By: Adam Rogers
The perception is that adding a live chat app will bombard your team with incoming customer requests.
You imagine customers will be asking for more help purchasing, chasing up location of orders, or other specialized requests that you’d prefer to receive over email. Will your team be able to handle the new, incoming workload?
In a word, yes.
Customers prefer to contact you over live chat. So those worries you have about increased chat requests can be put to the side. Email, social, and phone conversations will move to your chat app.
A live chat app for your Shopify store will benefit your team and customers
Live chat is a great way to get personal with new and existing customers. Being personal counts towards meeting your business goals.
Statistics on live chat show that a live chat app for a Shopify store can grow sales, revenue, and customer loyalty:
>> Grows sales: 38% of consumers are more likely to buy from a company if they offer live chat support
>> Increases revenue: 63% of people who spend between $250-500 a month online are the most likely to both buy from, and be loyal to, companies who offer live chat
>> Keeps customers loyal: 51% of consumers are more likely to stay with or buy again from a company if they offer live chat support
Read More >> https://www.kayako.com/blog/shopify-live-chat-app/
Sunday, April 29, 2018
Saturday, April 28, 2018
WordPress.com Business Users: Ecommerce has Arrived!
By: Min Wei
We’re thrilled to announce that, starting today, WordPress.com Business users can connect their sites to their online stores. With three leading ecommerce partners to choose from — Ecwid, Shopify, and ShopLocket (Update: ShopLocket is no longer an ecommerce partner on WordPress.com)– you can showcase, promote, and sell products to your customers directly from your site.
If you’re already a WordPress.com Business user, or are thinking of becoming one, here’s how the ecommerce feature will power your WordPress.com site.
A simple, hassle-free connection
Users with the WordPress.com Business upgrade already enjoy great features like live-chat support, unlimited storage, and free access to all our premium themes. Now, you can turn your site into a sleek online storefront, and let visitors shop from any post or page. The partners we’ve teamed up with — Ecwid, Shopify, and ShopLocket — all provide a smooth and secure ecommerce experience for you and your customers.
Connecting to your store is quick and easy — you initiate the process on your Dashboard, by going to eCommerce Plugins, where you can select the desired service:
After activating the service you’d like to use, you can go to the service’s Settings page to complete any necessary account details — from your Dashboard, go to Settings → Service Name (i.e. Ecwid Store, Shopify, or ShopLocket). In case you don’t already have an online store, you’ll be able to create one from the Settings page. (If you’ve ever used Publicize to connect your site to any social media platform like Facebook or Twitter, this process, which is very similar, will be a breeze).
Turn your site into a tailor-made storefront
Once your WordPress.com Business site is connected to your online store, the possibilities are endless. Each service is slightly different, but you can feature your products by simply embedding a link to your product into the editor, pasting in a shortcode from the services’ dashboard/admin, or, in some cases, just copying over the embed code into the editor. Regardless of the method you choose, we’ll automatically convert each link into a sleek, professional product image.
If you’d like more control over your site’s visuals, you can tweak your products’ appearance even further. You can modify the look and feel of the products on your page by customizing the shortcode, from image size and background color to “Buy” button text. Depending on the ecommerce service you’re using, you can add products to your sidebar with a designated widget, or even have a shopping cart on your page.
All three ecommerce options are now available to all WordPress.com Business users — we hope you give them a try!
Source >> https://en.blog.wordpress.com/2014/02/25/wordpress-business-ecommerce/
We’re thrilled to announce that, starting today, WordPress.com Business users can connect their sites to their online stores. With three leading ecommerce partners to choose from — Ecwid, Shopify, and ShopLocket (Update: ShopLocket is no longer an ecommerce partner on WordPress.com)– you can showcase, promote, and sell products to your customers directly from your site.
If you’re already a WordPress.com Business user, or are thinking of becoming one, here’s how the ecommerce feature will power your WordPress.com site.
A simple, hassle-free connection
Users with the WordPress.com Business upgrade already enjoy great features like live-chat support, unlimited storage, and free access to all our premium themes. Now, you can turn your site into a sleek online storefront, and let visitors shop from any post or page. The partners we’ve teamed up with — Ecwid, Shopify, and ShopLocket — all provide a smooth and secure ecommerce experience for you and your customers.
Connecting to your store is quick and easy — you initiate the process on your Dashboard, by going to eCommerce Plugins, where you can select the desired service:
After activating the service you’d like to use, you can go to the service’s Settings page to complete any necessary account details — from your Dashboard, go to Settings → Service Name (i.e. Ecwid Store, Shopify, or ShopLocket). In case you don’t already have an online store, you’ll be able to create one from the Settings page. (If you’ve ever used Publicize to connect your site to any social media platform like Facebook or Twitter, this process, which is very similar, will be a breeze).
Turn your site into a tailor-made storefront
Once your WordPress.com Business site is connected to your online store, the possibilities are endless. Each service is slightly different, but you can feature your products by simply embedding a link to your product into the editor, pasting in a shortcode from the services’ dashboard/admin, or, in some cases, just copying over the embed code into the editor. Regardless of the method you choose, we’ll automatically convert each link into a sleek, professional product image.
If you’d like more control over your site’s visuals, you can tweak your products’ appearance even further. You can modify the look and feel of the products on your page by customizing the shortcode, from image size and background color to “Buy” button text. Depending on the ecommerce service you’re using, you can add products to your sidebar with a designated widget, or even have a shopping cart on your page.
All three ecommerce options are now available to all WordPress.com Business users — we hope you give them a try!
Source >> https://en.blog.wordpress.com/2014/02/25/wordpress-business-ecommerce/
Friday, April 27, 2018
How to Use ShipBob for Your eCommerce Order Fulfillment
By: Andrew Childress
When I talk to entrepreneurs and small business owners, there's only one thing that you hear from all of them: time is always short! In trying to bootstrap your online store to its full potential, you have to look for parts of your business you can hand off to those who can handle it best.
So when it's time to deliver online orders to your customers, spending time printing labels, packing products, and dropping the packages off is hardly the way you want to spend your limited time. This is why you turn over your order fulfillment to ShipBob.
In this tutorial, I'm going to teach you how to get the most out of ShipBob, a leading provider of eCommerce order fulfillment. You'll see that outsourcing your order fulfillment is a huge weight lifted from most small business owners' workload. Plus, the built-in analytics and reporting tools can help you understand your business and customer order patterns better. Let's take a closer look:
Why Outsource Your Order Fulfillment?
With ShipBob, once you are set up with your account, you simply send all of your inventory to their warehouse location, and they handle the rest. Sending all of your inventory to a third-party allows you to simplify delivery and get back to running your business.
Here are five of my favorite reasons to turn over fulfillment to ShipBob:
1. Because ShipBob handles huge volumes of shipments, they can negotiate shipping discounts with carriers and pass along the cost savings to you.
2. There are multiple warehouses located in large cities across different regions of the country to position your inventory closer to customers for faster turnaround times.
3. Easy integration with many eCommerce platforms means that you can get started with ShipBob quickly, and they'll automatically receive order information as customers complete checkout on your store.
4.ShipBob has ample warehouse space to scale up at any given time to handle even more inventory as your online business grows, so you aren't constantly looking for new 5.space to store your products.
5.The shipping tools and analytics inside of ShipBob help you to understand your business better and keep important trends in front of you.
Read More >> https://business.tutsplus.com/tutorials/shipbob-ecommerce-order-fulfillment--cms-30790
When I talk to entrepreneurs and small business owners, there's only one thing that you hear from all of them: time is always short! In trying to bootstrap your online store to its full potential, you have to look for parts of your business you can hand off to those who can handle it best.
So when it's time to deliver online orders to your customers, spending time printing labels, packing products, and dropping the packages off is hardly the way you want to spend your limited time. This is why you turn over your order fulfillment to ShipBob.
In this tutorial, I'm going to teach you how to get the most out of ShipBob, a leading provider of eCommerce order fulfillment. You'll see that outsourcing your order fulfillment is a huge weight lifted from most small business owners' workload. Plus, the built-in analytics and reporting tools can help you understand your business and customer order patterns better. Let's take a closer look:
Why Outsource Your Order Fulfillment?
With ShipBob, once you are set up with your account, you simply send all of your inventory to their warehouse location, and they handle the rest. Sending all of your inventory to a third-party allows you to simplify delivery and get back to running your business.
Here are five of my favorite reasons to turn over fulfillment to ShipBob:
1. Because ShipBob handles huge volumes of shipments, they can negotiate shipping discounts with carriers and pass along the cost savings to you.
2. There are multiple warehouses located in large cities across different regions of the country to position your inventory closer to customers for faster turnaround times.
3. Easy integration with many eCommerce platforms means that you can get started with ShipBob quickly, and they'll automatically receive order information as customers complete checkout on your store.
4.ShipBob has ample warehouse space to scale up at any given time to handle even more inventory as your online business grows, so you aren't constantly looking for new 5.space to store your products.
5.The shipping tools and analytics inside of ShipBob help you to understand your business better and keep important trends in front of you.
Read More >> https://business.tutsplus.com/tutorials/shipbob-ecommerce-order-fulfillment--cms-30790
Wednesday, April 25, 2018
7 Best Practices for Superior Ecommerce Site Search
By: Richelle Monfort
Our online search behavior has been conditioned by our long association with Microsoft Windows and Mac OS.
Our hands and eyes unconsciously seek a magnifying glass in the top menu or sidebar in order to type in our queries.
We take it as a given that every website would have a search box—too gaudy, too small, too huge, but a box, nevertheless.
However, you would be surprised how many websites have ignored basic UI, ecommerce, and conversion optimization rules. In fact, some websites (mostly non-ecommerce) don’t have a search bar at all. Take the University of Rochester’s sports site, for example:
Unimaginable! What if someone was trying to recall the name of the soccer coach during the years they went to the university?
Contrast it with a B2C product seller—the Chicago Music Exchange, which offers an advanced search engine with top searches, suggestions, and product listing snippets for their guitars:
This led me to think why having a search bar or box is so important and what could be some best practices for site search.
According to the 2015 Econsultancy Conversion Report, 59% of site owners use customer journey analysis to improve conversion rates. Site search is an integral part of customer journey analysis. Your search data provides a glimpse into your consumer’s habits and product trends, which in turn help you derive valuable insights into user experience and marketing.
Another major benefit is that search brings home conversions (read, sales). There are truckloads of examples out there of how a strategically placed or smart search bar improves sales.
So here goes—let’s dissect the various attributes of the product search function.
Have the Basics in Place
I think the standard best practice for everyone is to have a prominent search bar with autosuggest.
But a lot of websites are far from this best practice. Case in point, the main website for the University of Rochester (hey, I’m not letting them off so easily).
It has the standard search box on the top right.
All good so far.
Whatever happened to those innumerable UX and CX guidelines and best practice lessons? Are they only restricted to websites like eBay and Amazon? Are visitors to small business websites supposed to carry a spade?
Thankfully, that’s not true. A lot of ecommerce builders offer smart search add-ons and extensions that offer rich auto-complete, suggested items, semantic matching and even images to improve the shopping experience and drive sales. From a DIY website builder like Squarespace to the enterprise ecommerce platform Shopify, you will find many tools that offer advanced search plugins that can be integrated with your site. Shopify alone has over a dozen of these in their app store.
Read More >> https://www.salehoo.com/blog/7-best-practices-for-superior-ecommerce-site-search
Our online search behavior has been conditioned by our long association with Microsoft Windows and Mac OS.
Our hands and eyes unconsciously seek a magnifying glass in the top menu or sidebar in order to type in our queries.
We take it as a given that every website would have a search box—too gaudy, too small, too huge, but a box, nevertheless.
However, you would be surprised how many websites have ignored basic UI, ecommerce, and conversion optimization rules. In fact, some websites (mostly non-ecommerce) don’t have a search bar at all. Take the University of Rochester’s sports site, for example:
Unimaginable! What if someone was trying to recall the name of the soccer coach during the years they went to the university?
Contrast it with a B2C product seller—the Chicago Music Exchange, which offers an advanced search engine with top searches, suggestions, and product listing snippets for their guitars:
This led me to think why having a search bar or box is so important and what could be some best practices for site search.
According to the 2015 Econsultancy Conversion Report, 59% of site owners use customer journey analysis to improve conversion rates. Site search is an integral part of customer journey analysis. Your search data provides a glimpse into your consumer’s habits and product trends, which in turn help you derive valuable insights into user experience and marketing.
Another major benefit is that search brings home conversions (read, sales). There are truckloads of examples out there of how a strategically placed or smart search bar improves sales.
So here goes—let’s dissect the various attributes of the product search function.
Have the Basics in Place
I think the standard best practice for everyone is to have a prominent search bar with autosuggest.
But a lot of websites are far from this best practice. Case in point, the main website for the University of Rochester (hey, I’m not letting them off so easily).
It has the standard search box on the top right.
All good so far.
Whatever happened to those innumerable UX and CX guidelines and best practice lessons? Are they only restricted to websites like eBay and Amazon? Are visitors to small business websites supposed to carry a spade?
