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  • 10 Innovative Product Experiences from Black-Owned Brands - Black History Month in the United States is a time to celebrate the contributions of Black individuals throughout history. Today, it has evolved to not only celebrate historical contributions, but to honor the achievements and cultural impact of the Black community in the present day. An American Express report found that Black women are the fastest growing demographic of entrepreneurs in the U.S. This growth trajectory is taking the commerce industry by storm.  At Elastic Path, we wanted to celebrate by featuring 10 innovative product experiences from Black-owned brands. 1. Albany Park Albany Park is a furniture brand specializing in luxury sofas, sectionals, and ottomans. Their PDP features customizable product configurations so customers are able to see what the sofa would look like in different variations. In addition, their website features lifestyle videos for consumers to have a better understanding of what the couch could look like in their home. The PDP also includes tutorial videos demonstrating how to assemble the sofas. 2. Clare  Clare is an online paint store that sells paint and paint supplies for the interior and exterior of homes and buildings. The brand focuses on creating a customized experience for their customers. Their website features a chatbox facilitated quiz called Clare Color Genius ™ to help you find the perfect paint shade for your home. 3. Oui The People Oui The People is a bodycare brand that sells products for various skincare needs from hyperpigmentation (dark spots) to keratosis pilaris (strawberry skin). They aim to curate personalized product recommendations for your specific skin care conditions. Their website features a Body Skin Care quiz, to help recommend products from their collections that will alleviate your personal skincare concerns. 4. Black Girl Sunscreen Black Girl Sunscreen is a brand that gained popularity in the Black community for its ability to provide a high SPF sunscreen that did not leave a white cast on darker skin tones. The brand has since branched off into cosmetics and apparel in addition to the SPF products. The website’s navigation features product bundles. Some of the noteworthy components of the bundles is the ability to pick and choose products in the bundle, also known as “dynamic bundles.”  For example, in their holiday bundle, customers can choose between a pine scent or vanilla scented candle. This merchandising strategy helps increase customer satisfaction and boost AOV. 5. The Honey Pot The Honey Pot is a feminine care product brand that focuses on natural, plant-based products for feminine needs. The products on their website are grouped both individually and bundled for specific concerns. For example, there is a “Nighttime Ritual” bundle and a “Soothe Ritual” bundle with products catered to those specific “rituals”. The Honey Pot is also following suit with other brands we’ve mentioned, offering a Quiz that aligns with your needs.   Read the Gartner® Predicts 2023: Digital Selling Excellence Protects the Bottom Line During Economic Uncertainty Get the report to see how your brand can speed up digital innovation. Read Gartner® Predicts 2023 6. NaturAll Club NaturAll Club is a brand focusing on natural products for curly hair textures. One of the unique aspects of their PDP page is that each product shows both written directions for how to use the product and video tutorials showing you how to style your hair with the products. The PDP page also includes the specific curl patterns the products are catered to. In addition, you can curate your personal product list from a quiz that you take explaining your hair type.   7. BLK + Green BLK + Green is a marketplace for natural products created by Black artisans. Customers not only get a commerce marketplace, but their “Our Story” tab leads to a podcast with interviews from some of Black-owned brands they feature. The “Our Story” tab also details their Toxic Twenty pledge, which is a pledge to ensure that none of the products are made with  20 harmful chemicals they’ve listed out.   8. Bolé Road Textiles Bolé Road Textiles is a home decor brand, specializing in items made from handwoven Ethiopian fabrics. Their website features a social commerce strategy, where customers can shop by lookbooks from the Bolé’s Instagram page.   9. lemlem Lemlem is an artisan-based collection of women’s, men’s and children’s home goods made entirely in Africa. The brand is multi-geo spanning across the US and Europe. On their website, you can seamlessly toggle between their US site to their European site. You can also filter products from bestselling, feature and the date added “New to Old” and “Old to New”. 10. Beauty Bakarie Beauty Bakarie is a cosmetics brand that focuses on natural cruelty-free products with clean ingredients. The brand has implemented a social commerce strategy with products you can buy “As Seen On TikTok”, which are the products they share on their TikTok page. They’ve also incorporated a Foundation Finder tool where you answer questions about your skin tone to help you find your correct color match for their foundation. Moreover, the brand merchandises by price categories such as “$40 and under” to “$20 and under”.    At Elastic Path, we empower merchandisers to create differentiated product experiences like these. You can learn more about how we power these experiences through Elastic Path Product Experience Manager (EP PXM).  
    Topics: skin, brands, website, specific, quiz, blackowned, paint, brand, products, black, innovative, features, product, experiences.
