David Moth says, “Product videos are proven to have a positive correlation with online conversion rates, as people who watch videos tend to buy more stuff. Whether or not these customers are further down the purchase journey and so more likely to buy anyway is open to debate. But not all video is created equal. The impact on conversions depends on the quality of the creative but also on where it sits in the customer journey. For the purposes of this post I’m interested in looking at where ecommerce sites are placing video on their product pages”. Where should you place ecommerce videos on... [...]

Amy Gesenhues says, “According to Shop.org’s “State of Retailing Online 2015″ survey, a majority of the retailers polled said they experienced online sales growth in the double-digits last year. Among 71 retailers surveyed, 74 percent said their 2014 web sales climbed 10 percent or more compared to 2013, and 27 percent of respondents said they experienced more than a 25 percent increase in online sales. The report was created in conjunction with Forrester Research to gauge e-commerce growth and determine key initiatives as defined by online retailers. While survey responses were limited,... [...]

Vanessa Zeng says, “China’s eCommerce industry has grown remarkably. Total online retail sales in the country (including B2C and C2C transactions) hit $307 billion in 2013, making China the world’s largest eCommerce market. Forrester estimates that it grew to $440 billion in 2014. Last year, the Chinese eCommerce giants Alibaba and JD.com both went public with IPOs on the US stock market, and Alibaba saw Singles’ Day transaction value of $9.3 billion on November 11. What’s driving this strong eCommerce momentum? My new China online retail forecast addresses the drivers and key trends... [...]

Zia Daniell Wigder says, “Yesterday I had a chance to join the fantastic Global eCommerce Leaders Forumhere in New York. Leaders from Puma, Borderfree and Alibaba delivered keynotes at the event, and in the afternoon, I did a quick presentation on five key themes in global eCommerce to tee up a panel on global expansion: The Asia pivot. Arguably the biggest story in global eCommerce over the past five years has been the rise of China as a global eCommerce force. No other eCommerce market has rivaled China’s ascent to power: Between 2009 and 2014, revenues increased by 16-fold, reaching... [...]

Brett Relander says, “According to a recent report from comScore, consumers spent more than $9 billion during the week following Thanksgiving in 2014, often referred to as Cyber Week. This represented an increase of more than 14 percent from the nearly $8 billion spent during the same period the previous year. Ecommerce is certainly on the rise. It is now incumbent upon companies to ensure they are tapping into that trend in order to stay ahead of the competition. Moving into 2015, it will become increasingly important for brands to ensure they are utilizing social media in order to succeed... [...]

David Moth says, “Product videos are proven to correlate with higher online conversion rates, yet video remains an underused feature in ecommerce. One of the reasons for this is likely the fact that it’s difficult to know where to start. Once you’ve decided whether or not to do the videos in-house or through an agency, you’re faced with the fact that there are a huge variety of ways you can demo a product. The easiest way to avoid this headache is to simply not bother. But the benefits of using product videos are too great to ignore, with some brands achieving a 25% increase in conversions”. How... [...]

Andy Hoar says, “With B2B buyers rapidly shifting their behavior from researching and buying offline to researching and buying both offline and online, B2B companies are radically reshaping their channel sales strategies. Most notably, B2B sellers are shifting resources and capabilities online as well as fundamentally redefining the role of their salespeople. Join us for the Forrester Sales Enablement Forum on March 2-3, 2015 in Phoenix to hear Forrester’s latest thinking about the future of B2B selling.  At 11:30a on March 3, we’ll be revealing first-ever research in the space about... [...]

They have raised fees several times in last 2-3 months, and effective today, they just did it again, with no advance warning. Of course, fuel prices have dropped 40% since last summer, but UPS wants its customers to pay more for the fuel it uses, anyway. This apparently in response to an announcement by Fedex in early January that it would increase its own fuel surcharge effective today. This Fedex move apparently gave UPS the cover it needed to feel safe in raising its own fuel surcharge. If you are selling physical goods, either directly or through a drop-shipping company, your business will... [...]

Arie Shpanya says, “With another holiday shopping season (and post-holiday clearance) in the rearview mirror, online retailers are taking down the sales signs and getting back to business as usual. Although business may become out of the ordinary for some, that sales spike can shoot as high as Mount Everest and can fall like a rookie snowboarding down it. None of those customers that were hooked by your “Buy One Toaster, Get Three Bread Loaves Free” deal came back for more dough. This shouldn’t be surprising. According to a Coherent Path study, shoppers whose first purchase is induced by... [...]

eMarketer team says, “The webinar will address these key questions: How is mobile changing the path to purchase? Why is locally relevant information so important in ecommerce? How are innovative retailers dealing with fulfillment challenges? How can you create personalized offers without seeming creepy?” Webinar Details Organizer:  eMarketer Key Speaker: Yori Wurmser Topic: Key Trends in Ecommerce Day/Date: Thursday, January 22 Time: 1.00 pm ET – Time Zone Converter Register for webinar details. ‘Key Trends in Ecommerce’ Webinar  [...]