Thankfully, that’s not true. A lot of ecommerce builders offer smart search add-ons and extensions that offer rich auto-complete, suggested items, semantic matching and even images to improve the shopping experience and drive sales. From a DIY website builder like Squarespace to the enterprise ecommerce platform Shopify, you will find many tools that offer advanced search plugins that can be integrated with your site. Shopify alone has over a dozen of these in their app store.
Read More >> https://www.salehoo.com/blog/7-best-practices-for-superior-ecommerce-site-search
Deliv offers Shopify retailers same-day delivery options
By: Dan Wilson
April 24, 2018
Silcon Valley based same-day delivery crowd-sourced firm Deliv has revealed it will now be offering a same-day fulfilment service for Shopify merchants.
Deliv already serves retailers like Macy’s, Best Buy and PetSmart to deliver same-day but the new partnership will enable Shopify retailers (in the USA for now) to offer time-slotted, same-day delivery to shoppers. The new delivery offering is powered by the Shopify plug-in Zapiet.
So what is Deliv?
They claim to provide a new last mile delivery solution to power same-day delivery for retailers and businesses. Whether you want to integrate Deliv into your ecommerce site or simply book a local delivery today, they can deliver the goods. Even within the hour.
They have also recently launched Deliv Rx which is a specialist same-day delivery service for pharmacies, hospitals, medical device companies, dentists and others in healthcare who have specific delivery needs.
It’s US based only at the moment but is operating in 35 cities nationwide including Atlanta, Boston, Dallas, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Seattle, Tampa and Washington DC. There’s definitely space for a similar UK service, now Shutl has gone quiet after the eBay buy-out.
As they say of their business:
Same-day is definitely a trend that ecommerce merchants need to be keeping track of. Specifically retailers in metropolitan areas should be looking for a provider so that they can serve high-spending, time conscious shoppers.
Source >> https://tamebay.com/2018/04/deliv-offers-shopify-retailers-same-day-delivery-options.html
April 24, 2018
Silcon Valley based same-day delivery crowd-sourced firm Deliv has revealed it will now be offering a same-day fulfilment service for Shopify merchants.
Deliv already serves retailers like Macy’s, Best Buy and PetSmart to deliver same-day but the new partnership will enable Shopify retailers (in the USA for now) to offer time-slotted, same-day delivery to shoppers. The new delivery offering is powered by the Shopify plug-in Zapiet.
So what is Deliv?
They claim to provide a new last mile delivery solution to power same-day delivery for retailers and businesses. Whether you want to integrate Deliv into your ecommerce site or simply book a local delivery today, they can deliver the goods. Even within the hour.
They have also recently launched Deliv Rx which is a specialist same-day delivery service for pharmacies, hospitals, medical device companies, dentists and others in healthcare who have specific delivery needs.
It’s US based only at the moment but is operating in 35 cities nationwide including Atlanta, Boston, Dallas, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Seattle, Tampa and Washington DC. There’s definitely space for a similar UK service, now Shutl has gone quiet after the eBay buy-out.
As they say of their business:
Same-day is definitely a trend that ecommerce merchants need to be keeping track of. Specifically retailers in metropolitan areas should be looking for a provider so that they can serve high-spending, time conscious shoppers.
Source >> https://tamebay.com/2018/04/deliv-offers-shopify-retailers-same-day-delivery-options.html
Sunday, April 22, 2018
AVALARA TAXES FOR SHOPIFY PLUS MERCHANTS
By: Adar
INTRODUCING THE DEATH OF CONFUSING TAXES
One of the biggest headaches for business owners is dealing with taxes. Especially for ecommerce store owners who ship globally, managing a complex set of taxes and doing it right often takes time and resources away from growing your business.
Shopify Plus has got your back. They’ve integrated with one of the most powerful tax softwares around, called Avalara AvaTax.
WHAT DOES AVALARA DO?
Avalara’s biggest win is that it automatically provides real-time tax codes from more than 12,000 taxing jurisdictions – so you don’t have to spend any more time trying to figure out which county you’re shipping to taxes what. Their database of tax rates are refreshed every five minutes, making it the most reliably accurate software out there.
If what you sell gets special tax rules that don’t fit in with the generic, you can customise and adjust. Once you set up your product codes, AvaTax keeps them updated.
And of course, it wouldn’t be a good tax software without reports that are easy to read and ready to use. You’ll get tax reports for sales and finance that are ready to go. They also offer full audit support.
Shopify Plus users can now integrate with Avalara, which does require a separate Avalara service payment.
MAKE IT HAPPEN: SETTING UP AND USING AVALARA
OPEN AN AVALARA ACCOUNT AND CONNECT IT WITH SHOPIFY PLUS
You can open an Avalara account directly from your Shopify Admin, or you can connect one that already exists.
1. Log in → Settings → Taxes
2. Hit “Get Started” in the Tax Services section
3. Create an Avalara Account, including a password. If you already have an Avalara account, you can click the button just below “Create Account” and enter your credentials. You’re ready to start.
SET UP YOUR TAX CODES
If you’re selling things other than “general physical goods” you might have to make some tax code adjustments that use a rate other than the default. Using Avalara, you can look up all of your items and make sure they’re set to the correct codes.
GET SALES AND TAX REPORTS
Log in to your taxes section of your admin.
If you want a summary of the sales taxes that were applied to your sales, the Taxes finance report is a good place to start.
For many businesses, the report that can help you most with your sales tax reporting is the Sales finance report. You can export this report as a CSV file that includes the order amounts, taxes, and the POS, billing, and shipping locations. To make the most of this report, make sure you choose the correct time period (such as the calendar year), and select Full report when you export it. This report helps you get the information that you or your accountant needs to work on your sales tax returns.
To learn more about the Taxes finance report, see Taxes finance report. To learn more about the Sales finance report, see Sales finance report.
Read More >> https://elkfox.com/blogs/articles/avalara-taxes-for-shopify-plus-merchants
INTRODUCING THE DEATH OF CONFUSING TAXES
One of the biggest headaches for business owners is dealing with taxes. Especially for ecommerce store owners who ship globally, managing a complex set of taxes and doing it right often takes time and resources away from growing your business.
Shopify Plus has got your back. They’ve integrated with one of the most powerful tax softwares around, called Avalara AvaTax.
WHAT DOES AVALARA DO?
Avalara’s biggest win is that it automatically provides real-time tax codes from more than 12,000 taxing jurisdictions – so you don’t have to spend any more time trying to figure out which county you’re shipping to taxes what. Their database of tax rates are refreshed every five minutes, making it the most reliably accurate software out there.
If what you sell gets special tax rules that don’t fit in with the generic, you can customise and adjust. Once you set up your product codes, AvaTax keeps them updated.
And of course, it wouldn’t be a good tax software without reports that are easy to read and ready to use. You’ll get tax reports for sales and finance that are ready to go. They also offer full audit support.
Shopify Plus users can now integrate with Avalara, which does require a separate Avalara service payment.
MAKE IT HAPPEN: SETTING UP AND USING AVALARA
OPEN AN AVALARA ACCOUNT AND CONNECT IT WITH SHOPIFY PLUS
You can open an Avalara account directly from your Shopify Admin, or you can connect one that already exists.
1. Log in → Settings → Taxes
2. Hit “Get Started” in the Tax Services section
3. Create an Avalara Account, including a password. If you already have an Avalara account, you can click the button just below “Create Account” and enter your credentials. You’re ready to start.
SET UP YOUR TAX CODES
If you’re selling things other than “general physical goods” you might have to make some tax code adjustments that use a rate other than the default. Using Avalara, you can look up all of your items and make sure they’re set to the correct codes.
GET SALES AND TAX REPORTS
Log in to your taxes section of your admin.
If you want a summary of the sales taxes that were applied to your sales, the Taxes finance report is a good place to start.
For many businesses, the report that can help you most with your sales tax reporting is the Sales finance report. You can export this report as a CSV file that includes the order amounts, taxes, and the POS, billing, and shipping locations. To make the most of this report, make sure you choose the correct time period (such as the calendar year), and select Full report when you export it. This report helps you get the information that you or your accountant needs to work on your sales tax returns.
To learn more about the Taxes finance report, see Taxes finance report. To learn more about the Sales finance report, see Sales finance report.
Read More >> https://elkfox.com/blogs/articles/avalara-taxes-for-shopify-plus-merchants
Best ecommerce software to build an online shop
By: Bogdan Sandu
An ecommerce software is an extraordinary instrument that can help you create an online store regardless of the possibility that you have no specialized slashes.
However, there might be one issue, which one is the best ecommerce software for you?
As to find out which is the best ecommerce software for both small and large businesses, we have investigated a huge number of shopping carts and ecommerce software on many different websites. We also tested them all.
So, in case that you are considering making your own particular online store and searching for a few thoughts for the best online store builder to utilize, this article will reveal some insight into this field for you.
How to build an Ecommerce Website
You can only build an ecommerce website in two ways:
1. Self-hosted ecommerce software
2. Hosted ecommerce website (easier to use)
In both ways, you can get your best online storefront builder. Yet, contingent on the volume of products that you’re offering, the degree of the customization that you need and the quantity of knowledge curve you are ready to undertake, one of these software’s will be more suitable for you.
Hosted Ecommerce Software – Shopping Chart
This software shopping chat will help you to build a store without being a professional!
This is the best ecommerce website builder option for the ordinary people that desire to concentrate on their company, and not on the professional side of managing an online store.
Who should use it?
Here you can find the reasons why individuals want to utilize this ecommerce website maker:
You don’t fancy worrying about security, hosting or some technical features of managing your online store.
Essentially, this ecommerce website builder gives you ecommerce features and also takes care of every technical system controlling features of managing a website so you don’t have to perform the role of acting your own IT administrator. This allows you to concentrate on your company instead.
You require a solution where every shopping cart devices appear pre-installed and you can use them right away.
All the devices you will need to manage an online store like payment processors and product management are previously built-in to the received ecommerce builder. There is no unification work and minimal arrangement that needs to be completed. They all work immediately. In case that you get lost, they have committed support teams to assist you with your problem.
You need to be capable of building your website managing easy drag and dropping technology that needs no coding abilities.
The plan is that hosted shopping carts are hiding the codes, and perform easy and non-technical user interface for you to build your personal website,(utilizing drag and drop technology for you to include your content like pictures, galleries, and so forth) upload your products, attach your site to a pay processor, then you can begin selling immediately.
The advantages of these ecommerce store builders is the fact that they are pretty basic to utilize, even in case that you are not a professional in this field.
The disadvantage is that you can’t find much adaptability in case that you need to change the functions represented by these particular ecommerce software providers.
And since you’re looking for an ecommerce solution for your website, you should also make sure that your promotional emails have the best open rate.
There are several tools to help you do that. SendPulse is one of them and it stands out by helping its users maximize open rates automaticall with Artificial Intelligence, Hyper-personalization, and Predictive analysis.
Read More >> http://www.designyourway.net/blog/resources/ecommerce-software-build-online-shop/
An ecommerce software is an extraordinary instrument that can help you create an online store regardless of the possibility that you have no specialized slashes.
However, there might be one issue, which one is the best ecommerce software for you?
As to find out which is the best ecommerce software for both small and large businesses, we have investigated a huge number of shopping carts and ecommerce software on many different websites. We also tested them all.
So, in case that you are considering making your own particular online store and searching for a few thoughts for the best online store builder to utilize, this article will reveal some insight into this field for you.
How to build an Ecommerce Website
You can only build an ecommerce website in two ways:
1. Self-hosted ecommerce software
2. Hosted ecommerce website (easier to use)
In both ways, you can get your best online storefront builder. Yet, contingent on the volume of products that you’re offering, the degree of the customization that you need and the quantity of knowledge curve you are ready to undertake, one of these software’s will be more suitable for you.
Hosted Ecommerce Software – Shopping Chart
This software shopping chat will help you to build a store without being a professional!
This is the best ecommerce website builder option for the ordinary people that desire to concentrate on their company, and not on the professional side of managing an online store.
Who should use it?
Here you can find the reasons why individuals want to utilize this ecommerce website maker:
You don’t fancy worrying about security, hosting or some technical features of managing your online store.
Essentially, this ecommerce website builder gives you ecommerce features and also takes care of every technical system controlling features of managing a website so you don’t have to perform the role of acting your own IT administrator. This allows you to concentrate on your company instead.
You require a solution where every shopping cart devices appear pre-installed and you can use them right away.
All the devices you will need to manage an online store like payment processors and product management are previously built-in to the received ecommerce builder. There is no unification work and minimal arrangement that needs to be completed. They all work immediately. In case that you get lost, they have committed support teams to assist you with your problem.
You need to be capable of building your website managing easy drag and dropping technology that needs no coding abilities.
The plan is that hosted shopping carts are hiding the codes, and perform easy and non-technical user interface for you to build your personal website,(utilizing drag and drop technology for you to include your content like pictures, galleries, and so forth) upload your products, attach your site to a pay processor, then you can begin selling immediately.
The advantages of these ecommerce store builders is the fact that they are pretty basic to utilize, even in case that you are not a professional in this field.