  • 10 Key Components All Great B2B2C Commerce Strategies Need - In the world of commerce, the B2B2C model has been gaining momentum in recent years. More and more brands are considering a B2B2C strategy to keep up with customer demand and outstrip the competition. But what does it really take for brands to succeed in this space? As the lines between B2B and DTC commerce continue to blur, brands recognize the value of selling directly to end consumers through their brand partners. However, there are several moving parts involved in a successful B2B2C strategy, and brands need to have a clear understanding of what they are doing and why. No matter the size of your brand, you can propel your organization to greater success with a strong B2B2C commerce strategy. In this blog, we'll explore 10 crucial steps to take to maximize your brand’s B2B2C commerce strategy and keep revenue growth strong. The Rise of B2B2C  The B2B2C business model, which involves two brands partnering together in a joint venture or in a supplier/reseller relationship to bring complementary groups of products to clients, is on the rise across a wide variety of industries. B2B2C eCommerce evolved from a combination of traditional B2B and B2C models and involves working with other brands to reach end consumers online. The continuing evolution of commerce platforms and consumer demand for personalized experiences have both contributed to the popularity of B2B2C. This model allows brands to simultaneously provide more actual and perceived value to consumers while also reaching a wider target audience. eCommerce brands also have the opportunity to form new and renewed relationships with brand partners and suppliers using a B2B2C model, forging mutually beneficial bonds for the future. According to one report, almost 40% of manufacturers are currently making efforts to adopt the B2B2C model. With this in mind, companies should expect ever-increasing adoption and further development of the B2B2C model, making it crucial for forward-thinking brands to optimize their B2B2C strategy as soon as possible. 10 Top  B2B2C eCommerce Strategies While there are many B2B2C optimization techniques, there are some strategies that are essential to B2B2C success. Learn 10 key B2B2C commerce strategies that can help your business grow. 1. Provide a Seamless User Experience When brands focus on creating a seamless user experience, convenience and simplicity has customers flocking. Easy navigation, smooth transactions, and satisfied customers helps you earn increased loyalty, more repeat sales, and greater revenue growth, making strong user experience a B2B2C strategy that pays off over time.  Prioritizing user experience is a surefire way to attract and retain customers in a constantly-changing online landscape. After all, people avoid actions that feel hard. Don’t make buying a hassle. Invest in an intuitive user experience that makes it easy for your customers to complete a purchase. 2. Streamline Your Supply Chain Management System With strong supply chain management practices, brands can cut costs, streamline processes, and enhance supplier relationships. Streamlining the supply chain lowers the possibility of mishaps, delays, and cost overruns, ensuring a smoother purchasing process, higher consumer satisfaction, more revenue, and higher total profits. Thanks to supply chain management, brands can better manage risk by identifying potential disruptions and implementing contingency plans. Ultimately, a well-designed supply chain management system is vital for brands hoping to succeed in the complex and competitive world of B2B2C commerce. 3. Create Strong Relationships with Partners and Suppliers Establishing solid relationships with suppliers, distributors, and retailers is key to ensuring a steady flow of products and services for both brand partners and customers. By building trust and open communication, your brands can gain valuable insights into stakeholder needs and preferences, negotiate favorable terms, and deliver top-notch goods and services that exceed expectations.  Plus, by forging and maintaining close links with brand partners and suppliers, organizations can streamline their supply chain, lower costs, boost efficiency, and increase their competitive edge in the market. 4. Beef Up Your Data Analytics System Implementing data analytics systems empowers your brand to make accurate, informed decisions based on real-time data. By tracking customer behavior, preferences, and trends, you can  tailor products and services that meet customers’ needs and deploy marketing strategies to bring those products and services to your customers faster than ever.  Data analytics can also identify areas of improvement, such as materials costs, brand reputation issues, or supply chain hiccups, that could be tripping up your growth plans without your knowledge. Embracing a detailed data analytics system is a surefire way to outclass the competition and boost your bottom line with data-driven decisions. 5. Enhance Mobile Responsiveness With most consumers using their smartphones and tablets for online shopping, mobile responsiveness is no longer a nice-to-have: it’s now a necessity. By ensuring that your website or platform is mobile-responsive, you make your brand relevant to the millions of consumers worldwide who might never bother to scroll through your site if it doesn’t look good and render smoothly on their mobile device.  This is especially important in the B2B2C commerce model, as mobile responsiveness helps speed up the sales process and create a smoother customer experience. Additionally, mobile responsiveness can improve search engine rankings, leading to more traffic and boosting revenue growth. Get hands on with an Elastic Path Free Trial Start building the commerce experience your unique business demands with a free Elastic Path Commerce Cloud account. Get in touch with us and we will setup a Free Trial store for you for six weeks. Sign up for a free trial 6. Liven Up Personalized Product Recommendations Personalized product recommendations make B2B2C commerce more effective by suggesting products that fit a consumer's needs and preferences. Thanks to algorithms, brands can analyze important data points such as purchasing history and browsing behavior to predict what a customer is most likely to buy next and dial up the personalization of search results, ads, and more to make that sale faster.  