Martin Beck says, “Social media management software company Sprinklr has raised $46 million in venture capital funding at a valuation $1 billion, the company said today. Sprinklr will use the capital to continue expanding into “adjacent product markets and geographies” according to a Sprinklr release. The 5-year-old company, which has now raised a total of $123.5 million, has acquired four companies — Branderati, Dachis Group, TBG and Pluck — in the last year. Sprinklr also announced the launch of “Experience Cloud,” a new product that adds website and commerce management ability... [...]

David Kirkpatrick says, “Ecommerce offers a great opportunity because it allows marketers to sell globally much more easily than opening brick-and-mortar locations around the world. This video from the MarketingSherpa video archive features Rob Garf, Vice President of Industry Strategy and Insights, Demandware, covering this topic with some tips on global ecommerce and insights from the frontlines of selling online in new geographies. Preserving brand value across multiple cultures According to Rob, global ecommerce is growing, and the first challenge is preserving brand value while meeting... [...]

Jawad Khan says, “Dynamic pricing, it seems, is the latest pricing trend that has taken the ecommerce industry by storm. While it is not an entirely new concept and companies have been using it randomly over the years, it is certainly something that is much more relevant in the new age of ecommerce companies. Simply put, dynamic pricing is a strategy in which product prices continuously adjust, sometimes in a matter of minutes, in response to real-time supply and demand. For example: Amazon, the global ecommerce giant, is one of the largest retailers to have adopted dynamic pricing and updates... [...]

David Kyle says, “Often I find myself perusing the internet looking at how people are playing this game of ecommerce. It’s an essential part of my role in trying to improve our own website, by learning how others are doing it. For me there is one standout winner of ecommerce websites, and that is AO.com. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, show AO.com to somebody who works in design and they will be able to reel off hundreds of prettier websites, with fancy single page design and full screen imagery. AO.com wins it for me because it is doing such a sophisticated job of selling, and understands... [...]

Graham Charlton says, “Yesterday’s #EcomChat looked at ecommerce product pages, which features are needed, are where improvements can be made. Here’s a summary of the discussion… Is the product page still the most important page on most ecommerce sites? The product page is where you would expect most consumers to decide on a purchase, which may make it the most important page. However, there are factors that reduce the primacy of the product page, as Paul Rouke suggests: Quick view allows customers to view a quick product preview from search results or category pages without... [...]

Allison Howen says, “Retailers must cater to the customer across touchpoints in today’s omnichannel world – offering impeccable and efficient customer service wherever the consumer chooses to interact with them. In fact, the e-tailing group’s Mystery Shopping Study sheds light on the impact of efficiency in e-commerce, revealing that roadblocks (like delays) can result in abandonment, lost sales and missed customers. In addition, the study provides insights into how top retailers are creating efficient shopping experiences for their customers, focusing on two areas – the checkout... [...]

Graham Charlton says, “Third party reviews have become a common feature on most ecommerce sites.  This is mainly because they have been proven to drive sales, while many shoppers expect to be able to read reviews before they decide to buy. Yesterday’s #EcomChat, was on the subject of reviews, and contained some interesting points of view from a range of ecommerce pros. Here, I’ve rounded up some of the highlights from the discussion. 1. How important are third party reviews for ecommerce sites? Perhaps an obvious question, but a good starting point nonetheless, and most people... [...]

Michael O’Grady says, “Western Europe is one of the largest online markets for cross-border trade: In 2014, Western consumers spent €26 billion on cross-border trade, representing 17% of eCommerce sales in Western Europe. Our recently published Forrester Research Online Cross-Border Retail Forecast, 2013 To 2018 (Western Europe) shows that cross-border trade depends on sales flowing into a country from domestic cross-border purchases and sales flowing out of a country from nondomestic shoppers. Cross-border trade gives retailers an opportunity to expand outside of their domestic... [...]

Julie Ask says, “The move shouldn’t surprise anyone.  Remember Rakuten and Viber? Retailers need to expand their reach to acquire more customers. The more contextual the better. The investment is small relative to Snapchat’s valuation and Alibaba’s worth. I would view it more as an option to make a future, larger play than a clear indication of a new strategy. Two things matter the most in mobile: 1) Audience. Snapchat offers a new audience to Alibaba – one in the US and one that is described as being younger. Consumers spend more time in communication and social... [...]

Ginny Marvin says, “The retail industry is not giving up on giving states the ability to tax e-commerce sales. This week, a bipartisan group of senators reintroduced the Marketplace Fairness Act. Budget Committee Chairman Senator Mike Enzi (R-WY) and Minority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) are leading the Senate group pushing for a bill that would give states the authority to collect sales tax on online sales placed within their states. Currently, states are limited to collecting sales tax from those entities that have a so-called in-state nexus — physical locations such as stores, warehouse... [...]