The disadvantage is that you can’t find much adaptability in case that you need to change the functions represented by these particular ecommerce software providers.
And since you’re looking for an ecommerce solution for your website, you should also make sure that your promotional emails have the best open rate.
There are several tools to help you do that. SendPulse is one of them and it stands out by helping its users maximize open rates automaticall with Artificial Intelligence, Hyper-personalization, and Predictive analysis.
Thursday, April 19, 2018
How To Set Up Shipping Rates On Shopify 2018
By: SHAHNAWAZ SADIQUE
This How To Set Up Shipping Rates On Shopify Article is following article on shopify guide. Now Lets Start 🙂 . Two of the important aspects of your ecommerce store are shipping and taxes. You will need to create shipping policies and determine what company you are going to use to do your shipping.
You may need to offer more than one. Whatever you choose, you will also need to set up the options to work with your products so that your customers can choose the shipping options that they prefer.
You don’t want to just have one shipping policy. Sometimes, your customers may be willing to pay extra to have their item delivered as soon as possible and a store that offers multiple shipping options that customers want is going to earn the loyalty of those customers.
Read More – Best Video Training Course For Ecommerce Site Setup 2017
The Various Shipping Options
There are several different options that you have when it comes to shipping. What you choose will depend entirely upon what sort of items you are selling, what you think your customers will prefer and what is going to be most cost-effective for you. Let’s go over the four different shipping options that you have to choose from when planning out your store.
Manual Shipping Rates
The first of the four options is manual shipping. In manual shipping you set the rates yourself and use whatever shipping services that you want to offer to customers, or even offer customer pickup in lieu of shipping. The advantage that this method has is that you can easily add in incidental costs or handling fees, which are sometimes necessary depending upon what it is you are planning on shipping. The disadvantage of this method is that the calculated costs are usually more than customers expect to pay for shipping and it will not match up if they decide to check on the shipping costs themselves, nor do you have the flexibility to ship a variety of different weights, sizes and the like.
For example, with manual shipping you might set a shipping cost that is based upon the expected weight of an item but if the item weighs more than you anticipating you will be paying the extra shipping cost yourself. On the other hand, if you charge a customer for shipping something and the weight is less than you anticipating, it will likely cost you less to ship, allowing you to pocket the difference, but your customers may not be happy with the price that they paid for shipping. Finally, you have the disadvantage of almost having to set up shipping costs for every product if you have a wide variety of sizes and weights because it can be difficult to calculate weight and dimensions across a wide variety of shipments.
The only time that this is the best option to choose is when you require special handling fees because of the products that you are shipping and all of your products are basically the same size and weight. So, you can set a standard shipping cost of $5 or $10 or whatever you choose to use as your manual shipping rate. Of course, if you don’t have a shipping option and you simply want to charge a handling fee for customer pickup this is the best option to choose for that because you can set it at a standard handling amount. Many store owners also use this for charging a delivery fee within their local delivery area.
Read More >> http://commonstupidman.com/set-shipping-rates-shopify/
This How To Set Up Shipping Rates On Shopify Article is following article on shopify guide. Now Lets Start 🙂 . Two of the important aspects of your ecommerce store are shipping and taxes. You will need to create shipping policies and determine what company you are going to use to do your shipping.
You may need to offer more than one. Whatever you choose, you will also need to set up the options to work with your products so that your customers can choose the shipping options that they prefer.
You don’t want to just have one shipping policy. Sometimes, your customers may be willing to pay extra to have their item delivered as soon as possible and a store that offers multiple shipping options that customers want is going to earn the loyalty of those customers.
Read More – Best Video Training Course For Ecommerce Site Setup 2017
The Various Shipping Options
There are several different options that you have when it comes to shipping. What you choose will depend entirely upon what sort of items you are selling, what you think your customers will prefer and what is going to be most cost-effective for you. Let’s go over the four different shipping options that you have to choose from when planning out your store.
Manual Shipping Rates
The first of the four options is manual shipping. In manual shipping you set the rates yourself and use whatever shipping services that you want to offer to customers, or even offer customer pickup in lieu of shipping. The advantage that this method has is that you can easily add in incidental costs or handling fees, which are sometimes necessary depending upon what it is you are planning on shipping. The disadvantage of this method is that the calculated costs are usually more than customers expect to pay for shipping and it will not match up if they decide to check on the shipping costs themselves, nor do you have the flexibility to ship a variety of different weights, sizes and the like.
For example, with manual shipping you might set a shipping cost that is based upon the expected weight of an item but if the item weighs more than you anticipating you will be paying the extra shipping cost yourself. On the other hand, if you charge a customer for shipping something and the weight is less than you anticipating, it will likely cost you less to ship, allowing you to pocket the difference, but your customers may not be happy with the price that they paid for shipping. Finally, you have the disadvantage of almost having to set up shipping costs for every product if you have a wide variety of sizes and weights because it can be difficult to calculate weight and dimensions across a wide variety of shipments.
The only time that this is the best option to choose is when you require special handling fees because of the products that you are shipping and all of your products are basically the same size and weight. So, you can set a standard shipping cost of $5 or $10 or whatever you choose to use as your manual shipping rate. Of course, if you don’t have a shipping option and you simply want to charge a handling fee for customer pickup this is the best option to choose for that because you can set it at a standard handling amount. Many store owners also use this for charging a delivery fee within their local delivery area.
Read More >> http://commonstupidman.com/set-shipping-rates-shopify/
Wednesday, April 18, 2018
Shopify vs. Magento: How do they compare?
By: Laura Kluz
Over the past few years, the ecommerce world has exploded.
Last year saw ecommerce sales rise by 15.6% in North America alone, and that trend is only expected to rise. It is estimated that by 2020, ecommerce sales will reach more than $4 trillion worldwide. Yes, you read that right - trillion.
Magento and Shopify have both been major players in the ecommerce space. They’ve had to adapt and meet this growing trend. Magento has enjoyed an early stronghold on this market. It’s a powerful platform, but with the forced upgrade to Magento 2, business owners are wondering whether it’s still their best option.
Is the cost to upgrade worth it?
Shopify has been gaining momentum these past few years, and for good reason. Shopify makes it easy for everyday folks - those who know nothing about coding, programming or web development, to start their own ecommerce businesses.
With the release of Shopify Plus, which includes tools such as Scripts and Flow, this platform has become an even more powerful option for growing ecommerce businesses.
For the first time this year, search inquiries for Shopify have surpassed Magento and there is a reason for this trend.
With the mandatory update to Magento 2, now is the time to look at which ecommerce platform is best suited for your needs.
Let’s first break down a key difference between the two:
> Magento is a self-hosted platform, meaning the website is entirely managed and maintained by the store owner. The store owner must source a hosting partner and employ the help of a developer. A developer is essential to the set up and ongoing performance of your website.
> Shopify is a hosted platform, meaning all of the hosting and maintenance is managed by Shopify without a cost (or hassle!) to you. This includes the upkeep, the troubleshooting and the security.
Read More >> https://fuelmade.com/blogs/news/shopify-vs-magento-how-do-they-compare
Over the past few years, the ecommerce world has exploded.
Last year saw ecommerce sales rise by 15.6% in North America alone, and that trend is only expected to rise. It is estimated that by 2020, ecommerce sales will reach more than $4 trillion worldwide. Yes, you read that right - trillion.
Magento and Shopify have both been major players in the ecommerce space. They’ve had to adapt and meet this growing trend. Magento has enjoyed an early stronghold on this market. It’s a powerful platform, but with the forced upgrade to Magento 2, business owners are wondering whether it’s still their best option.
Is the cost to upgrade worth it?
Shopify has been gaining momentum these past few years, and for good reason. Shopify makes it easy for everyday folks - those who know nothing about coding, programming or web development, to start their own ecommerce businesses.
With the release of Shopify Plus, which includes tools such as Scripts and Flow, this platform has become an even more powerful option for growing ecommerce businesses.
For the first time this year, search inquiries for Shopify have surpassed Magento and there is a reason for this trend.
With the mandatory update to Magento 2, now is the time to look at which ecommerce platform is best suited for your needs.
Let’s first break down a key difference between the two:
> Magento is a self-hosted platform, meaning the website is entirely managed and maintained by the store owner. The store owner must source a hosting partner and employ the help of a developer. A developer is essential to the set up and ongoing performance of your website.
> Shopify is a hosted platform, meaning all of the hosting and maintenance is managed by Shopify without a cost (or hassle!) to you. This includes the upkeep, the troubleshooting and the security.
Read More >> https://fuelmade.com/blogs/news/shopify-vs-magento-how-do-they-compare
Monday, April 16, 2018
How Leading Platforms Are Addressing Shifting eCommerce SEO Priorities in 2018
By: COALITION TECHNOLOGIES
With every new year, it is important to survey the SEO landscape and see what’s changed. Search engines are always being tweaked to keep up with Internet trends and maintain quality searches, so the eCommerce and SEO industries have to keep up with them. By staying on top of the latest SEO trends, businesses and marketers can better refine their strategies and maximize web traffic and conversions.
We’re well into the year, so it is worth taking a look at how leading eCommerce platforms are handling eCommerce SEO in 2018 and their plans for the future. It is important to keep in mind that a majority of SEO activity has to do with keeping up with Google’s organic search algorithms, so there will be plenty of similarities between platforms. However, each platform also has its own priorities to keep in mind as well. Here is how some of the most popular eCommerce platforms like Shopify, BigCommerce, and Magento are addressing eCommerce SEO in 2018.
Shopify
Shopify has built up a reputation as a favorite eCommerce platform among small and medium-sized business owners who are looking for a simple, yet sophisticated platform for their online stores. Business owners who want to get a great-looking store up and running fast turn to Shopify, which doesn’t require advanced coding skills.
Shopify’s SEO tools get the job done for the most part, but they do have some limitations, such as the inability to edit robots.txt files and sitemaps, though there are some workarounds. For many small business owners and store owners, this isn’t a huge problem. However, larger businesses that have large inventories, other eCommerce platforms are a better choice. Nevertheless, here is how users can take advantage of Shopify’s eCommerce SEO tools in 2018:
> One of the major ways to keep up with Google’s latest algorithms is to ensure your website has an enjoyable user experience. Thankfully, this is easy to do with Shopify. You can use the platform to generate rich content and blog articles with long tail keywords, add customer reviews and testimonials, applicable video and high quality photos, and appealing design with easy site navigation.
> Encourage backlinks from high quality, authoritative sites.
> Develop a site structure that appeals to Google’s algorithms.
> Create unique and descriptive page titles and meta descriptions.
> Optimize your site for mobile.
> Shopify offers great social media tools to take advantage of.
BigCommerce
BigCommerce is another major player in eCommerce, and is used across all industries, by major businesses such as Toyota and Martha Stewart.
BigCommerce is similar to Shopify in that it is relatively easy to use for beginners, though it does include additional customization options that make it more appealing to advanced users and larger businesses.
Much of the same SEO tools that are used in Shopify apply with BigCommerce as well, though the platform also has its own quirks.
Read More >> https://coalitiontechnologies.com/blog/how-leading-platforms-are-addressing-shifting-ecommerce-seo-priorities-in-2018/13490/
With every new year, it is important to survey the SEO landscape and see what’s changed. Search engines are always being tweaked to keep up with Internet trends and maintain quality searches, so the eCommerce and SEO industries have to keep up with them. By staying on top of the latest SEO trends, businesses and marketers can better refine their strategies and maximize web traffic and conversions.
We’re well into the year, so it is worth taking a look at how leading eCommerce platforms are handling eCommerce SEO in 2018 and their plans for the future. It is important to keep in mind that a majority of SEO activity has to do with keeping up with Google’s organic search algorithms, so there will be plenty of similarities between platforms. However, each platform also has its own priorities to keep in mind as well. Here is how some of the most popular eCommerce platforms like Shopify, BigCommerce, and Magento are addressing eCommerce SEO in 2018.
Shopify
Shopify has built up a reputation as a favorite eCommerce platform among small and medium-sized business owners who are looking for a simple, yet sophisticated platform for their online stores. Business owners who want to get a great-looking store up and running fast turn to Shopify, which doesn’t require advanced coding skills.
Shopify’s SEO tools get the job done for the most part, but they do have some limitations, such as the inability to edit robots.txt files and sitemaps, though there are some workarounds. For many small business owners and store owners, this isn’t a huge problem. However, larger businesses that have large inventories, other eCommerce platforms are a better choice. Nevertheless, here is how users can take advantage of Shopify’s eCommerce SEO tools in 2018:
> One of the major ways to keep up with Google’s latest algorithms is to ensure your website has an enjoyable user experience. Thankfully, this is easy to do with Shopify. You can use the platform to generate rich content and blog articles with long tail keywords, add customer reviews and testimonials, applicable video and high quality photos, and appealing design with easy site navigation.
> Encourage backlinks from high quality, authoritative sites.
> Develop a site structure that appeals to Google’s algorithms.
> Create unique and descriptive page titles and meta descriptions.
> Optimize your site for mobile.