Examples of personalized recommendations include "customers who bought this also bought..." and "recommended for you." These suggestions improve the shopping experience for the customer and make the sales process frictionless for both you and your B2B2C brand partners. 7. Strengthen Data Security Measures In modern times, strong data security measures can be the lynchpin of your brand’s reputation. A robust data security strategy can prevent data breaches and help build trust with customers and partners, leading to increased sales and strong long-term relationships.  Examples of effective data security measures include firewalls, encryption, antivirus software, and multi-factor authentication throughout your site and sales process. Backing up important data regularly and storing it in a secure location is also essential in case of a security breach. Additionally, implementing strict access controls and providing employee training on data security best practices can help prevent human errors that may lead to data breaches. 8. Build a Versatile and Unified Platform Having a unified platform makes taking advantage of modern marketing must-haves such as omnichannel marketing and attribution simpler. Integrating all aspects of your business, such as marketing, sales, customer service, and inventory management on a single platform, ensures a more unified brand appearance on the front end and saves administrative time and resources on the back end.  Outdated legacy software or complicated clusters of tools that don’t work seamlessly together are the enemies of smooth and efficient operations, both for your brand partners and for you. By integrating a fully-unified and high-functioning eCommerce platform into every aspect of your business, you’ll preempt the problems that come with obsolete technology while also paving the way for faster future growth. 9. Promote Both Cross-Selling and Upselling Cross-selling and upselling are highly effective dual strategies for B2B2C brands. Cross-selling and upselling enable brands like yours to offer more comprehensive products and services to potential or current customers.  These techniques work especially well for B2B2C commerce companies and their brand partners that offer a range of related or complementary products, as it allows them to leverage their existing customer base to generate more sales. According to data, cross-selling alone can increase sales by up to 20%, all with no additional marketing or promotion spend needed! Also, customers who are cross-sold are more likely to return and make future purchases. In fact, research shows that repeat customers are responsible for up to 40% of a company's revenue. So, if you don’t have a cohesive cross-selling and upselling plan in place, get one. If you have one, ramp it up as fast as possible. 10. Create More Robust Localization Localization is a powerful tool for helping you connect with your customers on a deeper level. By catering to local needs and preferences for everything from language to colors to specific promotions, you can create a B2B2C strategy that not only better serves your brand partners, but also helps your customers feel heard and understood.  Your brand can achieve localization by taking into account cultural, linguistic, and regulatory differences in each market, as well as ensuring that shipping and tax settings for your platform are accurate for each market served. Localization is a key component of the growing trend for personalization in every aspect of commerce, so make sure your brand is doing it. Examples of B2B2C Brands The B2B2C commerce approach has become increasingly popular in recent years, as it allows brands to tap into new markets and expand their reach. Here are three leading B2B2C examples across different industries:  1. Amazon Business Amazon Business, the B2B arm of Amazon, is a prime example of a B2B2C brand. It acts as an intermediary between businesses and consumers, making it easier for brands to provide products and services while ensuring a seamless buying experience for end users. With features like multi-user accounts and customizable approval workflows, Amazon Business caters to the unique needs of corporate buyers while leveraging the vast product selection and logistics capabilities of Amazon.  2. Google Ads Google is one of the most famous brands in the world. It’s also a strong, clear example of a B2B2C brand. Google’s most noteworthy function is providing search results to people seeking information online. But Google’s advertising engine, Google Ads, is one of the world’s most popular advertising platforms. Google Ads allows businesses to advertise their services on Google Search and on non-search properties, such as YouTube. Consumers – and potential customers – turn to one business, Google, for information. Another business, like yours, can pay Google to display your brand’s products on those searches. Google is an intermediary between your product and consumers’ searches – making Google ads a clear B2B2C example. 3. Uber for Business Uber for Business is a B2B2C brand that manages employee transportation needs. It is a cost-effective solution for brands with frequent travelers. Companies can set up a corporate account, manage ride policies and budgets, and track expenses easily with Uber for Business. It offers a smooth experience for end-users and employees who can easily book rides using the app, and payment is automatically charged to the company's account. Uber for Business is an ideal B2B2C brand that benefits all parties involved. Maximize Your B2B2C Commerce Strategy with Elastic Path Stymied by the complexity of preparing your brand to take on the world of B2B2C commerce? Never fear - Elastic Path is here! With our suite of headless commerce solutions and eCommerce tools, you’ll never have to worry about wrestling with subpar software or byzantine back-end systems again.  Get in touch with one of our experts today to learn more about how we can help your brand conquer the world of B2B2C commerce - and find a whole new level of success in the process. 
    Topics: strategies, strategy, business, partners, components, data, commerce, key, great, brands, products, b2b2c, need, brand, customers.
