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
Distributors Beware of AmazonSupply.com?

June 24, 2014 • Dale Traxler

As B-to-B online revenues approach $1 trillion per year, there are still many wholesale distributors who are hesitant to aggressively sell their products online. I frequently ask executives in the distribution ...
Business
Lessons Learned: Love for Pets Drives Online Vet Shops

June 20, 2014 • Elizabeth Hollingsworth

Steven Perissinotto and his brother Mark grew up with a menagerie of pets on their parents’ 1,200-acre property in Gympie in rural Queensland, Australia. Their pets included dogs, cats, fish, horses,
Business
Ecommerce financing: debt vs. equity

June 17, 2014 • Manish Shah

Many business owners come to a point when they need to raise capital to continue growing the company. They don’t want to sell the business. Perhaps they simply enjoy their ...
Shipping & Fulfillment
4 Ways Same-day Delivery Will Transform Retailers

June 17, 2014 • Armando Roggio

Amazon and Google are expanding same-day delivery services in major cities. These offerings and similar same-day delivery services from other companies could transform retailers online and off, potentially broadening the ...
Payments
Merchants Discover Misleading Credit Card Processing Fees

June 16, 2014 • Phil Hinke

I want to thank Practical Ecommerce readers for their comments on my last article series, “How to Identify Dubious Credit Card Processing Fees.” I also appreciate readers sending me suspicious ...
Finance
13 Notable Ecommerce IPOs for 2014

June 16, 2014 • Sig Ueland

Ecommerce companies have been getting recent attention for their initial public offerings (IPOs). Alibaba Group Holding, China’s ecommerce giant, plans to go public in what could be the biggest tech ...
Business > Merchant Voice
How to close a website business

June 11, 2014 • Elizabeth Hollingsworth

It’s a sad fact that not every website business can successful. Many ecommerce merchants close their websites out of exhaustion, loss of interest, insufficient capital, demand, revenue, or customers —
Finance
Intrastate Crowdfunding: Financing Option for Small Businesses

June 11, 2014 • Marcia Kaplan

Tired of waiting for the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission to issue final regulations for equity crowdfunding, several states have passed legislation enabling crowdfunding within their borders. Several more states ...
Business > Merchant Voice
How to evaluate offers from ecommerce vendors

June 10, 2014 • David Sasson

Online retailers receive offers each day from marketing and technology companies promising great improvements and returns by implementing their products and services. The majority of offers revolve around improving three ...
Business
Manufacturers Find Reasons to Sell Online, Survey Says

June 10, 2014 • Armando Roggio

Manufacturers that make and sell products under their own brand or brands may see increased revenue and deeper customer engagement when they sell directly to consumers online, but competing with ...
Staffing
Nonprofit Organizations: Employee Training Key

June 2, 2014 • Cathy Qori

All too often in the nonprofit world, budget constraints force organizations to make hard choices between funding programs and training employees. Important charity rating services like GuideStar.org and CharityNavigator.org weigh their evaluations heavily against high levels of “administrative spending,” and unfortunately employee training falls in this category.
Business
‘What Product Can I Sell Online?’

June 1, 2014 • Jordan Lindberg

“I’m the only person I know that’s lost a quarter of a billion dollars in one year. It’s very character building.” – Steve Jobs People who are considering getting involved in ...
Business
May 2014 Top 10: Our Most Popular Posts

May 31, 2014 • PEC Staff

Each month we compile a list of the ten most popular articles we published that month, based on the number of page views. Here are our ten most popular articles ...
Business
4 Successful Smaller Ecommerce Merchants

May 29, 2014 • Gagan Mehra

Much attention is paid to the success of huge ecommerce companies, such as Amazon and Newegg. But there are many smaller ecommerce companies that prosper, too. They can inspire other ...
Business
Lessons Learned: Entrepreneur Overcomes Penguin Update, Prospers

May 28, 2014 • Elizabeth Hollingsworth

Many men forget their partner’s birthday. But after London-born Jignesh Ghaghada upset his girlfriend by doing this, he created gift website TreatHer.com. Ghaghada grew up in West Africa, watching with fascination ...
Business
Brand Manufacturers All In for Ecommerce