> Shopify offers great social media tools to take advantage of.
BigCommerce
BigCommerce is another major player in eCommerce, and is used across all industries, by major businesses such as Toyota and Martha Stewart.
BigCommerce is similar to Shopify in that it is relatively easy to use for beginners, though it does include additional customization options that make it more appealing to advanced users and larger businesses.
Much of the same SEO tools that are used in Shopify apply with BigCommerce as well, though the platform also has its own quirks.
Read More >> https://coalitiontechnologies.com/blog/how-leading-platforms-are-addressing-shifting-ecommerce-seo-priorities-in-2018/13490/
Sunday, April 15, 2018
GlobalShipped Helps Your Ecommerce Business Fulfill Orders in More than 120 Countries
By: GEORGMEDIA
A new Shopify app called GlobalShipped allows US-based ecommerce merchants using the Shopify platform to fulfill orders internationally from their stores. The app was developed by USendHome and makes satisfying customers in many different companies a bit easier.
GlobalShipped App for Shopify
With GlobalShipped, you no longer have to say “US buyers only” for the products you sell on your Shopify store. By simplifying the shipping process, the app has opened more markets to small businesses in the US. These small businesses can now easily ship to more than 120 countries using the app.
If your small business has an ecommerce platform, you already know customers from around the world can purchase your products. But shipping continues to be more labor-intensive than it has to be for international customers, which is one of the reasons many sites decline from shipping internationally.
How Does it Work?
The solution USendHome provides through its GlobalShipped app is basically a package forwarding service. The app is made available to shipping process merchants for free. The customer pays for the service they select to get their packages shipped outside the U.S.
When a customer is ready to check out, they are given the package forwarding address from your store. The new address automatically becomes the shipping address, allowing for a fast checkout when these customers make future purchases.
The shipping rate is based on size and weight, making it possible to send multiple items in one shipment and save the customer money. Customers can even purchase shipping insurance and they also have the option of using return services.
The company says it has competitive shipping prices based on the discounted rates it has negotiated with FedEx, UPS, USPS, DHL, and Aramex.
The app provides consolidated shipping of all the purchases made on your site. Whether customers buy only from you or from other online merchants too, the orders will be consolidated into one shipment. And once they are shipped, the automated package tracking system keeps the customer updated without having to check manually.
Pricing
The pricing for the new service is straightforward. There are no monthly fees, no setup fees and no hidden fees. Users only pay for the services they use.
Some of the rates include: package processing for $1, payment processing for 4.5 percent of the shipping rate, package consolidation for $2 before arrival and $3 after arrival and storage running for $1 per exceeding day.
Source >> https://georgmedia.com/globalshipped-helps-your-ecommerce-business-fulfill-orders-in-more-than-120-countries/
A new Shopify app called GlobalShipped allows US-based ecommerce merchants using the Shopify platform to fulfill orders internationally from their stores. The app was developed by USendHome and makes satisfying customers in many different companies a bit easier.
GlobalShipped App for Shopify
With GlobalShipped, you no longer have to say “US buyers only” for the products you sell on your Shopify store. By simplifying the shipping process, the app has opened more markets to small businesses in the US. These small businesses can now easily ship to more than 120 countries using the app.
If your small business has an ecommerce platform, you already know customers from around the world can purchase your products. But shipping continues to be more labor-intensive than it has to be for international customers, which is one of the reasons many sites decline from shipping internationally.
How Does it Work?
The solution USendHome provides through its GlobalShipped app is basically a package forwarding service. The app is made available to shipping process merchants for free. The customer pays for the service they select to get their packages shipped outside the U.S.
When a customer is ready to check out, they are given the package forwarding address from your store. The new address automatically becomes the shipping address, allowing for a fast checkout when these customers make future purchases.
The shipping rate is based on size and weight, making it possible to send multiple items in one shipment and save the customer money. Customers can even purchase shipping insurance and they also have the option of using return services.
The company says it has competitive shipping prices based on the discounted rates it has negotiated with FedEx, UPS, USPS, DHL, and Aramex.
The app provides consolidated shipping of all the purchases made on your site. Whether customers buy only from you or from other online merchants too, the orders will be consolidated into one shipment. And once they are shipped, the automated package tracking system keeps the customer updated without having to check manually.
Pricing
The pricing for the new service is straightforward. There are no monthly fees, no setup fees and no hidden fees. Users only pay for the services they use.
Some of the rates include: package processing for $1, payment processing for 4.5 percent of the shipping rate, package consolidation for $2 before arrival and $3 after arrival and storage running for $1 per exceeding day.
Source >> https://georgmedia.com/globalshipped-helps-your-ecommerce-business-fulfill-orders-in-more-than-120-countries/
Saturday, April 14, 2018
How To Bag More Sales On Your Shopify Store App With Push Notifications
By: Vanhishikha Bhargava
Did you know 58% of internet users are active on their smartphones as of today? This isn’t surprising at all given that consumers spend up to five hours on their phones daily, reports Flurry. What’s even more interesting is that a consumer uses nine mobile apps on an average every day. So how do you ensure you’re one of them? Mobile push notifications.
Mobile is a great platform for all kinds of businesses to boost customer engagement and to drive more sales — especially, eCommerce. Since 68% of consumers enable push notifications on their mobile apps, taking a plunge into “push” seems a viable option for your online store, isn’t it?
Of course, it is.
From travel sites and online beauty stores to resellers and clothing retailers, eCommerce businesses across domains are now successfully using push notifications to bring back customers to their Shopify store app to engage them in an activity or nudge them to make more purchases.
According to a study, push notifications can boost an app’s user engagement rate to almost 88%. In fact, eCommerce apps showcase the highest push engagement at 278%. This only indicates how willing the online shoppers are to be notified of product prices, sales and discounts from their favourite brands.
But engagement doesn’t come easy. You need to send out the right messages at the right time through push notifications. Here are the 8 types of mobile app push notifications that you should be sending to your customers.
Types of push notifications your Shopify store app should send
1) Recovering abandoned shopping carts
Cart abandonment is a major nuisance for eCommerce stores. According to Baymard, the average abandonment rate is 69.23% — which means out of 100 consumers, close to 70 of them come to an online store, browse through products, add a few in the cart but leave without purchasing anything!
A quick push notification to remind them of what they’ve left behind can bring back this customer. Create a sense of urgency in the message by offering them a discount or a coupon code applicable for a limited period. Hook them with an interesting offer they can’t say no to.
1800-Flowers.com does it quite smartly.
2) Product recommendations (upsell and cross sell)
One of the oldest tricks in the sales book — if your customer has already chosen and bought a product from you, don’t let that stop you from increasing the Average Order Value (AOV). Send product recommendations through push notifications.
H&M does a fantastic job in recommending products that could go with a newly purchased product. Check out the messaging below:
Try to cross-sell to the customer by introducing an add-on or show him an upgraded version of the product he has already bought (upsell). Hook him with an engaging deal to seal the purchase — just how a brick and mortar salesperson would!
3) Sending price drop alerts in real time
If your Shopify store is running a huge sale or has drop prices on a range of products that the customer has previously shown interest in, make sure they know. Send push notifications to peak your customer’s attention and bring them back to your Shopify mobile app to buy products that they loved.
Here’s an example from Instakart, a popular American online grocery store that sends alerts to its mobile consumers as soon as a price variation occurs.
Read More >> https://medium.com/@VanhishikhaB/how-to-bag-more-sales-on-your-shopify-store-app-with-push-notifications-ae7a919eea1b
Did you know 58% of internet users are active on their smartphones as of today? This isn’t surprising at all given that consumers spend up to five hours on their phones daily, reports Flurry. What’s even more interesting is that a consumer uses nine mobile apps on an average every day. So how do you ensure you’re one of them? Mobile push notifications.
Mobile is a great platform for all kinds of businesses to boost customer engagement and to drive more sales — especially, eCommerce. Since 68% of consumers enable push notifications on their mobile apps, taking a plunge into “push” seems a viable option for your online store, isn’t it?
Of course, it is.
From travel sites and online beauty stores to resellers and clothing retailers, eCommerce businesses across domains are now successfully using push notifications to bring back customers to their Shopify store app to engage them in an activity or nudge them to make more purchases.
According to a study, push notifications can boost an app’s user engagement rate to almost 88%. In fact, eCommerce apps showcase the highest push engagement at 278%. This only indicates how willing the online shoppers are to be notified of product prices, sales and discounts from their favourite brands.
But engagement doesn’t come easy. You need to send out the right messages at the right time through push notifications. Here are the 8 types of mobile app push notifications that you should be sending to your customers.
Types of push notifications your Shopify store app should send
1) Recovering abandoned shopping carts
Cart abandonment is a major nuisance for eCommerce stores. According to Baymard, the average abandonment rate is 69.23% — which means out of 100 consumers, close to 70 of them come to an online store, browse through products, add a few in the cart but leave without purchasing anything!
A quick push notification to remind them of what they’ve left behind can bring back this customer. Create a sense of urgency in the message by offering them a discount or a coupon code applicable for a limited period. Hook them with an interesting offer they can’t say no to.
1800-Flowers.com does it quite smartly.
2) Product recommendations (upsell and cross sell)
One of the oldest tricks in the sales book — if your customer has already chosen and bought a product from you, don’t let that stop you from increasing the Average Order Value (AOV). Send product recommendations through push notifications.
H&M does a fantastic job in recommending products that could go with a newly purchased product. Check out the messaging below:
Try to cross-sell to the customer by introducing an add-on or show him an upgraded version of the product he has already bought (upsell). Hook him with an engaging deal to seal the purchase — just how a brick and mortar salesperson would!
3) Sending price drop alerts in real time
If your Shopify store is running a huge sale or has drop prices on a range of products that the customer has previously shown interest in, make sure they know. Send push notifications to peak your customer’s attention and bring them back to your Shopify mobile app to buy products that they loved.
Here’s an example from Instakart, a popular American online grocery store that sends alerts to its mobile consumers as soon as a price variation occurs.
Read More >> https://medium.com/@VanhishikhaB/how-to-bag-more-sales-on-your-shopify-store-app-with-push-notifications-ae7a919eea1b
Thursday, April 12, 2018
Which eCommerce Platform is the Best Choice
By: Mark Tillison
Starting an eCommerce business sounds like it should be easy, but users quickly get stuck on which eCommerce platform is the best choice for their business.
Around 75% of the world’s eCommerce stores are based on just five eCommerce platforms, the most widely used being Magento, WooCommerce, Shopify, BigCommerce, 3dcart and PrestaShop. In addition to those, you’ve the question of whether you go hosted, or self-hosted, not forgetting which payment gateway you should choose and even where to host your eCommerce platform.
Given the multitude of options, which eCommerce platform is the best choice for your business?
Which eCommerce Platform is the Best Choice
Let’s start with narrowing the options to create an eCommerce shortlist. Remember that you need to consider where your business will be in 2-5 years, not just for launch:
1. How many different products do you expect to list on your store?
2. Will you need the eCommerce platform to integrate with other systems you use for processing, shipping and accounting?
3. Are the products simple – a book or a DVD is easy, but what about clothes which come in different sizes or colours? How about products which can be ordered by length?
4. Do you have a heap of data which you need to import from an existing system, and will your choice of eCommerce platform support the importing of that data?
5. How portable is your data once you’ve chosen the eCommerce platform – if you need to move later on, how easy or tough is that going to be?
6. How strong are your technical skills? Some platforms could be implemented yourself with some skills, whereas others will need services from an experienced specialist to both implement and support.
7. How many orders do you expect to process per month and what do you expect the annual eCommerce turnover to be?
8. What budget do you expect to spend building an eCommerce store, migrating or populating data and on hosting, maintenance and support?
Knowing the answers to those questions before you start comparing different eCommerce platforms will help make your journey more productive, help you avoid wasting time investigating the wrong platforms, talking to the wrong providers and worse still, ending up with an eCommerce platform that doesn’t support your needs.
eCommerce Platform Comparison
We checked out a few of the primary eCommerce platform candidates to compare the offerings and find out what eCommerce platform is the best choice for each business situation.
Magento
Starting with what many may argue is the market leader, Magento has been around for many years and has a huge developer community. In terms of customisation and scalable performance, Magento is among the best your search for an eCommerce platform is likely to reveal.
We caught up with Adam King, co-founder and Magento guru at Bournemouth-based Media Lounge, where a team of 15 have been working with the Magento platform for 8 years since it was launched. They’ve designed, programmed and supported over 160 Magento eCommerce websites to date. They’re fully Magento certified and also run their own eCommerce store so truly practise what they preach!
Why Did You Chose Magento?
We adopted Magento when it first came out 8 years ago as it seemed to have thought more about the scalability of eCommerce and the future growth of businesses more than any other platform. It’s also programmed in the most common programming language PHP.
Read More >> https://tillison.co.uk/blog/which-ecommerce-platform-is-the-best-choice/
Starting an eCommerce business sounds like it should be easy, but users quickly get stuck on which eCommerce platform is the best choice for their business.