  • 100 Add to Cart Buttons from Top eCommerce Retailers - Add to Cart buttons – they may be small, but no online retail store can do without them. Since these little, colorful clickables connect the product to the shopping cart, they are essential to the checkout process and ultimately, to your brand’s bottom line. It’s important for any ecommerce merchandiser to put some thought into their store’s Add to Cart button design.  We’ve collected and analyzed 100 Add to Cart buttons from the top online retailers of 2022, as well as from a few niche online stores to give you some design inspiration. If any button sticks out to you, be sure to click on it to visit its native page.  Before we get into the the full breakdown of Add to Cart buttons, some of the major takeaways from searching top eCommerce sites were: All-Caps buttons are going strong amongst online retailers with over half of eCommerce sites (58%) using All-Caps button text The overwhelming majority of sites (70%) use sharp buttons Only 6% of the retailers use a custom Add to Cart button icon like a shopping cart or basket Only 5% of the retailers include the checkout total of the selected item in their Add to Cart button The most popular colors for Add to Cart buttons are black (23%), followed by blue (18%) and ghost buttons (18%) More than a quarter (27%) of sites use a CSS (Custom Styling Sheets) animation upon hovering over the Add to Cart button Here is the Full Breakdown: 100 Add to Cart Buttons       How the Add To Cart Button Can Reinforce Your Branding At first the Add to Cart button may seem like a minor detail, but it has the potential to create an emotional connection with your brand. Your choice of shape, color, font and button text all affect that connection. It’s common for brands to use this kind of intentional design to create personability with the shopping experience, which is why we took note of a few things we noticed from some of our favorite brands that you might want to keep in mind. While best practice indicates not to use all-caps, Promptly Journals' modern, easily consumable all-caps lettering echoes the brand's clean, simple and elegant designs of its journals. With a custom CSS animation that appears upon hovering over the button, it’s almost like Promptly is sliding one of its journals over to you as you add it to your eCommerce shopping cart. Double Under Wonder’s button has a 3D animation that appears to push in upon hovering over it, showcasing the playfulness of their jump rope designs. Old Salt Merchant’s deep navy blue button connects to the brand’s nautical theme origins. Mac Daddy Music Store’s simple, highly functional button emphasizes the functional dependability and product design of its various guitar pedals, pickups and accessories.      Need Further Guidance on Differentiating Your Brand's Customer Experience? Get in Contact with One of Our Experts Contact Elastic Path Add to Cart Button Design and Usability Button Text Web copywriting emphasizes scannability -- perhaps the golden rule of web copywriting is don’t use 5 words when three will do. "Buy Now" may be a stronger call to action than "Add to Cart", but may subtly suggest the user is finished shopping or is making a commitment to purchase without time to review the order.  The beauty of "Add to Cart" is that it is non-committal and assumes the user is still looking around. And if you’re a good ecommerce merchandiser, you’re showing suggested products and a "continue shopping" link from the view cart page. Text Formatting General web usability guidelines recommend sans-serif fonts with high-contrast color selection (high-contrast white on black or dark blue rather than low-contrast blue-on-blue for example). Your add to cart button color should make it easy to consume.  Despite all-caps being generally discouraged in web copywriting, we found 58% of "Add to Cart'' buttons using the text style. Mixed case tends to be the easiest to read, although all lower case is also easy. For example, Ikea slaps small text on a disproportionately wide button forcing some users to squint. Stacking Text Stacking text is not a good idea for links or navigation buttons, and the same goes for "Add to Cart" buttons. Users have come to expect some form of rectangular shape, and when quickly scanning a page, it may take longer to distinguish buttons from decoration, and may even become frustrating. No need to reinvent the wheel, stick to the convention. Button Placement If you offer helpful features on your product pages like wishlists, enlarged photos, color switching, alternate product views, email to friend, size chart, view cart or check out buttons, make sure the "Add to Cart" button is obvious, bright and prominent in comparison. Less important functions can be lighter colored buttons or simple text links. Use Movement and Customization  Using responsive buttons that move or change color helps engage the shopper as they browse and hover over the Add to Cart  button. If you are in a niche market, consider adding definitive icons to represent your brand; such as a dog bone or collar image within your add to cart button, or if you sell baby clothes and accessories using a rattle with animation. These simple touches add connection and an emotional touch to reflect the endearment of new babies and pets.  Track, Analyze, Repeat As I mentioned before, always be testing this critical function. Using any number of analytics functions such as Google, you can track and analyze how your Add to Cart button is performing. You’ll be able to drill down to clicks and conversion rates, and make improvements as necessary to increase those numbers.   What if You Use A Button From a Template? Even if you don't use a custom designed "Add to Cart" button for your shopping cart, choose a button that compliments your site's theme (compliments does not infer it must be the exact same color). And make sure you pick one design and stick with it. Ecommerce thrives on trust, and random buttons erode customer confidence.
    Topics: button, sites, retailers, cart, shopping, color, brands, ecommerce, text, add, buttons.
  • 2024 Creator Economy Predictions - Content makes the world go 'round (at least for marketers), but it can’t create itself. This week we’re exploring the top creator economy predictions for 2024 that marketers need to know.
    Topics: media, work, shorts, likely, creators, predictions, companies, creator, economy, brands, content.
  • 21 Examples of Successful Co-Branding Partnerships (And Why They're So Effective) - Everyone has loyalties to their favorite brands, but there's a good chance your favorite products result from two separate brands working together.
    Topics: cobranding, successful, target, partnerships, spotify, brand, effective, campaign, brands, apple, partner, users, examples, theyre, partnership.
  • 3 Roles Marketing Leaders Plan to Recruit in 2024 [New Research + Expert Insights] - While most people are trying to stick to their New Year's resolutions, marketers like myself are strategizing how to set their organizations up for success in 2024.
    Topics: plan, leaders, role, creator, brands, hire, marketing, expert, research, insights, creators, roles, recruit, content.
