than their expectations. For ecommerce, shipping is customer satisfaction’s frontline, and online sellers should aim to ...
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Shipping & Fulfillment
7 Elements of a Return Policy That Sells
April 25, 2017 • Pamela Hazelton
Merchants give so much thought into making the sale that they tend to forget some of the post-sale components that savvy shoppers look for first. One of these is the returns policy ...
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Merchant Voice
Preparing to exhibit at a wedding expo
April 25, 2017 • Elizabeth Hollingsworth
My Wedding Décor will soon exhibit at One Fine Day Wedding Fair in Melbourne, Australia. One Fine Day has been running high-end wedding fairs in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth, and Adelaide ...
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Amazon & Marketplaces
Can ecommerce marketplaces expand a brand?
April 23, 2017 • Phil Masiello
It’s funny how ecommerce brands fear established online marketplaces. When I discuss with those brands selling on Amazon, Walmart.com, Sears.com or any of the hundreds of online marketplaces, I often ...
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Amazon & Marketplaces
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Merchant Voice
My (unplanned) survey of Amazon resellers
April 23, 2017 • Richard Stubbings
In the last few days I have been conducting an unplanned survey of the customer service of hundreds of Amazon resellers. It is unplanned and unwelcomed because someone sent phishing ...
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Business
Will New F.C.C. Policies Impact Ecommerce Merchants?
April 21, 2017 • John Di Giacomo
Big changes are coming to the U.S. Federal Communications Commission, and some may have ramifications for ecommerce merchants. With the appointment of Ajit Pai as the chairman of the F.C.C.,
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Business
Tips for Rapidly Processing Ecommerce Orders
April 19, 2017 • Armando Roggio
Reduce the amount of time it takes for an online retail order to be picked, packed, and given to the package carrier, and your ecommerce business will have gone a ...
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Shipping & Fulfillment
Navigating Drop Shipping and Sales Taxes
April 14, 2017 • Jeremy Hanks
I’ve written a lot about the fact that drop shipping isn’t just another distribution method. It’s a new way of doing business that has unique operational and logistical challenges. The ...
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Amazon & Marketplaces
Amazon Takes On the Digital Advertising Industry
April 13, 2017 • Marcia Kaplan
Amazon, the ecommerce giant, is showing greater interest in the digital advertising arena, expanding its offerings and attracting a new type of client: big brands that advertise on television and ...
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Amazon & Marketplaces
BigCommerce CEO on Amazon, Other Channels
April 12, 2017 • Kerry Murdock
Many merchants view Amazon as a competitor, albeit one they are forced to sell on. Brent Bellm, CEO of BigCommerce, disagrees. He believes Amazon can complement an ecommerce business. I ...
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B2B
Tips for Migrating B2B Ecommerce Platforms
April 10, 2017 • Lori McDonald
I recently presented “How to Change Ecommerce Platforms,” an Essential Skills online seminar for Practical Ecommerce. I kept the content relatively general for all merchants — B2C and B2B. I didn’t ...
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Merchant Voice
My secret weapons — tools, groups, activities
April 6, 2017 • Peter Keller
I’m friends with many entrepreneurs. Oftentimes we talk about what services we use, what products we have, and the routines that allow us to be more successful. For example, there’s a ...
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Business
Mid-market Ecommerce Firms Need Clear Roles, Responsibilities
April 5, 2017 • Armando Roggio
Defining and documenting clear roles and responsibilities may help mid-market online retailers move projects forward, leading to better execution. Retail businesses have a variety of tasks that need to happen over and ...
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Amazon & Marketplaces
Amazon Doesn’t Do Long-tail. Why Should You?
April 4, 2017 • Jeremy Hanks
The idea of “endless aisle” and “long-tail” retail has gained much traction since the publication in 2005 of The Long Tail: Why the Future of Business is Selling Less of ...
The Race to Own AI Shopping
New Ecommerce Tools: September 8, 2026
Google's Redirects Blur Search Rankings
Influencers Mostly Skip Disclosure
New Ecommerce Tools: September 2, 2026
Branded Sites Are Vital for Merchants