Around 75% of the world’s eCommerce stores are based on just five eCommerce platforms, the most widely used being Magento, WooCommerce, Shopify, BigCommerce, 3dcart and PrestaShop. In addition to those, you’ve the question of whether you go hosted, or self-hosted, not forgetting which payment gateway you should choose and even where to host your eCommerce platform.
Given the multitude of options, which eCommerce platform is the best choice for your business?
Which eCommerce Platform is the Best Choice
Let’s start with narrowing the options to create an eCommerce shortlist. Remember that you need to consider where your business will be in 2-5 years, not just for launch:
1. How many different products do you expect to list on your store?
2. Will you need the eCommerce platform to integrate with other systems you use for processing, shipping and accounting?
3. Are the products simple – a book or a DVD is easy, but what about clothes which come in different sizes or colours? How about products which can be ordered by length?
4. Do you have a heap of data which you need to import from an existing system, and will your choice of eCommerce platform support the importing of that data?
5. How portable is your data once you’ve chosen the eCommerce platform – if you need to move later on, how easy or tough is that going to be?
6. How strong are your technical skills? Some platforms could be implemented yourself with some skills, whereas others will need services from an experienced specialist to both implement and support.
7. How many orders do you expect to process per month and what do you expect the annual eCommerce turnover to be?
8. What budget do you expect to spend building an eCommerce store, migrating or populating data and on hosting, maintenance and support?
Knowing the answers to those questions before you start comparing different eCommerce platforms will help make your journey more productive, help you avoid wasting time investigating the wrong platforms, talking to the wrong providers and worse still, ending up with an eCommerce platform that doesn’t support your needs.
eCommerce Platform Comparison
We checked out a few of the primary eCommerce platform candidates to compare the offerings and find out what eCommerce platform is the best choice for each business situation.
Magento
Starting with what many may argue is the market leader, Magento has been around for many years and has a huge developer community. In terms of customisation and scalable performance, Magento is among the best your search for an eCommerce platform is likely to reveal.
We caught up with Adam King, co-founder and Magento guru at Bournemouth-based Media Lounge, where a team of 15 have been working with the Magento platform for 8 years since it was launched. They’ve designed, programmed and supported over 160 Magento eCommerce websites to date. They’re fully Magento certified and also run their own eCommerce store so truly practise what they preach!
Why Did You Chose Magento?
We adopted Magento when it first came out 8 years ago as it seemed to have thought more about the scalability of eCommerce and the future growth of businesses more than any other platform. It’s also programmed in the most common programming language PHP.
Read More >> https://tillison.co.uk/blog/which-ecommerce-platform-is-the-best-choice/
Tuesday, April 10, 2018
GDPR eCommerce Websites: What You Need To Do
By: Danny Randon
The General Data Protection Regulation – commonly known as GDPR – comes into effect as of May 25th, 2018. The European Union are enacting a set of strict laws to protect privacy across the EU.
Matt Hancock, the UK government’s secretary of state for digital, culture, media and sport, has said that the measures ‘are designed to support businesses in their use of data, and give consumers the confidence that their data is protected and those who misuse it will be held to account’.
The Digital Guardian has added: ‘All organisations, including small to medium-sized companies and large enterprises, must be aware of all GDPR requirements and be prepared to comply by May 2018.’
GDPR eCommerce websites will be significantly impacted, so here’s what the top eCommerce platforms (Magento, Shopify, BigCommerce, WooCommerce and PrestaShop) are doing to get themselves ready for the new changes, and how it will affect not only the services they provide, but their customers too.
Magento and GDPR
Magento has been working hard to ensure that it is prepared for the GDPR changes by proactively probing and revising its policies, contracts and processes in regards to privacy and data protection. The platform has also been evaluating its products to assist customers in finding out what exact data is being retained by the platform and where it is being kept.
Magento is advising its customers to review any extensions that are linked with their accounts, due to Magento extensions being augmented by third parties. In order to be fully GDPR-compliant, Magento has also encouraged its customers to check all of their services and contracts linked to third-party organisations.
Shopify and GDPR
Like Magento, Shopify has also reviewed how GDPR affects its platform. It has disclosed that its services will not be altered, however the way that these services will be provided will be different.
GDPR Shopify will be affected in three ways:
1. Its privacy team will be re-organised to adequately document and keep record of the privacy-related decisions made by the platform, so that it will be fully accountable for its privacy practices.
2. Shopify will have to make and receive confirmed contractual commitments with their merchants, when using a third-party subprocessor to provide its services.
3. The platform will have to ensure that it is able to heed the rights of all European merchants and customers when it comes to its personal data.
WooCommerce and GDPR
WooCommerce has been heavily discussing the oncoming effects of GDPR over the last few months. To help its customers get ready for GDPR, WooCommerce has provided information about the new rules, alongside WooCommerce GDPR plans.
WooCommerce will be obligated to tell users what the platform is, why it is collecting data, who will receive the data and for how long. It has also been informed that it has to get clear consent before receiving any data, and let WooCommerce users access or delete data too. Customers will also have to be informed if data breaches occur.
WooCommerce has also recommended that its shop owners find out what they need to do to be GDPR-compliant, as there isn’t a one-size-fits-all approach.
BigCommerce and GDPR
BigCommerce says that it is ‘working hard to meet and exceed the privacy standards required by the GDPR’. In the meantime, the company’s director of information security, Christopher Beckett, has provided a comprehensive list of tips for building a GDPR-compliant business.
These recommendations include appointing a single employee within the organisation as a data protection leader, creating an inventory of data processing activities, and updating privacy notices to ‘be transparent and specific’. The article also informs customers that, under the GDPR, they have an obligation to disclose any breaches to the supervisory authority as soon as possible, at the latest within 72 hours.
BigCommerce has also said that its privacy policy will be updated before May 25th to reflect the latest EU guidelines, but as already mentioned in the policy, all data subject access requests submitted to privacy@bigcommerce.com will be actioned within the required 30 days.
PrestaShop and GDPR
PrestaShop hasn’t revealed too much about its plans regarding the GDPR, but has advised its customers to review and prepare their websites and plugins in compliance with the regulations.
The platform has also made the GDPR Suite Module available from its store to assist compliance. Released as an early version, the module offers a limited number of features including a customer data removal request and a customer personal data request, with email notifications to the store admin when a new request is created. The module also facilitates the manual administration of requests in back-office, although PrestaShop has warned that administrators will have to collect and purge data manually.
Meanwhile, PrestaChamps have published a page explaining the GDPR and the importance of complying with the new rules.
Read More >> https://tillison.co.uk/blog/gdpr-ecommerce-websites/
The General Data Protection Regulation – commonly known as GDPR – comes into effect as of May 25th, 2018. The European Union are enacting a set of strict laws to protect privacy across the EU.
Matt Hancock, the UK government’s secretary of state for digital, culture, media and sport, has said that the measures ‘are designed to support businesses in their use of data, and give consumers the confidence that their data is protected and those who misuse it will be held to account’.
The Digital Guardian has added: ‘All organisations, including small to medium-sized companies and large enterprises, must be aware of all GDPR requirements and be prepared to comply by May 2018.’
GDPR eCommerce websites will be significantly impacted, so here’s what the top eCommerce platforms (Magento, Shopify, BigCommerce, WooCommerce and PrestaShop) are doing to get themselves ready for the new changes, and how it will affect not only the services they provide, but their customers too.
Magento and GDPR
Magento has been working hard to ensure that it is prepared for the GDPR changes by proactively probing and revising its policies, contracts and processes in regards to privacy and data protection. The platform has also been evaluating its products to assist customers in finding out what exact data is being retained by the platform and where it is being kept.
Magento is advising its customers to review any extensions that are linked with their accounts, due to Magento extensions being augmented by third parties. In order to be fully GDPR-compliant, Magento has also encouraged its customers to check all of their services and contracts linked to third-party organisations.
Shopify and GDPR
Like Magento, Shopify has also reviewed how GDPR affects its platform. It has disclosed that its services will not be altered, however the way that these services will be provided will be different.
GDPR Shopify will be affected in three ways:
1. Its privacy team will be re-organised to adequately document and keep record of the privacy-related decisions made by the platform, so that it will be fully accountable for its privacy practices.
2. Shopify will have to make and receive confirmed contractual commitments with their merchants, when using a third-party subprocessor to provide its services.
3. The platform will have to ensure that it is able to heed the rights of all European merchants and customers when it comes to its personal data.
WooCommerce and GDPR
WooCommerce has been heavily discussing the oncoming effects of GDPR over the last few months. To help its customers get ready for GDPR, WooCommerce has provided information about the new rules, alongside WooCommerce GDPR plans.
WooCommerce will be obligated to tell users what the platform is, why it is collecting data, who will receive the data and for how long. It has also been informed that it has to get clear consent before receiving any data, and let WooCommerce users access or delete data too. Customers will also have to be informed if data breaches occur.
WooCommerce has also recommended that its shop owners find out what they need to do to be GDPR-compliant, as there isn’t a one-size-fits-all approach.
BigCommerce and GDPR
BigCommerce says that it is ‘working hard to meet and exceed the privacy standards required by the GDPR’. In the meantime, the company’s director of information security, Christopher Beckett, has provided a comprehensive list of tips for building a GDPR-compliant business.
These recommendations include appointing a single employee within the organisation as a data protection leader, creating an inventory of data processing activities, and updating privacy notices to ‘be transparent and specific’. The article also informs customers that, under the GDPR, they have an obligation to disclose any breaches to the supervisory authority as soon as possible, at the latest within 72 hours.
BigCommerce has also said that its privacy policy will be updated before May 25th to reflect the latest EU guidelines, but as already mentioned in the policy, all data subject access requests submitted to privacy@bigcommerce.com will be actioned within the required 30 days.
PrestaShop and GDPR
PrestaShop hasn’t revealed too much about its plans regarding the GDPR, but has advised its customers to review and prepare their websites and plugins in compliance with the regulations.
The platform has also made the GDPR Suite Module available from its store to assist compliance. Released as an early version, the module offers a limited number of features including a customer data removal request and a customer personal data request, with email notifications to the store admin when a new request is created. The module also facilitates the manual administration of requests in back-office, although PrestaShop has warned that administrators will have to collect and purge data manually.
Meanwhile, PrestaChamps have published a page explaining the GDPR and the importance of complying with the new rules.
Read More >> https://tillison.co.uk/blog/gdpr-ecommerce-websites/
Monday, April 9, 2018
OBERLO: YOUR FASTEST ROUTE TO DROPSHIPPING & ECOMMERCE
By: Ashwin
The worldwide ecommerce sales apparently reached a whopping $1.915 trillion (with a T), according to eMarketer.
This double-digit growth is only set to continue through to 2020 and the total sales will then top $4 trillion.
Ecommerce has seen massive growth, and there’s no denying that.
You could sell services, software, courses, and informational products. That’s still ecommerce.
If you are like me though, the only reason why you didn’t get to “products” and “ecommerce” yet is because of lack of products.
Not everyone is born with a factory that produces something, right?
There’s a way to get into ecommerce without all the headache that comes with finding or sourcing, stocking, and shipping them. In case you noticed, there’s still effort that goes into “selling product” though.
But wait? How do you even begin to sell your products when you don’t have any? Sell others’ products.
Identify a niche, figure out what to sell and to whom, keep it focused, and then find dropshipping partners.
After you upload product images and state your price, you’d do what all online businesses do: promote your store.
When a sale happens, dropshipping kicks into effect and your dropshipping partner sends out products to your customers on your behalf. Dropshipping partners take care of research & design, production, inventory management, warehousing, and shipping.
You take care of the sale.
Dropshipping, as Matt at DropaShip writes,
Dropshipping is the quickest route to getting into ecommerce. Since you don’t stock and ship products or manage inventory, it’s the modern day equivalent of “catalogue businesss”.
Now, isn’t it a pain to find dropshipping partners? No, it’s not. That’s because Oberlo shows you the way.
Oberlo is a Shopify App, and Shopify just happens to the biggest, baddest, and meanest ecommerce self-hosting platform there is.
You could try everything under the sun if you are crazy enough with time and cash on your hands, but you just can’t beat the value proposition Shopify puts on the table.
With that out of the way, Oberlo allows you to plug products right into your Shopify store and set you up for dropshipping.
Think of Oberlo as your dropshipping partner plus an entire team to help you with product sourcing and management.
Read More >> http://groovywebtools.com/oberlo/
The worldwide ecommerce sales apparently reached a whopping $1.915 trillion (with a T), according to eMarketer.
This double-digit growth is only set to continue through to 2020 and the total sales will then top $4 trillion.
Ecommerce has seen massive growth, and there’s no denying that.
You could sell services, software, courses, and informational products. That’s still ecommerce.
If you are like me though, the only reason why you didn’t get to “products” and “ecommerce” yet is because of lack of products.
Not everyone is born with a factory that produces something, right?
There’s a way to get into ecommerce without all the headache that comes with finding or sourcing, stocking, and shipping them. In case you noticed, there’s still effort that goes into “selling product” though.
But wait? How do you even begin to sell your products when you don’t have any? Sell others’ products.
