David Bernstein says, “The holidays are coming quickly. Are you ready? Maybe you’ve already started your prep work so you won’t struggle when the orders start rolling in. If not, now’s the time to start decking the halls. Sometimes you need more than a brief overview to get everything organized. That’s why this checklist is everything you need. Ready to get started? 1) Mobile Responsiveness Not set up for mobile shopping? Your customers will go elsewhere. Projections say 30-35% of shoppers will complete their purchases on mobile devices. 2) Site Traffic Not used to an influx of visitors... [...]

Laura Entis says, “Squarespace, the web publishing platform, just launched a suite of new ecommerce tools for small-business owners. Features include additional templates designed specifically for ecommerce transactions; a mobile commerce app to allow owners to manage commerce on the go; an abandoned checkout recovery feature, which sends out email reminders to customer who have pending items in their cart; and a real time carrier calculator that provides more accurate shipping estimates. “Commerce is going to be really big with us, and we want to show we can compete head-to-head with... [...]

Jean-Baptiste Rudelle says, “There is no denying it, mobile is the new norm. Two in three American adults own a smartphone. Tablet users will surpass one billion worldwide this year. The average person spends more time on their phone and laptop than sleeping. With mobile adoption widespread, and people spending more of their time across multiple devices, it’s no surprise that digital advertising spend in the US will total nearly $60 billion this year. Said differently, companies are heavily investing in engaging consumers across laptops, tablets and smartphones to win consumer attention... [...]

Georges Berzgal says, “Over the last few years Black Friday and Cyber Monday have developed from being a purely US phenomenon to a global sales event, marking the start of the all-important Christmas shopping season.  In 2014 the effects of Black Friday saw UK retail sales rise at their fastest annual rate in more than 10 years, with £810m spent and online sales jumping 13% year-on-year. For commerce marketers, the four-day sales weekend is a critical one to capitalise on. So to help you design a smart and efficient communication strategy for some of the busiest shopping days of the... [...]

Edwin Bos says, “A couple of weeks ago, Amazon sued over 1,000 people for posting fake reviews on its site. The defendants in question had offered their services on fiverr.com. But is Amazon addressing the symptoms, not the cause? Let’s go back to the future for a second. In 2012, Gartner said that by 2014, 10-15% of social media reviews would be fakes, paid for by companies. According to the BBC program Rip Off Britain this year, it’s been estimated that as many as one in five reviews online might be fake. It’s a big problem with even bigger ramifications for those playing... [...]

Jay Lagarde says, “Less than 5 percent of customers who buy through Amazon take the time to leave feedback. For the two million third-party merchants who account for more than 40 percent of all Amazon transactions, this comes as frustrating news. In an ecommerce world largely focused on price, a quality seller reputation is one of the few opportunities for differentiation. With so few customers willing to leave feedback, however, many sellers get trapped into a race to the bottom and experience ever-dwindling profit margins. With this in mind, the days of hoping for automatic positive feedback... [...]

Stefanie Flaxman says, “I’ve never claimed I invented the Internet, but at one time I thought I invented the idea of a digital business. Let me explain. In 2008, I set out to establish Revision Fairy, my own online editing and proofreading service. Since I wasn’t planning to interact with any clients in person or over the phone, my business, which would also sell ebooks, was 100 percent digital. I thought I conjured up a revolutionary concept because I didn’t know anyone else who had ventured into this unknown, pixel-dominated territory. Simultaneously, I was struggling because I didn’t... [...]

Gaurav Pandey says, “When Columbus first discovered Indian island, when Graham Bell first discovered telephone or, when Tim Berners Lee, first invented WWW (the Internet), they all would be happy of their own successes, and the world might also be praising their individual successes and their efforts. But let’s read it again but between the lines… When Columbus first discovered a new land of business & mining opportunity, when Graham Bell first discovered a new way of distance communication or, when Tim invented new way of accessing real-time information from other parts of world,... [...]

Sucharita Mulpuru says, “In a recent Forrester-Shop.org study, we found that 70% of online retailers are investing in “content” in the coming year. What sort of content you may ask. Usually when they say “content” retailers mean videos, blog posts and magazine-like content that is best for consumers at the top of the shopping funnel. This type of content though is notoriously difficult to monetize though. A number of companies like Babycenter in the late 1990s were the first wave of content-driving-commerce digital players to try this. They quickly realized it was not only difficult... [...]

Arie Shpanya says, “If you’re new to the ecommerce industry, I’ll let you in on a “little” secret. There’s an 800 pound gorilla in the room that is nearly impossible to take down. Its name is Amazon, and it’s the largest online retailer in the western hemisphere. It’s safe to say that all online shoppers are familiar with Amazon. New studies have actually found that 44% of shoppers turn to Amazon first when looking for an item. That’s because the company is known for having an incredibly wide product assortment, low prices, and impressive customer service. But... [...]