Ben Davis says, “Amazon has been using algorithms to try to sell you extra stuff for years. But the technology to personalise merchandising, much further than recommendations, is advancing rapidly across ecommerce. Companies such as Sentient and Apptus and their AI-powered systems are changing site search functionality, product lists, facets and more, to try to generate more sales. I caught up with Sören Meelby, VP Marketing at Apptus, to get an introduction to the technology (Apptus eSales), and to pose some questions about the user experience in online retail. Econsultancy: Many ecommerce... [...]

Ben Davis says, “TechCity UK has released its third annual Tech Nation report, revealing that talent supply is the number one growth challenge for more than 50% of digital tech businesses in the UK. The report includes a variety of data on the growth of the sector in the UK. Let’s look at some of the most interesting findings. A third of digital employers say candidates are asking for too much money With technical skills in demand, salary growth is an issue for employers. Of the 2,700 survey respondents (roughly half of them CEOs) over a third said that candidates are asking for... [...]

Kumail Hemani says, “We all know that social media is a great way to promote yourself and spread your business’ message across the web. For e-commerce stores, a few social shares can quickly snowball into unbelievable success. Unlike, brick and mortar stores, e-commerce has the benefit of being available 24/7. Whether your customers are shopping on a holiday or at 2 AM, the store is open for business. But this accessibility is a 2-way street; your customers can shop anytime, but they can also send feedback and share comments at all hours of the day. This problem is amplified if your e-commerce... [...]

Phil Masiello says, “Selling on Amazon is a necessity for e-commerce brands. But learning how to sell correctly and avoid some of the pitfalls is essential for success. If you start asking around, there’s a good chance you’ll find people who have made online purchases through Amazon. In fact, you’ll probably have a harder time finding someone who hasn’t; and of those who have, you’ll likely discover that the vast majority are entirely satisfied and are repeat customers. When you ask why they shop on Amazon, the answer is often one word — Prime. In fact,... [...]

Benjamin Liu says, “In the era of e-commerce and slowing retail sales, can your product’s packaging still provide adequate value to millennials? Let’s face it – millennials (or members of Generation Y) are often considered a new era of mankind, and there are many reasons for this. With constant technological influences, millennials have close to infinite resources within their grasp. Instant access to information, images, video and media means they can find almost everything online, without needing to leave the house. This has greatly changed the retail industry with the average... [...]

Nikki Gilliland says, “Alongside traditional methods of customer service, many ecommerce brands are now turning to social media to solve user queries and concerns. While this is an effective way of tapping into customer pain points, brands shouldn’t overlook the opportunities afforded by live chat. In fact, 92% of customers feel satisfied when they use a live chat feature compared to other modes of communication. And with 55% of US adults also likely to abandon a site if they can’t find the answer to a question, live chat can be an effective key way of keeping customers happy and... [...]

Since 2004, Vstore.ca has been a host to free e-commerce stores for small businesses. These stores were supported by ads that Vstore placed on these e-commerce sites. They also offered premium versions of the stores that were ad-free. They offered a free auction service for the stores they hosted, as well. Offering a free service such as this isn’t a cost-free process; the servers and maintenance are expensive. The costs have to be covered by advertising or by upsells to a significant portion of the clients, or the service isn’t economically viable. Sadly, Vstores.CA has concluded that... [...]

Emma Forward says, “Changing ecommerce agencies is a big job, even if you’re sticking with the same platform and looking for a different agency to maintain and optimise your existing site. Migration can be a cheaper alternative to a complete re-build, providing you choose the right agency by asking timely questions. The below will be a good starting point for discussions. 1. How agile are you? Heaps of agencies claim to be agile but you’ll want to check your expectations on workflow and practices are aligned before you sign up. You might want to consider the following in your negotiations: Visibility... [...]

Kristen Gramigna says, “When you have an e-commerce business, successful marketing requires that you create a brand customers come to recognize, identify with and trust, just as they would a physical business they can visit and experience. Here are four marketing tips custom-designed for e-commerce businesses. 1. Personalize your marketing messages. You may never meet an e-commerce customer face to face — but you should know what the customer wants, when and why, just as intimately as if you spoke to him or her on a sales floor. More than half of respondents to one online shopper... [...]

Edwyn Raine says, “It’s safe to say that the influence that Google has had in the last two decades has been phenomenal. The search giant has completely changed the way we discover and access information, providing a faster and more direct path to what we are seeking. In fact, it is estimated that in 2016 over 2trn searches were made worldwide, equating to well over 50,000 per second. Introduction to responsive search While search engine innovation continues to push new boundaries of user experience, working harder than ever to understand search intent, it is still only the larger websites... [...]