Identify a niche, figure out what to sell and to whom, keep it focused, and then find dropshipping partners.
After you upload product images and state your price, you’d do what all online businesses do: promote your store.
When a sale happens, dropshipping kicks into effect and your dropshipping partner sends out products to your customers on your behalf. Dropshipping partners take care of research & design, production, inventory management, warehousing, and shipping.
You take care of the sale.
Dropshipping, as Matt at DropaShip writes,
Dropshipping is the quickest route to getting into ecommerce. Since you don’t stock and ship products or manage inventory, it’s the modern day equivalent of “catalogue businesss”.
Now, isn’t it a pain to find dropshipping partners? No, it’s not. That’s because Oberlo shows you the way.
Oberlo is a Shopify App, and Shopify just happens to the biggest, baddest, and meanest ecommerce self-hosting platform there is.
You could try everything under the sun if you are crazy enough with time and cash on your hands, but you just can’t beat the value proposition Shopify puts on the table.
With that out of the way, Oberlo allows you to plug products right into your Shopify store and set you up for dropshipping.
Think of Oberlo as your dropshipping partner plus an entire team to help you with product sourcing and management.
Read More >> http://groovywebtools.com/oberlo/
Sunday, April 8, 2018
TOP 20 Shopify and E-commerce experts
By: Sven Lillepalu
Whether you are just starting out as a Shopify entrepreneur or have been playing the courts for some time, we are sure you agree that good advice is always welcome. To make your journey into ecommerce easier, Shopify has created the Shopify Experts program to match seasoned professionals in design, functionality development, store setup and marketing/SEO with those in need of help. Below, we have handpicked 20 Experts to help you customize your Shopify store and hopefully give your business a boost.
1. Carson
Carson is a team of reliable Shopify Experts to help you take care of your Shopify related small tasks. The process is very simple – you create a task on the website, get matched with a suitable developer, magic happends and voila – you get to review and accept the fulfilled task. Carson offers both monthly subscription plans as well as single task pricing.
heycarson.com
2. Shopafree
Standing out from the crowd, Shopafree is the world’s only free Shopify setup service. You heard us right – free.They provide you with everything from setup & design, app installation, content to photography and even support. What´s the catch? You pay Shopify for your account. Then Shopify pays Shopafree a commission. You get your site setup free. Simple!
shopafree.me
3. CRO Gurus
Larsen Consulting is all about conversion rate optimization. CRO firmly believes that the best frameworks for CRO are based on learning, research and data. And that the result of any optimization exercise has to be measurable and translate directly into improved KPIs. Volume discounts are available for larger orders!
crogurus.com
4. EXENLABS
EXENLABS is an enthusiastic team with extensive knowledge of Shopify. Their core competences range from simple theme tweaks to store setup to full-blown mobile app development. Their services are packaged in easy-to-navigate service packages. Also – be sure to check out their custom apps and the video tutorials section on their website!
exenlabs.com
5. Shopify & You
From a slightly different angle, Shopify & You is an ebook that will take you from your initial moment of inspiration to that exciting and all-important first sale. An easy-to-use, step-by-step guide that covers everything you need to know about designing, setting up and running a truly awesome online store with Shopify.
shopifyandyou.com
6. Ents
Ents – working out of London, Brno and Klenovec, Ents is a group of full-time Shopify Experts with a client base ranging from clients in China to the UK and the US. Their services include store setup, theme design & development and ongoing support for your ecommerce venture. They are also experts in localization. Get a 1-hour free consultation to test their skills. An hourly consultation fee is also available.
shopify.ents.co
7. Emma Englishby
Emma Englishby asks you to run your business and leave the website to her. Emma is a web designer and Shopify Expert that can help you design and web development of you venture. She also offers website strategy consultations and is available to help you with any quickfixes or updates.
emmaenglishby.com
8. Adaptable
Working out of the UK, Adaptable combines innovation with digital craftsmanship to help brands fulfill their potential. The studio can help you in every stage of your ecommerce venture setup and operation – from advanced inventory management to conversion rate optimization. They also offer digital design, prototyping and service development.
weareadaptable.com
9. Blackbelt Commerce
Blackbelt Commerce is a passionate team of Shopify Experts that have helped over 400 Shopify businesses set up and grow, including the LA Lakers. In addition to some custom Shopify apps, developed in-house, BC offers a range of services to Shopify store owners ranging from theme customization to wholesale solutions to multilingual stores.
blackbeltcommerce.com
10. BTown Web
BTown Web is a development agency that provides programming and marketing services to ecommerce companies. This includes services ranging from digital strategy consulting to marketplace and web development.
btownweb.com
11. Flux Development
Flux Development delivers custom solutions built on Shopify Plus. If you’re looking to build a new ecommerce website, reinvigorate an existing digital channel, or build a Shopify app, Flux will help you make it happen with a focus on measurable results.
heyflux.com
12. Pivofy
Pivofy is a digital agency focused on implementing holistic ecommerce strategies, create exceptional user experiences, shape the most emerging technologies and integrate mobile and omnichannel sales approach for your business to scale quickly and firmly.
pivofy.com
13. Leumas Digital
Leumas Digital is a small team of specialist developers that offers complex Shopify development, setup and migration services, Shopify app development and third-party integration services with your Shopify platform.
leumasdigital.co.uk
14. Blend Commerce
Blend Commerce are all about launching, growing and automating their clients Shopify stores. As a starting point, Blend Commerces´ store roadmapping service will help you obtain a clear plan of how your store should be designed and built, based on your objectives and your product or service. At the conclusion of this process, you can either opt to have their Shopify store created by them or take a fully-prepared plan to another developer.
blendcommerce.com
15. Handwoven Industries
Handwoven Industries has been designing websites since 1997. Find out how you can leverage that experience to improve your existing website or build a new ecommerce site from scratch that will leave your visitors happy and engaged. As active members of the Shopify Experts bunch, they are intimately familiar with the ins and outs of the platform – as well as many others you may be migrating from – and can help turn your vision into reality quickly and securely.
handwovenindustries.com/
16. Sunbowl
Sunbowl is set out to turn browser into buyers, because isn´t this what every ecommerce aficionado dreams of? Whether you have an existing site that could use some upgrades, or you need one built from the ground up- Sunbowl specializes in making your online store the best it can be. They also provide one-on-one training + video instruction to guide you through the maintenance of your new site.sunbowl.ca
17. SeedCMS
Team Seed are longtime Shopify Experts, that have 4+ years of experience on the Shopify and Shopify Plus platform and are experienced on every aspect of the platform. Their wide selection of services include custom shopify themes and theme modification, custom-built apps, rebranding, email marketing integrations, copywriting etc.
seedcms.com
18. Blue Stout
Blue Stout turns your ecommerce store into a beautiful, high converting, profit generating machine. Whether you need a totally new site, a site makeover or auditing, this is the place to go. Blue Stout also offers their EcomGrowth Program, which is a training and coaching program that takes their strategies and tactics for quickly improving conversion rates, sales and profits and applies them to your business in a customized program with one-on-one coaching from their expert team. Definitely worth checking out!
bluestout.com
19. Onlygrowth
Onlygrowth helps you convert shoppers into buyers. Onlygrowth University is a blog that provides premium content for high-volume ecommerce merchants.Their team of Certified Shopify Plus Experts have two high impact growth packages that can improve user experience and help maximize conversions. Each growth package comes with a personalized site audit, development and growth consulting.onlygrowth.com
20. Ultrafade
Whether you are new to Shopify or frustrated with your non-Shopify site, Ultrafade has got your back. They also offer services and guidance to help you increase your traffic and conversions. Their website allows you to schedule a free strategy call to test their knowledge and perhaps find a good fit with your new Shopify partner.
Source >> https://blog.printoutdesigner.com/2017/11/02/top-20-shopify-and-e-commerce-experts/
Whether you are just starting out as a Shopify entrepreneur or have been playing the courts for some time, we are sure you agree that good advice is always welcome. To make your journey into ecommerce easier, Shopify has created the Shopify Experts program to match seasoned professionals in design, functionality development, store setup and marketing/SEO with those in need of help. Below, we have handpicked 20 Experts to help you customize your Shopify store and hopefully give your business a boost.
1. Carson
Carson is a team of reliable Shopify Experts to help you take care of your Shopify related small tasks. The process is very simple – you create a task on the website, get matched with a suitable developer, magic happends and voila – you get to review and accept the fulfilled task. Carson offers both monthly subscription plans as well as single task pricing.
heycarson.com
2. Shopafree
Standing out from the crowd, Shopafree is the world’s only free Shopify setup service. You heard us right – free.They provide you with everything from setup & design, app installation, content to photography and even support. What´s the catch? You pay Shopify for your account. Then Shopify pays Shopafree a commission. You get your site setup free. Simple!
shopafree.me
3. CRO Gurus
Larsen Consulting is all about conversion rate optimization. CRO firmly believes that the best frameworks for CRO are based on learning, research and data. And that the result of any optimization exercise has to be measurable and translate directly into improved KPIs. Volume discounts are available for larger orders!
crogurus.com
4. EXENLABS
EXENLABS is an enthusiastic team with extensive knowledge of Shopify. Their core competences range from simple theme tweaks to store setup to full-blown mobile app development. Their services are packaged in easy-to-navigate service packages. Also – be sure to check out their custom apps and the video tutorials section on their website!
exenlabs.com
5. Shopify & You
From a slightly different angle, Shopify & You is an ebook that will take you from your initial moment of inspiration to that exciting and all-important first sale. An easy-to-use, step-by-step guide that covers everything you need to know about designing, setting up and running a truly awesome online store with Shopify.
shopifyandyou.com
6. Ents
Ents – working out of London, Brno and Klenovec, Ents is a group of full-time Shopify Experts with a client base ranging from clients in China to the UK and the US. Their services include store setup, theme design & development and ongoing support for your ecommerce venture. They are also experts in localization. Get a 1-hour free consultation to test their skills. An hourly consultation fee is also available.
shopify.ents.co
7. Emma Englishby
Emma Englishby asks you to run your business and leave the website to her. Emma is a web designer and Shopify Expert that can help you design and web development of you venture. She also offers website strategy consultations and is available to help you with any quickfixes or updates.
emmaenglishby.com
8. Adaptable
Working out of the UK, Adaptable combines innovation with digital craftsmanship to help brands fulfill their potential. The studio can help you in every stage of your ecommerce venture setup and operation – from advanced inventory management to conversion rate optimization. They also offer digital design, prototyping and service development.
weareadaptable.com
9. Blackbelt Commerce
Blackbelt Commerce is a passionate team of Shopify Experts that have helped over 400 Shopify businesses set up and grow, including the LA Lakers. In addition to some custom Shopify apps, developed in-house, BC offers a range of services to Shopify store owners ranging from theme customization to wholesale solutions to multilingual stores.
blackbeltcommerce.com
10. BTown Web
BTown Web is a development agency that provides programming and marketing services to ecommerce companies. This includes services ranging from digital strategy consulting to marketplace and web development.
btownweb.com
11. Flux Development
Flux Development delivers custom solutions built on Shopify Plus. If you’re looking to build a new ecommerce website, reinvigorate an existing digital channel, or build a Shopify app, Flux will help you make it happen with a focus on measurable results.
heyflux.com
12. Pivofy
Pivofy is a digital agency focused on implementing holistic ecommerce strategies, create exceptional user experiences, shape the most emerging technologies and integrate mobile and omnichannel sales approach for your business to scale quickly and firmly.
pivofy.com
13. Leumas Digital
Leumas Digital is a small team of specialist developers that offers complex Shopify development, setup and migration services, Shopify app development and third-party integration services with your Shopify platform.
leumasdigital.co.uk
14. Blend Commerce
Blend Commerce are all about launching, growing and automating their clients Shopify stores. As a starting point, Blend Commerces´ store roadmapping service will help you obtain a clear plan of how your store should be designed and built, based on your objectives and your product or service. At the conclusion of this process, you can either opt to have their Shopify store created by them or take a fully-prepared plan to another developer.
blendcommerce.com
15. Handwoven Industries
Handwoven Industries has been designing websites since 1997. Find out how you can leverage that experience to improve your existing website or build a new ecommerce site from scratch that will leave your visitors happy and engaged. As active members of the Shopify Experts bunch, they are intimately familiar with the ins and outs of the platform – as well as many others you may be migrating from – and can help turn your vision into reality quickly and securely.
handwovenindustries.com/
16. Sunbowl
Sunbowl is set out to turn browser into buyers, because isn´t this what every ecommerce aficionado dreams of? Whether you have an existing site that could use some upgrades, or you need one built from the ground up- Sunbowl specializes in making your online store the best it can be. They also provide one-on-one training + video instruction to guide you through the maintenance of your new site.sunbowl.ca
17. SeedCMS
Team Seed are longtime Shopify Experts, that have 4+ years of experience on the Shopify and Shopify Plus platform and are experienced on every aspect of the platform. Their wide selection of services include custom shopify themes and theme modification, custom-built apps, rebranding, email marketing integrations, copywriting etc.
seedcms.com
18. Blue Stout
Blue Stout turns your ecommerce store into a beautiful, high converting, profit generating machine. Whether you need a totally new site, a site makeover or auditing, this is the place to go. Blue Stout also offers their EcomGrowth Program, which is a training and coaching program that takes their strategies and tactics for quickly improving conversion rates, sales and profits and applies them to your business in a customized program with one-on-one coaching from their expert team. Definitely worth checking out!
bluestout.com
19. Onlygrowth
Onlygrowth helps you convert shoppers into buyers. Onlygrowth University is a blog that provides premium content for high-volume ecommerce merchants.Their team of Certified Shopify Plus Experts have two high impact growth packages that can improve user experience and help maximize conversions. Each growth package comes with a personalized site audit, development and growth consulting.onlygrowth.com
20. Ultrafade
Whether you are new to Shopify or frustrated with your non-Shopify site, Ultrafade has got your back. They also offer services and guidance to help you increase your traffic and conversions. Their website allows you to schedule a free strategy call to test their knowledge and perhaps find a good fit with your new Shopify partner.