  • 30 Fashion Brands That Marketers Can Learn From on Instagram - Between carefully curated photos, expertly targeted ads, and decisive adoption of Instagram stories, no other B2C industry has thrived on Instagram, much like the beauty and apparel industry.
    Topics: marketers, fashion, products, features, learn, inspiration, product, instagram, photos, brand, clothing, brands, feed, followers.
  • 4 AI Controversies Marketers and Brands Should Avoid - Artificial intelligence is a hot topic, and a recent study shows over 61% of marketers have used AI in their marketing activities. By now, you've probably heard all the ways AI can assist you in crafting and executing your marketing strategy, but are there any drawbacks?
    Topics: ai, customers, content, used, controversies, data, human, brands, process, avoid, marketers, marketing, customer.
  • 4 Data-Driven Reasons to Work with Micro-Influencers [HubSpot Research] - Influencer marketing has become more integral to marketing campaigns as brands try to reach audiences on platforms geared toward community building and creating content than companies. When you think of influencer marketing, you probably think of influencers with large followings collaborating with brands; however, smaller influencers (also called micro-influencers) are gaining traction among marketers.
    Topics: microinfluencers, reasons, influencers, followers, engagement, brands, research, datadriven, marketers, marketing, microinfluencer, hubspot, influencer, work, instagram.
  • 4 Holiday Shopper Mindsets Brands Should Keep Up With, According to Google - Throughout the holiday season, we at Google have annually watched shoppers move between 4 distinct mindsets, or what we call the ‘4Ds:’ deliberate, deal-seeking, determined, and devoted.
    Topics: resources, consumers, google, digital, shopping, brands, mindsets, shop, shoppers, according, shopper, cyber, holiday.
  • 4 Ways to Understand the Rise and Fall of DTC Brands - What happened to DTC brands and why — and the evolution that is now required in direct-to-consumer branding.
    Topics: brands, data, platforms, fall, growth, technology, directtoconsumer, dtc, scaling, ways, understand, rise, help, customer.
  • 41 Types of Marketing Your Brand Should Invest In - Like many of the people who currently work in the industry, digital marketing was born in the 1990s. Since then, the industry has evolved at breakneck speed, sprouting many more types of marketing.
    Topics: types, invest, product, brands, marketing, brand, marketers, customers, email, strategy, audience, social.
  • 5 Must-Read Books for Building Brands and Wealth by Entrepreneurs of Color - Welcome to Breaking the Blueprint — a new blog series that dives into the unique business challenges and opportunities of underrepresented business owners and entrepreneurs. Learn how they’ve grown or scaled their businesses, explored entrepreneurial ventures within their companies, or created side hustles, and how their stories can inspire and inform your own success.
    Topics: business, mustread, entrepreneurs, brand, brands, book, rating, color, success, building, women, excerpt, think, wealth, books, 5review.
  • 57 TikTok Stats to Know in 2023 - Since launching in 2018, TikTok has racked up millions of downloads globally. It can also be a bit of a mystery since TikTok doesn't always disclose of key app metrics.
    Topics: say, videos, tiktok, stats, brands, know, users, app, million, blog, tiktoks, platform.
  • 8 SEO Challenges Brands Face in 2023 [HubSpot Blog Data] - In the 1990s, SEO success relied on keywords. In 2023, new SEO challenges have emerged.
    Topics: videos, titles, data, hubspot, search, challenges, video, content, mobile, seo, google, blog, ranking, brands, web, face.
  • 9 Crucial Headless Commerce Trends to Watch In 2023 - The world of commerce is evolving rapidly, and brands need to keep up with the latest technologies and trends to stay ahead of the game. One of the most powerful recent commerce technologies is headless commerce. Headless commerce is a method of dividing the front-end and back-end aspects of an eCommerce platform. This strategy offers companies greater adaptability and authority over their customers’ online shopping experiences, which is crucial in today's fast-changing digital environment. In 2023, headless commerce is expected to become a mainstay of eCommerce operations, with more brands than ever adopting it to streamline their operations and boost sales. In this post, we’ll discuss nine headless commerce trends that you need to know to stay ahead of the competition and take commerce to the next level. The Evolution of Headless Commerce Headless commerce has changed over time. It started as a way to address the limitations of traditional eCommerce platforms. These platforms were often inflexible and limited in terms of customization, making it difficult for businesses to create unique and engaging shopping experiences for their customers.  With headless commerce, the front-end and back-end of an eCommerce platform are separated, allowing businesses to customize the presentation layer and integrate with other technologies more easily.  This approach also enables businesses to provide a more seamless and consistent experience across multiple channels, from desktop to mobile to social media. Headless commerce has quickly gained widespread popularity among brands looking for more flexibility and agility in their eCommerce operations. According to a study, over $1.65 billion in financing has been obtained for headless commerce in 2020 and 2021 alone. In addition, 80% of businesses that still don’t practice headless commerce plan to implement it in the next two years. In order for your business to stay competitive, it's crucial to be informed of the latest trends in headless commerce and make the most of your headless commerce strategy. 9 Headless Commerce Trends for 2023 As commerce technologies evolve, integrating headless commerce practices has become an important competitive advantage. To ensure your brand reaches its peak potential in 2023, be aware of these nine crucial headless commerce trends:  1. Mobile-first Strategy A mobile-first strategy is becoming increasingly important, regardless of your industry, in order to maximize both ease of use for your customers and revenue for your brand. With more and more consumers using their mobile devices to make purchases, it’s crucial for organizations to prioritize mobile commerce when optimizing their overall commerce strategy.  Headless commerce allows for more flexibility and customization while creating a mobile-first experience, ensuring a strong brand presence and a consistently frictionless user experience. By adopting a mobile-first strategy powered by headless commerce, you can cater to the changing needs and preferences of your customers without sacrificing back-end functionality. 