Christopher Ratcliff says, “According to a survey by CollectPlus, 27% of consumers are put off ordering something online in the first place because they do not want the hassle of returning it if it isn’t right. Therefore the need for online retailers to provide clear and easy to find information on its returns policy as well as making it as hassle-free as possible is integral to customer experience. Graham Charlton wrote a comprehensive list of ways retailers can improve their ecommerce returns policies last December, which I’ll briefly reiterate here (click the above link for more in-depth... [...]

Richard Lazazzera says, “When it comes to starting an online business, you have a lot of choices to make. The biggest of the choices may be the most important as they will ultimately define your business model and much of the future of your business. In this post, we’re going to show you at a high-level each one of the major choices you need to consider when starting your online business along with the pros and cons so you can make the best decisions possible right from the beginning. Let’s get right into it. Who Do You Want to Sell To? There are a million types of ecommerce stores,... [...]

Arie Shpanya says, “Ecommerce has been making its mark the past couple of years, but is still only a fraction of the overall retail industry. Online retailers and ecommerce professionals have been eagerly speculating that online retail will soon overtake brick and mortar stores in terms of popularity and sales. Despite optimistic holiday numbers, research has indicated that these speculations are simply not true. Retail is growing in sales, but ecommerce only makes up a small fraction of that. Online retail has no ceiling, unlike bricks and mortar stores. There is so much more room to grow for... [...]

Zia Daniell Wigder says, “eCommerce growth continues unabated around the world, with eCommerce being cited as a driver of overall economic growth in markets from China to Nigeria. Indeed, online retail revenues continue to soar in every market that we forecast—China alone will generate more than $1 trillion in eCommerce sales by 2019. As eCommerce markets in different parts of the globe flourish, a growing number of digital business leaders are being asked to take their brands into new markets. What opportunities exist for eCommerce leaders looking to expand internationally? How are they... [...]

Graham Charlton says, “Good checkout design is essential for ecommerce success. It’s all about making transactions as possible for your customers, and avoiding any unnecessary friction. Here’s a checklist of checkout success factors, along with questions to ask of your own checkout. Enclose the checkout The only place you want customers to go, once in the checkout, is to order confirmation and payment, and enclosing is about removing all potential distractions”. 16 essential success factors for ecommerce checkouts ‘Econsultancy’ Blog  [...]

Baer says, “Last Thursday, Re/code revealed that Pinterest is laying the groundwork for an eCommerce “buy” button. According to reporter Jason Del Rey, merchants could be able to start limited testing in as little as three months. With more than 70 million monthly users, Pinterest is easily one of the largest and fastest-growing social networks around. And when it comes to eCommerce, Pinterest already dominates many of its competitors. In fact, Pinterest users boast the highest average checkout value of all social media referral shoppers, and Pinterest-referred users spend an average... [...]

Tomy Walker says, “Do you want to know the secrets behind some of the best Shopify shops out there? If you are looking to improve your Shopify store or perhaps just get started or simply want to get some inside information on how successful stores get to be successful –  look no further! We have rounded up 24 Shopify store owners who we feel are doing something right, to give their advice regarding the best practices to sell using Shopify. We asked them “What is the best tip you can give to new upcoming ecommerce store owners?” This is what they answered”. How To Sell More:... [...]

Benjamin Ensor says, “I spent Tuesday and Wednesday of this week at Finovate Europe. As always, it is a great way to spend two days thinking about digital financial innovation and how firms can deliver better experiences for their customers. Here are a few of my impressions from the two days: Biometrics is becoming mainstream.We barely raise an eyebrow when shown authentication processes by firms likeeBankIT, ID Mission, Jumio, Nice Systems and Wipro that use facial recognition, fingerprints or voice recognition because these technologies now seem almost commonplace. Yet the technologies... [...]

Greg Wise says, “There is a universal truth we must acknowledge. It’s easier to spend money if we never hold it in our hands. This is why people end up in serious trouble with credit cards even when they have wads of cash in their wallets. The “cashless effect” is a very real thing, and it benefits ecommerce sales in ways retail sales don’t experience. The question, of course, is why? Why do digital wallets, debit cards, and credit cards encourage spending? Frictionless Spending Digital wallets make spending easier than ever. No digging through your wallet for exact change. No handing... [...]

Tucker Schreiber says, “Your storefront looks great.  You’ve spent a lot of time tweaking it and making sure everything flows properly. But why aren’t any visitors adding products to their cart?  You’ve taken time to advertise your store and it’s getting traffic, but it isn’t converting. Perhaps your visitors are having a hard time navigating your store because there isn’t a clear call to action.  They simply don’t know where to click. In this post, we’ll take a look at some inspirational examples of stores that have fantastic call to... [...]