Source >> https://blog.printoutdesigner.com/2017/11/02/top-20-shopify-and-e-commerce-experts/
Saturday, April 7, 2018
Messenger Marketing 101 for Shopify Stores
By: Kelli Kissack
Messenger Marketing. You may have heard this phrase before. While it’s a rather intuitive term, most Shopify store owners are not aware of the revenue opportunities hidden inside this fairly new marketing strategy. I say "new" because Messenger Marketing broke onto the scene big time in 2016 and it’s only gained momentum since then.
Email marketing has been around for 30+ years, so in the world of digital marketing, using Facebook Messenger to make more money for your Shopify store is a groundbreaking idea. And don’t worry, you’re not too late! Most of your competitors haven’t even heard about it. You’re on the right side of this wave.
Messenger Marketing Defined
The actual definition of Messenger marketing is simple - it means using Facebook Messenger to build relationships with your customers and increase sales for your Shopify store. Technically speaking, you could have members of your team dedicated specifically to answering questions and doing outreach via Messenger, and that would be “Messenger Marketing.” However, that would be a very expensive and inefficient way to go about it.
A much better way to do this is by using special software, known as a "bot" or “chatbot,” to create scalable 1:1 conversations with anyone who messages your store on Facebook. Using a chatbot, an infinite number of people can have unique conversations with your company at any time. Amazing right?!
Now you might be wondering, “How many people are actually using Messenger? Is this just another box to check in my marketing plan?” That’s a fair question, but I think you’ll be surprised by the answer. The facts are that there are currently over 1.3 billion people using Messenger every month. Shocking right?! That’s more than Snapchat, Instagram, and Twitter monthly users COMBINED. Your current customers and your future customers are most likely hanging out on Messenger, and you can talk with an infinite number of them directly? That’s a little something I like to call a no brainer.
There are many applications and use cases for Shopify stores to embrace Facebook Messenger as a positive ROI channel. Customer service, marketing, sales, customer delight, and more. There are companies creating personalized experiences for their customers in new and creative ways every day. Let’s take a look at a few examples, shall we?
Kiehls
Kiehls skincare has one of the most fun and interactive bots on the interwebs. The brand is best known for their high quality and unique-to-you skin care regimens that combat an array of environmental concerns or skin issues. Their brand shines through beautifully in their Messenger Marketing because they offer loads of skincare tutorials, recommendations, product finders and other fun experiences, which makes talking with the Kiehls bot a pleasure.
Read More >> http://blog.octaneai.com/messenger-marketing-101-for-shopify-stores
Messenger Marketing. You may have heard this phrase before. While it’s a rather intuitive term, most Shopify store owners are not aware of the revenue opportunities hidden inside this fairly new marketing strategy. I say "new" because Messenger Marketing broke onto the scene big time in 2016 and it’s only gained momentum since then.
Email marketing has been around for 30+ years, so in the world of digital marketing, using Facebook Messenger to make more money for your Shopify store is a groundbreaking idea. And don’t worry, you’re not too late! Most of your competitors haven’t even heard about it. You’re on the right side of this wave.
Messenger Marketing Defined
The actual definition of Messenger marketing is simple - it means using Facebook Messenger to build relationships with your customers and increase sales for your Shopify store. Technically speaking, you could have members of your team dedicated specifically to answering questions and doing outreach via Messenger, and that would be “Messenger Marketing.” However, that would be a very expensive and inefficient way to go about it.
A much better way to do this is by using special software, known as a "bot" or “chatbot,” to create scalable 1:1 conversations with anyone who messages your store on Facebook. Using a chatbot, an infinite number of people can have unique conversations with your company at any time. Amazing right?!
Now you might be wondering, “How many people are actually using Messenger? Is this just another box to check in my marketing plan?” That’s a fair question, but I think you’ll be surprised by the answer. The facts are that there are currently over 1.3 billion people using Messenger every month. Shocking right?! That’s more than Snapchat, Instagram, and Twitter monthly users COMBINED. Your current customers and your future customers are most likely hanging out on Messenger, and you can talk with an infinite number of them directly? That’s a little something I like to call a no brainer.
There are many applications and use cases for Shopify stores to embrace Facebook Messenger as a positive ROI channel. Customer service, marketing, sales, customer delight, and more. There are companies creating personalized experiences for their customers in new and creative ways every day. Let’s take a look at a few examples, shall we?
Kiehls
Kiehls skincare has one of the most fun and interactive bots on the interwebs. The brand is best known for their high quality and unique-to-you skin care regimens that combat an array of environmental concerns or skin issues. Their brand shines through beautifully in their Messenger Marketing because they offer loads of skincare tutorials, recommendations, product finders and other fun experiences, which makes talking with the Kiehls bot a pleasure.
Read More >> http://blog.octaneai.com/messenger-marketing-101-for-shopify-stores
Thursday, April 5, 2018
5 Customer Retention Tools for Ecommerce, SaaS & Apps (Plus, How to Optimize with Them)
By: Aaron Orendorff
You already know how much customer retention matters to your bottom line. And—if you read last month’s Measuring Customer Retention: Five Magical Metrics to Demystify ROI—you also know the KPIs and formulas central to tracking it.
What you might not know is how to apply these metrics to keep the one group who matters most to your long-term success happy and loyal.
Why?
Because it’s one thing to know what to measure. That’s the easy part. Knowing how to optimize all that data with the right customer retention tools … that’s another beast entirely. Thankfully, it’s a profitable one.
That’s exactly what this post is all about: helping you pick the right tools to track and measure customer retention whether through sales, social, an app, or your marketing.
To do that, we’ll examine five types of retention tools, the metrics they measure, and a real-world example of each tool so you can see it in action.
#1 Native Ecommerce Dashboards
Native ecommerce dashboards are the default analytics tools that come with any major online platform.
But don’t let the word “default” fool you.
As far as customer retention goes, native dashboards are a powerful source of insight for two reasons. First, they’re built directly into the platform you’re using to sell your products. Configured correctly, they provide the most accurate and up-to-date information available. Second, their data can be transferred to many of the tools we’ll cover below to amplify their insights considerably.
On native ecommerce dashboards, four of the five key metrics covered in the previous article should not only be clearly identified but also prioritized:
>> Average order value (AOV)
>> Customer Retention Rate (CRR) and Customer Churn Rate (CCR)
>> Lifetime Customer Value (LCV)
>> Customer Segment Values (CSV)
Often, you’ll need to create your own custom segments to delve into CSVs more thoroughly. These segments should be based on number of orders—i.e., first-time versus returning customers—order sizes—high, medium, and low value (for instance)—and order frequencies. Creating these groups lets you focus your attention on moving low and mid-commitment customers up the LCV ladder as well as treat your best customers to concierge-level service.
What does this look like in practice?
Ecommerce Customer Retention Tool:
Shopify
Shopify’s “Overview dashboard” presents the first two metrics mentioned above as part of its default settings:
(1) “Repeat customer rate” (for tracking CCR and CRR) and
(2) “Average order value,” which you can export or customize based on specific time frames and other variables:
Raed More >> https://postfunnel.com/customer-retention-tools-ecommerce-saas-apps-plus-optimize/
You already know how much customer retention matters to your bottom line. And—if you read last month’s Measuring Customer Retention: Five Magical Metrics to Demystify ROI—you also know the KPIs and formulas central to tracking it.
What you might not know is how to apply these metrics to keep the one group who matters most to your long-term success happy and loyal.
Why?
Because it’s one thing to know what to measure. That’s the easy part. Knowing how to optimize all that data with the right customer retention tools … that’s another beast entirely. Thankfully, it’s a profitable one.
That’s exactly what this post is all about: helping you pick the right tools to track and measure customer retention whether through sales, social, an app, or your marketing.
To do that, we’ll examine five types of retention tools, the metrics they measure, and a real-world example of each tool so you can see it in action.
#1 Native Ecommerce Dashboards
Native ecommerce dashboards are the default analytics tools that come with any major online platform.
But don’t let the word “default” fool you.
As far as customer retention goes, native dashboards are a powerful source of insight for two reasons. First, they’re built directly into the platform you’re using to sell your products. Configured correctly, they provide the most accurate and up-to-date information available. Second, their data can be transferred to many of the tools we’ll cover below to amplify their insights considerably.
On native ecommerce dashboards, four of the five key metrics covered in the previous article should not only be clearly identified but also prioritized:
>> Average order value (AOV)
>> Customer Retention Rate (CRR) and Customer Churn Rate (CCR)
>> Lifetime Customer Value (LCV)
>> Customer Segment Values (CSV)
Often, you’ll need to create your own custom segments to delve into CSVs more thoroughly. These segments should be based on number of orders—i.e., first-time versus returning customers—order sizes—high, medium, and low value (for instance)—and order frequencies. Creating these groups lets you focus your attention on moving low and mid-commitment customers up the LCV ladder as well as treat your best customers to concierge-level service.
What does this look like in practice?
Ecommerce Customer Retention Tool:
Shopify
Shopify’s “Overview dashboard” presents the first two metrics mentioned above as part of its default settings:
(1) “Repeat customer rate” (for tracking CCR and CRR) and
(2) “Average order value,” which you can export or customize based on specific time frames and other variables:
Raed More >> https://postfunnel.com/customer-retention-tools-ecommerce-saas-apps-plus-optimize/
Wednesday, April 4, 2018
My Day With Shopify
By: Lexy Wright
Recently, I had the privilege of speaking at eCommerce giant, Shopify’s, roadshow event, “A Day With Shopify.” Merchants, developers, and entrepreneurs of all types gathered in Vancouver, BC, for a one-day meet up to learn tips and tricks and share best practices for all things eCommerce. As per usual, Shopify put on an incredible event, bringing me back together with old friends from the industry and introducing me to a new pool of brilliant minds who I was able to collaborate with about how we can change the world through the power of innovation and collaboration.
Topics covered vary from implementation to integrations, helping arm agencies and developers with everything they need to help gain new business and keep up with the trends. Having spent the past two years at Pixlee working on optimizing our partnership with Shopify, there have been so many lessons learned, ranging from navigating the API to really hitting the mark with what merchants want with their experience. When deciding what to speak about at the event, I reflected on what did I do to help my business grow. The answer was simple: I helped merchants grow their business. The rest came naturally. For my talk, I took it back to the basics and discussed exactly what businesses need to do to give merchants and their customers the best product experience. This topic stood out to me as something that developers, agencies and frankly anyone in the room could relate to, because in the fast-moving world of startups, it’s easy to dream big, and all too easy to look beyond the basics. So, after the last refreshment break of the day, I took the stage and shared my tips on “4 ways to give merchants the best product experience (and grow your business along the way). Check out a quick summary of my presentation and key takeaways below.
1) Do your homework
So often, it is easy to skip doing the research or planning and just dive in. I know that I am certainly guilty of that. I did it when I first kicked off Pixlee’s partnership with Shopify. When I first started at Pixlee, there was no existing relationship with the team at Shopify, and seeing the value in the partnership, I was eager to change that. I ended up neglecting this step far too much.. And I would have saved myself a lot of time and silly questions had I not.
Don’t be afraid to take a step back and assess what your goals are and why they matter in the big picture. And don’t just do this at the beginning of kicking off a project, do this every once in a while, to make sure you are still in touch with your users and what they want. Customers want to feel like the people they are working with understand them, and believe it or not, the best way to do that is to actually understand them.
2) Put in the work
Something that makes Shopify so great is that there is something for everyone to choose from. But who are the people that need you and your services? And why do they need you? Now that you have a core understanding of the ecosystem that you are operating in as well as a clear understanding of your ideal customer and their goals, it is time to put in the work to make your technology the platform of choice. Consider factors that make you discoverable execute on those, and the provide the customer with personalized and relevant content to inform them on not just your solution, but why your solution is the answer to their problem.
I remember one of the first pieces of content that I created for partner marketing was a webinar tailored specifically to Shopify merchants. There were less than 20 sign ups, one being my mother and one being my dev advocate at Shopify. When I finished the webinar, honestly, I was disappointed, hardly anyone showed up. Over a year later, that webinar has thousands of views, and that app install CTA is clicked multiple times a day, driving new leads and topline revenue, all from a piece of content created and dropped on the internet over a year ago.