2. Voice Commerce Voice commerce doesn’t rely on a traditional visual user interface to facilitate shopping. Instead, it uses voice-enabled technology, such as smart speakers or virtual assistants, to let your customers shop at any time that fits their busy schedules.  Voice commerce eliminates the need for a traditional front-end interface altogether, creating a more seamless and intuitive shopping experience. As voice-enabled technology continues to advance and become more widespread, we can expect to see an increase in the adoption of voice commerce as a headless commerce trend. 3. AI & Machine Learning AI and machine learning technologies use data and algorithms to predict customer needs and suggest relevant products or services. This results in a personalized shopping experience, boosting conversion rates and increasing personalization for the consumer.  These technologies can also automate back-end processes like inventory management and order fulfillment. AI and machine learning are quickly becoming foundational elements of both traditional and headless commerce, giving your brand a competitive edge in customer experience management as well as operations. 4. Blockchain Technologies Blockchain technologies allow for secure and transparent transactions without intermediaries like banks or payment processors. Decentralized data storage and management also ensure that data is less vulnerable to hacking or breaches.  In this headless commerce trend, blockchain integration can be used for supply chain management, smart contracts, and secure payment processing in both B2B and B2C contexts. This technology offers faster and more efficient transactions across borders and lowers fees, making it increasingly popular as a headless commerce trend for brands of all sizes. Get hands on with an Elastic Path Free Trial Start building the commerce experience your unique business demands with a free Elastic Path Commerce Cloud account. Get in touch with us and we will setup a Free Trial store for you for six weeks. Sign up for a free trial 5. Virtual Reality Shopping Virtual reality (VR) shopping gives customers a completely immersive and interactive shopping experience. Your customers can explore products in 3D, interact with them, and easily visualize their real-life use, emulating the experience of viewing products in a brick-and-mortar store.  VR shopping lets eCommerce brands showcase their products in a more engaging way, leading to more confident purchasing decisions and less buyer’s remorse. Also, VR shopping is cost-efficient, eliminating or reducing the need for physical retail space.  As the popularity of virtual and augmented reality experiences of all kinds grows, VR shopping is becoming increasingly prevalent, offering customers a unique and exciting way to shop. 6. Social Media Integration Social media integration has become a vital headless commerce trend as customers increasingly use social media to find and buy products. Integrating social media into a headless commerce strategy creates a frictionless and personalized shopping experience that meets consumers where they “live:” on their favorite social media platforms.  With this headless commerce trend, social media can now be used for more than just colorful posts and ads or for building brand awareness. Instead, customers can now also choose to buy products directly from social media platforms with just a click of a button, a quick comment, or a chat message.  This simple shopping experience reduces abandoned carts and buyer hesitation, making it simpler than ever to boost both short-term sales and long-term revenue. 7. eCommerce Microservices Overall eCommerce revenues are expected to reach $7.5 trillion by 2025. To keep up, brands and retailers are seeking new systems to stand out from the crowd. Microservices are among the top choices for large brands like Amazon, Netflix, and Etsy, and could have major benefits for your organization, too.   Microservices are an effective solution for eCommerce challenges like traffic peaks and risk-free testing of new trends and technologies. They also play well with headless commerce setups and facilitate the building of complex omnichannel systems. These advantages allow for testing the latest payment methods, voice assistants, and progressive web apps without taking significant risks. 8. Omnichannel Presence Customers today expect a seamless shopping experience across multiple channels, including online, mobile, social media, and physical stores. Headless commerce enables retailers to decouple the front-end presentation layer from the back-end commerce platform, allowing them to deliver a consistent and robust user experience across all of these channels. This means that customers can start a transaction on one channel and complete it on another quickly, painlessly, with a consistent brand experience each time.  Moreover, retailers can leverage data analytics and AI to personalize the shopping experience for each customer based on their preferences, behavior, and context. By adopting an omnichannel presence, in addition to other key headless commerce trends like these, organizations can not only increase customer satisfaction and brand awareness but also drive revenue growth and competitive differentiation. 9. Adoption of API-Driven Platforms API-driven platforms provide developers with the infrastructure needed to integrate new applications and services. APIs allow your business to create a flexible architecture that can deftly adapt to changing customer demands and market conditions, leading to innovative and engaging digital experiences for customers.  This flexibility goes hand-in-hand with headless commerce’s premise of customizability. As the adoption of APIs continues to surge, so too does headless commerce integration become more prevalent. Leveraging both together is a great way to multiply and optimize the operational ease and streamlined user experience you would gain from either one or the other, creating benefits that only become more apparent with time.  Choosing the Best Headless Commerce Solution with Elastic Path The commerce industry is crowded with technologies that claim to offer a myriad of benefits with a simple setup. Deciding what technology—and which providers—to trust is far from easy.  Not sure what your business needs to stay competitive in a landscape that is tilting toward headless commerce? No problem—our experts can help you select the tools you need. Get in touch with us today to take your commerce capabilities to the next level.
