eCommerce Blog

New customers are great.

You love to see your shop reach new people and expand your customer base. But those wonderful people are expensive – to make the most of your marketing efforts, you need to keep them around for the long haul.

About 65% of a healthy company’s business should come from your existing customers. That’s because repeat customers spend as much as 67% more down the line than in the first 6 months of your relationship.

The best way to build those long-term relationships and keep[...]

Did you know that 80% of businesses fail within the first 18 months? It's a sad, frightening reality that often scares budding entrepreneurs away from the idea of starting a business of their own. But as hard as the facts are, they shouldn't discourage you from trying — instead, take the opportunity to learn from the mistakes of others.

There's a time-tested process for starting a business, and the better you do in these early stages, the more likely you are to survive later on, even in the[...]

Success as an online business is never guaranteed. It doesn’t matter how good your idea is or how much time and energy you commit to making it work, the rewards are not always forthcoming.

By following a few simple guidelines with a track record of generating success, however, you can give yourself the best possible chance of achieving something special.

In this article Richard Dean from Caffeinated Projects shares the 7 stages to start an online business, attract visitors and convert them into[...]

Live Chat vs Messaging Apps

With so many customers visiting your website, it’s not always easy to keep track of everyone’s request, which is why about 21% of live chat interactions go unnoticed. The average response time for a live chat is 3 minutes, and with the increasing expectation in instant replies, it’s just not enough time to accommodate most customer requests.

Instead of becoming a useful tool to bolster customer experience, live chat often becomes a burden for companies and a[...]

Did you know there are over 1.8 billion websites in existence today? Sure, that number includes sites that aren't being actively updated, but it's still an impressive number that well illustrates the popularity of the World Wide Web. Every year, more people decide to launch their own website for various reasons, whether to show off their work, provide information on a topic of expertise, sell products through an online store, or for any number of other reasons. Websites have become a necessity[...]

The business world is changing. Every year, more and more business turns to ecommerce – a market that grows rapidly. Many of us think of ecommerce and picture big, consumer brands like Amazon, but the B2B ecommerce opportunity is a whopping $7.7 trillion.

Business buyers aren’t far behind. There’s a growing expectation within many companies that demands access to faster, more convenient ecommerce buying options. Winning and retaining those customers depends on meeting their ecommerce[...]

Fraud is a nightmare for customers and merchants alike. With constant news of data breaches, shoppers are rightfully concerned about the safety of their payment data. The thought of a stranger racking up thousands of dollars in debt keeps many customers up at night — and causes them to have second thoughts about buying from you.

Retailers are hurt just as badly by fraudulent credit card transactions. Fraud causes chargebacks, possible loss of products, and damage to a merchant's reputation, all[...]

The snow is melting, the days are getting longer and the birds are outside singing again. It’s springtime. Many of us are waking up from our long winter naps and we’re outside on the porch in the morning drinking our morning cup of tea. As you sit there and enjoy the warmth of the early morning sun, a small little bee lands on the rim of your mug. At first, you’re tempted to swat at it and run away with your arms flailing to avoid the probability of feeling the wrath of the bee’s sting. But at[...]

If you own an online store, you’ve spent a fair amount of time worrying about cart abandonment. Abandonment happens on every ecommerce website, but that doesn’t make it any easier to swallow.

Most online store owners want to know one thing: why? Why do customers start a shopping cart online, and then abandon it? The reality is that there are millions of reasons. Understanding the most common ones is a key first step in lowering your online store’s abandonment rate. Doing something about it is[...]

It's easy to be excited about selling on Amazon. Your products are out there in front of hundreds of millions of shoppers, and you're selling beneath the umbrella of one of the most valuable brands in the world.

But don't let your enthusiasm distract you from taking a careful approach to your Amazon sales. Just like any other business venture, you should approach selling on Amazon methodically so as to make the most of every one of your product listings.

To get you started, here are six common[...]

Facebook is the world's most popular social media platform, and every day millions of customers visit the official pages of their favorite businesses. As an eCommerce business owner, you'll want to take every opportunity to interact with your customers and reach them wherever they are. Your Facebook Page is a valuable tool in this regard.

Facebook has proven to be a great way for customers to interact directly with owners, employees, and management by posting comments and reviews. Some[...]

If you want to build a successful ecommerce business, then you have to build a brand. It’s easy to start an ecommerce website, selling is another story.  There are thousands of ecommerce websites created every week, only a small percentage will reach $100,000 in revenue. So, when everyone is trying to sell, how do you make your business successful? The answer is by building a brand.

Building a brand starts before you launch your business.

Your name will be your reputation and hold all of your[...]

"Mistakes were made."

This is a phrase that has been spoken countless times throughout history, usually when a speaker is trying to distance themselves from actions and their consequences. Of course, if you do make a mistake, the best course of action is to take responsibility, correct it, and improve.

This isn't always easy, but sometimes, it's as simple as understanding where you went wrong, why it matters, and what you should change. In that case, there's no reason not to jump right on it,[...]

Many people dream of starting their own business, whether to make money and improve their lives, to build something they can be proud of, because they have an idea they'd like to see come to fruition — or all three of these reasons combined. Being an entrepreneur is both challenging and rewarding, and it's easy to see the appeal of being your own boss and reaching success through your own efforts.

Some potential entrepreneurs know from the very beginning what type of business they want to[...]

Google is always trying to provide a richer experience to their users. That’s why Google improves its SERP features and shows Direct Answers, Featured Snippets, Knowledge Graphs, Top Stories and much more.

These Google SERP features get more clicks, traffic, and CTR from Google Search and also help you to gain trust from users and show off your business like a big brand.

And if you are running an e-commerce store then these rich snippets can also help you to increase your visibility, CTR,[...]

Amazon launched an enhanced version of Amazon Brand Registry in May of 2017 to help manufacturers and brand owners protect their registered trademarks (on Amazon) and create an accurate and trusted experience for customers.

What is Amazon Brand Registry?

A new and improved registry for a brand’s rights owners that helps you deliver an accurate and trusted customer experience on Amazon while protecting your intellectual property.

Why You Should Try Amazon Brand Registry

For brand owners,[...]

Here’s a scenario that may sound familiar: For one reason or another, you wind up on a certain brand’s website. Maybe you click around for a bit, curious about their offerings. Maybe you peruse their products or even add a few items to your cart. In the end, however, you click away from the website before making a purchase.

But lo and behold, you soon begin to see banner ads or social media ads for the very products you’d just clicked through, and the brand stays near the front of your mind[...]

It should come as no surprise that in 2017 there were over 215 million online shoppers in the United States alone, with that number projected to grow to over 230 million by 2021. As an ecommerce business owner, it’s your job to not only figure out how to capture a piece of that pie, but to keep visitors on your site until they complete a purchase.

Consumers want their experience to be as smooth and quick as possible, and online shopping is no exception.

There are a number of reasons why your [...]

When it comes to processing payments, staying up to date on available technologies is crucial to protecting your business and your customers.

However simple it may appear on the surface, payment processing is a technical business largely focused on reducing fraud and staying ahead of the next cybersecurity threat. Apart from protecting your business, staying current also helps it run smoothly and deliver a delightful customer experience.

Luckily for you, there are some new technologies that[...]

All businesses need a website. In fact, in today's internet-focused world, the lack of a website will put any business at a disadvantage. With a website, a business can provide potential customers with up-to-date information, news, product and service announcements, and all the information needed to catch and retain customer interest. A website broadens a business's audience and helps to nurture customer relationships. Without a website, a business will miss out on these benefits and find[...]