May 27, 2014 • Dale Traxler

I attended the “IRCE Focus: Brands & B2B” conference in New York last week. There were many presentations that covered both B-to-B and direct-to-consumer ecommerce strategies that are being used ...
Business
4 Ways Ecommerce Merchants Misuse Data

May 22, 2014 • Jerry Jao

The use of customer data can help you make smarter decisions that can improve your store, enhance the shopper experience, and increase conversions. When used incorrectly, however, data can waste ...
Shipping & Fulfillment
Pros and Cons of UPS SurePost, FedEx SmartPost

May 20, 2014 • Christopher Bosdal

If you are looking to save money on shipping, start with a call to your UPS or FedEx representative. Speak with her about UPS SurePost or FedEx SmartPost. These are ...
Business
Driving B-to-B Ecommerce with Personas

May 19, 2014 • Dale Traxler

In “Ecommerce Key for Manufacturers and Distributors,” I addressed some of the challenges that manufacturers and distributors face as they grow their ecommerce operations. In this article, I’ll explore the ...
Amazon & Marketplaces
6 Tips for Making Money on Etsy

May 16, 2014 • Armando Roggio

Etsy is a marketplace for crafts, art, and vintage items that empowers home-based entrepreneurs, collectors, and handicraft makers to sell their products to an audience of millions. But like any ...
Payments
How to Identify Dubious Credit Card Processing Fees, Part 3

May 15, 2014 • Phil Hinke

Editor’s Note: This is “Part 3” of a three-part series. “Part 1” and “Part 2” we published previously. The purpose of this series is to educate merchants on questionable credit ...
Amazon & Marketplaces
Alibaba IPO Likely Largest in U.S.; Analysis

May 15, 2014 • Marcia Kaplan

The Alibaba Group, the Chinese ecommerce juggernaut founded in 1999, is likely to become the largest U.S. IPO of all time. The company earlier this month filed papers to begin ...
Business
Using the BCG Matrix for Ecommerce Marketing Decisions

May 14, 2014 • Armando Roggio

Designed to analyze product lines, the Boston Consulting Group (BCG) Matrix or growth-share matrix can help ecommerce business owners and marketers decide which products or product categories will likely generate ...
Business
Selling customer service

May 8, 2014 • Jordan Lindberg

“Your personal core values define who you are, and a company’s core values ultimately define the company’s character and brand. For individuals, character is destiny. For organizations, culture is destiny.”
Business > Merchant Voice
How to win a price war

May 8, 2014 • Richard Stubbings

As the Internet continues to grow, and more consumers are becoming web savvy, ecommerce sales likewise increase. It is inevitable that many (indeed most) shoppers are driven by price. They ...
Payments
Should Ecommerce Merchants Accept Bitcoin?

May 7, 2014 • Marcia Kaplan

Bitcoin, the best known of several virtual payment currencies, has made inroads into mainstream commerce, including brick-and-mortar retailers. Some ecommerce sites are already accepting Bitcoin and if you are considering ...
Business > Merchant Voice
You’ll always lose a price war

May 6, 2014 • Jamie Salvatori

Competing on price is a stupid tactic because it’s easy. Any idiot can undercut his competitors. Making money with this tactic, however, is rare. Only a few companies can pull ...
Business > Merchant Voice
Digging for gold: supply chain made simple

May 6, 2014 • David Sasson

During the gold rush of the 1800s, prospectors chased each other to find gold nuggets in rivers and mines all over the west. They were all chasing gold and the ...
B2B
Ecommerce Key for Manufacturers and Distributors

May 5, 2014 • Dale Traxler

Many B-to-B companies are still not aggressively pursuing ecommerce. Most have an online presence — in fact, an extensive one. They likely have a corporate site, an online product catalog,
Shipping & Fulfillment
How to Choose an Ecommerce Shipping Provider

April 29, 2014 • Gagan Mehra

Many merchants struggle with the challenge of shipping goods in the fastest and cheapest manner. There are several variables that determine the best shipping provider for each order. These include ...