While this may be a slow process, it does pay off to have personalized content. When the merchants feel like you understand them, they stick with you.
3) Leverage Shopify
In my role, I manage a variety of partnerships ranging from technology partners to investor relations. Each relationship and program is different, so you have to assess what resources are available for you to utilize and work with what you have. Shopify is famed for their partner program and devotes hundreds of employees to ensure its success. And fortunately, that means that the resources that you need are there, and there is a support team to assist you in your efforts and set you up for success.
There are blog posts about everything under the sun, webinars, meetups, forums…you name it, I bet Shopify has it. The tools you need are they. The team at Shopify is beyond helpful and always willing to go the extra mile.
Don’t be afraid to ask for help – just make sure you do step one and two first.
Read More >> https://www.pixlee.com/blog/my-day-with-shopify/
Recently, I had the privilege of speaking at eCommerce giant, Shopify’s, roadshow event, “A Day With Shopify.” Merchants, developers, and entrepreneurs of all types gathered in Vancouver, BC, for a one-day meet up to learn tips and tricks and share best practices for all things eCommerce. As per usual, Shopify put on an incredible event, bringing me back together with old friends from the industry and introducing me to a new pool of brilliant minds who I was able to collaborate with about how we can change the world through the power of innovation and collaboration.
Topics covered vary from implementation to integrations, helping arm agencies and developers with everything they need to help gain new business and keep up with the trends. Having spent the past two years at Pixlee working on optimizing our partnership with Shopify, there have been so many lessons learned, ranging from navigating the API to really hitting the mark with what merchants want with their experience. When deciding what to speak about at the event, I reflected on what did I do to help my business grow. The answer was simple: I helped merchants grow their business. The rest came naturally. For my talk, I took it back to the basics and discussed exactly what businesses need to do to give merchants and their customers the best product experience. This topic stood out to me as something that developers, agencies and frankly anyone in the room could relate to, because in the fast-moving world of startups, it’s easy to dream big, and all too easy to look beyond the basics. So, after the last refreshment break of the day, I took the stage and shared my tips on “4 ways to give merchants the best product experience (and grow your business along the way). Check out a quick summary of my presentation and key takeaways below.
1) Do your homework
So often, it is easy to skip doing the research or planning and just dive in. I know that I am certainly guilty of that. I did it when I first kicked off Pixlee’s partnership with Shopify. When I first started at Pixlee, there was no existing relationship with the team at Shopify, and seeing the value in the partnership, I was eager to change that. I ended up neglecting this step far too much.. And I would have saved myself a lot of time and silly questions had I not.
Don’t be afraid to take a step back and assess what your goals are and why they matter in the big picture. And don’t just do this at the beginning of kicking off a project, do this every once in a while, to make sure you are still in touch with your users and what they want. Customers want to feel like the people they are working with understand them, and believe it or not, the best way to do that is to actually understand them.
2) Put in the work
Something that makes Shopify so great is that there is something for everyone to choose from. But who are the people that need you and your services? And why do they need you? Now that you have a core understanding of the ecosystem that you are operating in as well as a clear understanding of your ideal customer and their goals, it is time to put in the work to make your technology the platform of choice. Consider factors that make you discoverable execute on those, and the provide the customer with personalized and relevant content to inform them on not just your solution, but why your solution is the answer to their problem.
I remember one of the first pieces of content that I created for partner marketing was a webinar tailored specifically to Shopify merchants. There were less than 20 sign ups, one being my mother and one being my dev advocate at Shopify. When I finished the webinar, honestly, I was disappointed, hardly anyone showed up. Over a year later, that webinar has thousands of views, and that app install CTA is clicked multiple times a day, driving new leads and topline revenue, all from a piece of content created and dropped on the internet over a year ago.
While this may be a slow process, it does pay off to have personalized content. When the merchants feel like you understand them, they stick with you.
3) Leverage Shopify
In my role, I manage a variety of partnerships ranging from technology partners to investor relations. Each relationship and program is different, so you have to assess what resources are available for you to utilize and work with what you have. Shopify is famed for their partner program and devotes hundreds of employees to ensure its success. And fortunately, that means that the resources that you need are there, and there is a support team to assist you in your efforts and set you up for success.
There are blog posts about everything under the sun, webinars, meetups, forums…you name it, I bet Shopify has it. The tools you need are they. The team at Shopify is beyond helpful and always willing to go the extra mile.
Don’t be afraid to ask for help – just make sure you do step one and two first.
Read More >> https://www.pixlee.com/blog/my-day-with-shopify/
Monday, April 2, 2018
eCom Pages Pro Review – Drag-n-Drop eCommerce Stores
By: Admin
eCom Pages Features
> Advanced Drag-n-Drop Creation Technology. Would you rather create your profit-pulling Shopify store using overly complicated HTML, or would you rather just click your mouse? Literally no web design, HTML, coding, or graphics design skills/experience is needed to make money with eCom Pages! $150/month Value
> Export Your Templates. Need to export your templates? No problem! eCom Pages makes it easy to download your templates as .zip files at your convenience. Save your best money makers and watch your profits explode! 20/month Value
> Cutting-Edge Cloud-Based Software. The first of its kind, they have invested 5 figures a month to ensure eCom Pages is not only 100% web-based for your convenience, but that it’s been equipped with unlimited bandwidth and memory. You’ll never be bottle necked with lag and glitches, none of that nonsense… There is nothing to download or install… all you need is an account, and you’re ready to secure your financial future for years to come. $140/month Value
> Marketing Tools Made Easy. Smart marketing is money in the bank, and eCom Pages gives you the marketing tools you need to make a killing. Insert countdown timers, limited-time offers, social sharing functions – and so much more… Watch your profits sky-rocket like crazy! $20/month Value
> One-and-Done Editing System. Select our proven readymade templates from the get go, without having to start from scratch, or to spend hours editing HTML. With eCom Pages, you’ll spend less time doing grunt work, and more time enjoying the easiest income you’ve ever made! (There is also an option to create your own customized stores from scratch, so you can have whatever you want shown on your unique store) $100/month Value
> Unlimited Customization. eCom Pages offers you a wide variety of options for creating the perfect profit-pulling ecommerce store. Embed videos, URLs, and add/edit graphics of your choice with the click of a mouse. You can also customize the look and feel of your store, the color scheme, layout, background, text, and even the borders to brand your store and stand out from the crowd. $100/month Value
> Easy-to-Use Control Panel. Manage your money making stores from a control panel that’s so easy to use… a child could use it! The intuitive and .implistic design allows you to make changes, build new stores, and track stats quickly and conveniently. $50/month Value
> Unlimited Theme Creation. Create as many themes as you want, customize them to your liking… and then scale for faster profits at will. $50/month Value
> Import Any Shopify Store. Already a Shopify veteran or have a Shopify store, yet tired of the hassle that comes with editing it and making new templates? eCom Pages allows you to import any existing Shopify stores for fast, easy, editing and exporting! $20/month Value
> 100% Mobile Ready. eCom Pages allows you to target the lucrative buyer-ready mobile market out-of-the-box. Now you can have a profitable eCommerce store that works across all mobile devices, without having to spend loads of cash on expensive web designers. $50/month Value
Source >> http://findwso.com/wso/ecom-pages-pro-review-drag-n-drop-ecommerce-stores/
eCom Pages Features
> Advanced Drag-n-Drop Creation Technology. Would you rather create your profit-pulling Shopify store using overly complicated HTML, or would you rather just click your mouse? Literally no web design, HTML, coding, or graphics design skills/experience is needed to make money with eCom Pages! $150/month Value
> Export Your Templates. Need to export your templates? No problem! eCom Pages makes it easy to download your templates as .zip files at your convenience. Save your best money makers and watch your profits explode! 20/month Value
> Cutting-Edge Cloud-Based Software. The first of its kind, they have invested 5 figures a month to ensure eCom Pages is not only 100% web-based for your convenience, but that it’s been equipped with unlimited bandwidth and memory. You’ll never be bottle necked with lag and glitches, none of that nonsense… There is nothing to download or install… all you need is an account, and you’re ready to secure your financial future for years to come. $140/month Value
> Marketing Tools Made Easy. Smart marketing is money in the bank, and eCom Pages gives you the marketing tools you need to make a killing. Insert countdown timers, limited-time offers, social sharing functions – and so much more… Watch your profits sky-rocket like crazy! $20/month Value
> One-and-Done Editing System. Select our proven readymade templates from the get go, without having to start from scratch, or to spend hours editing HTML. With eCom Pages, you’ll spend less time doing grunt work, and more time enjoying the easiest income you’ve ever made! (There is also an option to create your own customized stores from scratch, so you can have whatever you want shown on your unique store) $100/month Value
> Unlimited Customization. eCom Pages offers you a wide variety of options for creating the perfect profit-pulling ecommerce store. Embed videos, URLs, and add/edit graphics of your choice with the click of a mouse. You can also customize the look and feel of your store, the color scheme, layout, background, text, and even the borders to brand your store and stand out from the crowd. $100/month Value
> Easy-to-Use Control Panel. Manage your money making stores from a control panel that’s so easy to use… a child could use it! The intuitive and .implistic design allows you to make changes, build new stores, and track stats quickly and conveniently. $50/month Value
> Unlimited Theme Creation. Create as many themes as you want, customize them to your liking… and then scale for faster profits at will. $50/month Value
> Import Any Shopify Store. Already a Shopify veteran or have a Shopify store, yet tired of the hassle that comes with editing it and making new templates? eCom Pages allows you to import any existing Shopify stores for fast, easy, editing and exporting! $20/month Value
> 100% Mobile Ready. eCom Pages allows you to target the lucrative buyer-ready mobile market out-of-the-box. Now you can have a profitable eCommerce store that works across all mobile devices, without having to spend loads of cash on expensive web designers. $50/month Value
Source >> http://findwso.com/wso/ecom-pages-pro-review-drag-n-drop-ecommerce-stores/
Sunday, April 1, 2018
Instagram vs. Pinterest – Which is Better for eCommerce?
By: Ryan Kh
eCommerce companies have promoted their products on Facebook for years, but many are abandoning the social networking giant for more niche sites. Lots of eCommerce marketers have started using Pinterest and Instagram to reach new customers.
Which of these two networks is best for promoting an e-commerce site? Here are some things to consider.
Demographics
The demographics of each site will play a very important role in your marketing campaign.
E-commerce sites invest millions of dollars marketing to women. On average, they spend about 20% more online than men. Therefore, marketers clearly love image sharing sites, because they have a strong female user base.
Approximately 55% of Instagram users are women. On the other hand, nearly three-quarters of Pinterest users are female. If you’re trying to reach female customers, Pinterest is the best site to use.
Pinterest is also better for reaching higher income households. The most popular income bracket for Pinterest users is over $75,000 a year. Instagram users are in a completely different economics status. The most popular income bracket there is under $30,000 a year.
Part of the difference may be due to the average age of the users on each site. Most Pinterest users are between 30 and 49 years old, while Instagram users are typically under 30.
Targeting Capabilities
Ecommerce companies typically target users with very specific tastes. Unlike insurance companies, wireless providers and other brands that appeal to a very broad customer bases, they need to be very strategic to make sure their ads are displayed to interested audiences to generate new customers and Instagram followers.
This is one of the primary benefits of Instagram. Since Instagram uses the same advertising platform as Facebook, it allows you to target very specific types of users. Pinterest’s advertising platform is not nearly as sophisticated.
Engagement
What Pinterest lacks in targeting options, it makes up for in engagement. While Instagram allows users to share images with lots of other users, Pinterest allows users to curate photos. It is a much more engaging social community.
What does this mean for ecommerce marketers? Ecommerce companies need to engage their customers to get them to convert. They may have an easier time driving engage leads from Pinterest than Instagram.
Industry
Obviously, ecommerce sites focusing on certain verticals perform better on one social network versus another. Some industries have better luck on Pinterest, while others thrive on Instagram.
According to this infographic from Shopify, Instagram is the best social network for reaching Customer seating automotive, digital products and Mr. Linh is merchandise. Pinterest is surprisingly better for reaching customers looking for computing services, books and magazines, and antiques.
Number of Landing Pages
Ecommerce companies tend to market numerous products. Larger ecommerce brands such as Amazon have over four million products. Rather than promoting the root domain, marketers push users to their deeper landing pages for products they are most likely to be interested in.
This is a problem for larger ecommerce companies trying to promote on Instagram. They are only allowed to share links from their bio page. This makes it difficult for brands trying to promote a large assortment of unrelated products. However, Shopify points out that Instagram marketing works well for companies with a strategy that involves promoting the front page.
“Perhaps most interesting and surprising was community style site Polyvore which is generating the highest average order value ahead of Facebook, Pinterest and Twitter. Also noteworthy in this category is Instagram which is also generating higher average orders than those same sites. This is especially impressive considering the only clickable links in Instagram are those in profile bios.”
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