Jack Simpson says, “A few weeks back I wrote a post about how the top five UK ecommerce brands use Pinterest.  As you can probably tell by reading some of my posts I’m a sucker for video content, so today I’m going to be focusing on those same brands but looking at their activity on YouTube. Just to recap, the top five ecommerce brands in the UK according to the Internet Retailing UK Top 500 are: Amazon UK. Argos. House of Fraser. John Lewis”. How the top five UK ecommerce brands use YouTube ‘Econsultancy’ Blog  [...]

Thomas Smale says, “There are many entrepreneurs whose greatest desire is to build a business that allows them to live a lifestyle of their choosing, and have it run more or less on autopilot. Ecommerce tends to be fairly complementary to those desires. However, if you want to turn your ecommerce store into a massive business, the only thing getting in the way is you. The potential is always there, and you have to make a decision to start putting in the time and effort it requires to scale up. Here are five top secrets to running a successful ecommerce business. 1. Treat your ecommerce... [...]

Christopher Ratcliff says, “Celebrating the weird, the different and the atypical. Sure we have a set few ideas about user experience and what we consider best practice, but that doesn’t mean there isn’t room for experimentation. The following examples offer a different view, whether it’s in their search tools or in the way they present their products. Some of the following are perhaps better in principle rather than execution, and none of them should be considered as anything more than ‘interesting’, however you may just find some inspiration here… The First World Problems Store This... [...]

Jawad Khan says, “The size of the global ecommerce market is growing at an exponential rate. According to an e-marketer study, ecommerce retail sales across the globe are expected to reach $1.6 trillion by the end of 2015, and $2.5 trillion by the end of 2018. The study further forecasts that China alone will be responsible for more than $1 trillion in retail ecommerce sales by the end of 2018, followed by USA which will reach almost $500 billion. This is great news for you if you’re just starting an online store or have an already established ecommerce business. However, the growing... [...]

Sucharita Mulpuru says, “The hottest topic in eCommerce these days seems to be “buy buttons.” The energy though appears premature. Pinterest announced its buyable pins with a press conference and sentimental Hallmark-like videos though the buyable pins are actually hard to find. Facebook, the king of all social networks, announced a buy button more than a year ago but it’s been relatively mum on the details (and they appear to only have one formal eCommerce partner). Media reports and blog posts of Instagram, Twitter, and Google doing the same seem to further excite merchants and vendors... [...]

Christopher Ratcliff says, “Do basket abandonment emails work? Is there any ‘best practice’ guidance that ecommerce sites should follow? What is the likelihood that an abandoner will come back to purchase after receiving the email? Let’s try to answer these questions right now… According to SaleCycle’s founder and CEO, Dominic Edmunds: Cart abandonment is one of the biggest challenges facing online retailers, with three-quarters of customers effectively walking away at the till. That’s a hefty amount of abandonment and certainly falls in line with Hubspot’s... [...]

Graham Charlton says, “Users of site search are more likely to convert than the average user, so ecommerce sites should strive to produce the best possible experience.  Here I’ve compiled a list of site search best practices, along with some excellent examples from retailers. Search boxes and functionality There’s more to search box and site search functionality than you may think. The placement and design of search boxes can make a difference to usage, while the addition of certain features makes for a better search experience. Make the search box easy to spot The prominence... [...]

Shei Feinberg says, “It’s easy to feel for your customers when they can’t make payments. Hearing the plea in their voice for payment flexibility makes it hard to enforce tough terms or upfront payments. Yet, business isn’t personal, and sales leaders’ jobs hinge on figuring how to increase sales. If we gave special treatment to every sob story we’d be a charity. Right? Providing a sense of flexibility and giving your customers terms needs to be good for your bottom line. After all, you’re accountable not only to your customers, but also to your employees and shareholders.... [...]

Brian Rigney says, “Consumers are time poor and use a vast variety of devices, and today, marketers have mere seconds to grab their attention. It is a world of glimpses and instant gratification, and getting customers to engage is harder than it has ever been. But why are we trying to get them to engage? To get them to like you and read what you have to say — and browse through your products/services and fall in love. But behind this, ultimately, it is all about driving revenues. This is often looked at as a selfish endeavor, but in reality, making it easy to buy is a service marketers... [...]

Luke Richards says, “It’s another month and therefore another fresh update to our massive Internet Statistics Compendium.  As usual, we’ve scoured the length and breadth of the internet for the choicest stats and trends from across the digital landscape. This month the Customer Experience arm of the compendium saw some great additions which I thought I’d highlight today; looking at how multiple touchpoints during the customer journey are improving the experience for consumers as well as the return for shops. Brands with more digital touch points are more likely to be selected... [...]