    Topics: headless, technologies, brands, ecommerce, trends, shopping, commerce, crucial, experience, social, customers, media, watch.
  • - Adevinta, the parent company of many leading European classified marketplaces, is in discussions regarding a potential sale. A consortium led by investment firms Permira and Blackstone is reported to have made a multi-billion-dollar offer. This information comes from the German Manager Magazine. Specific financial details are not disclosed, and the…
    Topics: company, classifieds, kleinanzeigen, talks, acquisition, ebay, adevinta, brands, leading, schibsted, norwegian, sale.
  • - German fulfillment company for DTC ecommerce brands, Alaiko, is launching in the United Kingdom. With its solution, the company wants to help British brands scale domestically and across Europe. In order to do so, they are partnering with a local state-of-the-art fulfillment center. Alaiko is a tech-driven fulfillment company that…
    Topics: kingdom, fulfillment, alaiko, customs, ecommerce, shipping, customers, businesses, company, united, expands, europe, brands, logistics.
  • - Alibaba is taking a major step in its international push. The Chinese e-commerce giant is introducing Tmall in Europe, starting with Spain. Michael Evans, president of Alibaba, announced this at the Viva Tech conference in Paris, France. Pilot project in Spain Tmall has grown as a trading platform where international…
    Topics: platform, brands, local, tmall, spain, alibaba, europe, viva, launching, chinese, international.
  • Amazon Slashes Dozens of In-House Brands. Did Your Favorite Line Get Cut? - Amazon is trimming in-house brands in its private-label business, including going from 30 to three clothing labels.
    Topics: amazons, products, brands, told, customers, inhouse, clothing, privatelabel, amazon, cuts.
  • Are Brands Investing in Social Media Communities in 2023? We Asked 1,200+ Marketers - The ultimate goal of social media marketing is to generate revenue, and a crucial step to generating revenue via social media is creating engagement. If your followers don't engage with your posts, they won’t engage with your business. And a sure way to boost engagement is by fostering a tight-knit social media community.
    Topics: members, community, content, engagement, investing, brand, asked, marketers, media, communities, brands, social, facebook.
  • - SellerX, a Berlin-based aggregator of Amazon sellers, has acquired Elevate Brands, its American industry peer. They will operate together as SellerX Group, which aims to become “one of the largest and most profitable global consolidators of e-commerce brands”. The SellerX Group announced the acquisition in a press release. The annexation…
    Topics: elevate, aggregator, aggregators, american, amazon, group, strong, acquisition, sellerx, operational, berlinbased, acquires, brands, company.
  • Best Headless Commerce Platforms in 2023 - Editor's Note: This post was originally published on December 16, 2021 and was updated for relevancy on June 2, 2023. Headless commerce is a major topic for merchandisers and leading brands. But choosing a headless commerce platform isn’t easy. Many legacy eCommerce platform vendors retrofitting their solutions to embrace a “headless” approach and countless new startups are rushing into the space. That makes it hard for eCommerce teams to decide which headless commerce vendor best meets their unique requirements.  Learn more about headless commerce platforms, the difference between headless and Composable Commerce,  and how to determine which headless commerce platform is the best for your business. What is a Headless Commerce Platform? A headless commerce platform is when the front-end and back-end of an eCommerce experience are separated. Having a linked front-end and back-end in commerce is known as a monolithic solution. Headless commerce platforms give merchandisers and brands the ability to customize an online storefront without changing backend infrastructure or capabilities.. With a headless architecture, your brand can create compelling commerce experiences by choosing your preferred content management system (CMS), digital experience platform DXP, and other technologies such as Angular or React front-end frameworks. Headless commerce provides a flexible way for businesses to approach eCommerce. This approach can give your teams the freedom, flexibility and scalability to build custom B2B commerce experiences and future-proof your business.  Are Headless Commerce and Composable Commerce the Same? Headless commerce and Composable Commerce are related concepts, but are different.  Headless commerce is a core architectural concept. Among modern commerce platform vendors, headless commerce is often found as a part of a MACH-based architecture along with microservices, API-first, and Cloud-native principles.  Composable Commerce builds on the foundation of MACH-based architectural principles, but is business-centric. In addition to the underlying MACH-based architecture, Composable Commerce embraces the concept of an open ecosystem and mix-and-match vendor management. The holistic approach of Composable Commerce helps businesses translate their investments in modern MACH-based technologies to real, tangible business value. Can All Commerce Platforms Support a “Headless” Approach? This is a common question that has a nuanced answer. Some vendors are “native” headless commerce platforms, which means that the software created to be headless from the beginning.  