Jitender Miglani says, “Last week, two news items captured the front-page headlines of the Indian financial newspapers. The first was an announcement by Flipkart on July 29 that it has raised fresh capital of $1 billion in one of the largest funding rounds. The second was an announcement by Amazon on July 30 that it will invest another $2 billion in India. These numbers appeared large to us when seen in the context of overall online retail sales in India. As per the Forrester Asia Pacific online retail forecast published in early October 2013, India’s online retail spending was expected... [...]

Sebastian Gutierrez says, “Smartphones can support impulsive purchasing – browsing a retailer’s website while waiting in a supermarket queue and clicking ‘buy now’, for instance. Meanwhile, the widespread use of tablets as second screens presents the opportunity to make purchases, perhaps in response to advertisements, from the comfort of your sofa. Digital window-shopping, or showrooming, is common among smartphone users and often leads consumers into physical stores to try on or test products, or to making online purchases from another device at another time. Recent research... [...]

Greg Randall says, “Due to the popularity of the article titled, ‘Ecommerce product pages:  where to place 30 elements and why‘, a sequel has (finally) been written. The focus now turns to the main category page, which is used in ecommerce to give shoppers access to a range of products such as ‘menswear’ before they drill further down to find specific items (e.g. socks, jeans). This article will add value if you: Have little confidence in your current main category page layout. Are in the process of redesigning your website and need guidance on the main category page”. Ecommerce... [...]

Zia Daniell Wigder says, “Many brands eyeing Latin American eCommerce markets look first to Brazil, and with good reason. Brazil is Latin America’s largest online retail market by a wide margin and growth rates remain high: Our forecast shows the market growing by a CAGR of 18% to reach $35 billion in 2018. As in every fast-growing eCommerce market, however, companies that compete in this environment face numerous challenges. Issues like complex tax navigation and the long path to profitability are well documented. In addition, companies need to prepare for shifts in what consumers... [...]

Graham Charlton says, “Earlier this year, I wrote a post looking at some of the best ecommerce sites around, picking out aspects of these sites that others could learn from.  As the vast majority were B2C, some commentors challenged me to find similarly good examples of B2B ecommerce sites. I’ve asked the Econsultancy team, found a few myself, and here we are. Some are listed because they offer a great all round experience, others because they do a particular thing very well (navigation, copywriting, and so on)”. Which B2B ecommerce sites are getting it right? Here’s... [...]

Jason Del Rey says, “Investment in the burgeoning Indian e-commerce industry continues to boom, with Flipkart, perhaps the country’s best-known online retail marketpalce, raising a new $1 billion in funding. The round includes investments from Tiger Global and Naspers and brings Flipkart’s total backing to nearly $2 billion. The funding gives Flipkart a deep war chest as it faces off against competitors Amazon, eBay and eBay-backed Snapdeal“. Flipkart, Amazon’s Indian Rival, Lands $1 Billion Investment Re/code  [...]

Shane Jones says, “While ecommerce has come a long way in recent years, it still has a long way to go. One of the main problems with online shopping is that a certain amount of guesswork is always required before making a purchase. Customers are never quite sure about the quality of an item, since they can’t touch it like they would when shopping in person. Instead, they are forced to rely on small photos and glib product descriptions”. The five words that don’t belong in ecommerce customer service ‘Econsultancy’ Blog  [...]

Carmen Weeks says, “The MECLABS Conversion Heuristic is what we use when optimizing our Research Partners’ websites – and now for me as a research analyst, it’s become second nature to optimize every website I encounter. I say this because truthfully, it’s one thing to simply memorize and understand a formula. But when you’re able to conceptualize and apply it, you own it. For instance, I was recently window shopping on one of my favorite sites, HauteLook, a members-only ecommerce website that offers limited-time sales of leading brands in fashion, home décor, skincare, and occasionally,... [...]

Rachel Serpa says, “Coined in Joseph Heller’s classic satirical novel of the same name, ‘Catch-22’ is a term that refers to a situation in which a person is trapped by completely contradictory goals or circumstances. In Heller’s book, the only way for a pilot to escape his WWII flying mission is to request psychiatric evaluation due to mental instability, and be deemed insane. However, awareness of his own insanity is considered proof of a rational mind, thus making it impossible to escape his mission, a total and complete Catch-22″. Privacy and personalization: a marketer’s... [...]

Christopher Ratcliff says, “Finally, mobile devices are at a stage where technology meets and occasionally exceeds the expectations of the consumer. Although not every retailer is offering a flawless and perfectly persuasive conversion bonanza when it comes to a mobile commerce experience, but most are now beginning to at least think ‘mobile first’ when it comes to ecommerce design. Obviously the arguments for responsive or adaptive design can hardly be considered a trend as it’s a conversation that’s been raging for a long while”. 10 trends that will impact your mobile... [...]