Native headless platforms have clear advantages, but are not the only way to go headless. Many, but not all, of the traditional commerce platforms , do now have a headless mode given the popularity of headless commerce. But not all of these vendors can support a truly headless approach. That’s because they employ a “retrofitted” headless solution, in which the front-end is customizable but still tied to the back-end. This means that adding new features may require an in-house development team. Retrofitted headless solutions allow for design, flexibility, and positive UI experiences on the consumer-facing front-end.   In contrast, headless microservices solutions use microservices to fully decouple the front-end and back-end. Application program interfaces (APIs) help the front-end and back-end communicate and reduce your development requirements on the back-end. A great analogy to think about the difference between native headless architecture and retrofitted headless solutions is a car that was designed and manufactured to be a convertible, versus a sedan that is retrofitted in the aftermarket to be a convertible. Some of these retrofitted sedans will seem as if they were designed to be convertibles. Others won’t match the display and functionality of a convertible-from-the-start car. Want to learn whether a headless commerce approach is right for you? Read our eCommerce platform buyer’s guide. Need help evaluating eCommerce Solutions? Connect with an Elastic Path expert to answer all of your questions, set up a demo, access a free trial, or discuss pricing options. Get in Touch 14 Top Headless Commerce Platforms If you have decided that traditional monolithic platforms no longer satisfy your business requirement and would like to migrate to a headless solution, it's important to choose a platform that suits your team and business needs. To help, here’s an overview of major headless commerce platforms in 2023: 1. Elastic Path Headquarters: Vancouver, BC, Canada Number of Employees: 231 Website: https://www.elasticpath.com/  Company Overview: Elastic Path develops commerce solutions for leading brands and merchandisers. There are two main Elastic Path solutions. The first is Elastic Path Commerce, popular for regulated goods brands.The second is Elastic Path Commerce Cloud, which powers complex, differentiated commerce experiences. Brands from various industries such as travel, gaming, and retail enjoy the benefits of a composable, API-first, microservices-based headless commerce solution. 2. Commerce Layer Headquarters: Prato, Italy Number of Employees: 34 Website: https://commercelayer.io/ Company Overview: Commerce Layer is a headless commerce platform and order management system that lets brands add global shopping capabilities to any website, mobile app, chatbot, or IoT device. 3. Commercetools Headquarters: Munich, Germany Number of Employees: 648 Website: www.commercetools.com Company Overview: Commercetools is a platform for B2C and B2B commerce. Commercetools has offices across the US, Europe, and Asia Pacific, with headquarters in Germany. Since its founding in 2006, Commercetools software has been implemented by Fortune 500 companies across industries. 4. Core DNA Headquarters: Boston, MA, USA Number of Employees: 27 Website: https://www.coredna.com/ Company Overview: Commercetools is a platform for B2C and B2B commerce. Commercetools has offices across the US, Europe, and Asia Pacific, with headquarters in Germany. Since its founding in 2006, Commercetools software has been implemented by Fortune 500 companies across industries. 5. Fabric Headquarters: Seattle, WA, USA Number of Employees: 414 Website: https://fabric.inc/ Company Overview: Fabric is a headless commerce platform with anopen and modular design. Fabric focuses on helping retailers grow digital revenue. 6. Nacelle Headquarters: Los Angeles, CA, USA Number of Employees: 80 Website: https://nacelle.com/ Company Overview: Nacelle helps brands compose best-of-breed solutions. FTD, Something Navy, Boll & Branch and Barefoot Dreams have chosen Nacelle’s headless solution. Nacelle is backed by Tiger Global, Inovia Capital, Index Ventures, Accomplice, Lerer Hippeau, High Alpha and Silas Capital. 7. Skava Headquarters: San Francisco, CA, USA Number of Employees: 504 Website: https://www.infosysequinox.com/ Company Overview: Infosys Equinox is a human-centric commerce and marketing platform that supports rich, hyper-personalized experiences across any channel and touchpoint. 8. Spryker Headquarters: Berlin, Germany Number of Employees: 616 Website: https://www.spryker.com/ Company Overview: Spryker enables companies to create winning commerce experiences in B2B, B2C, and marketplaces. Spryker aims to help brands extend sales reach and grow revenue. Spryker is trusted by brands such as Toyota, Hilti, Lekkerland, Hero, Rose Bikes, and Prym. 9. Swell Headquarters: San Francisco, CA, USA Number of Employees: 47 Website: https://www.swell.is Company Overview: Swell is a customizable headless ecommerce platform that supports unique business models and customer experiences. Swell’s customizable approach serves to make eCommerce available to all brands. 10. VTEX Headquarters: London, UK Number of Employees: 1,727 Website: https://vtex.com/gb-en/ Company Overview: VTEX is an enterprise digital commerce platform for brands and retailers looking to build a future-proof digital commerce strategy. VTEX is generally used by larger, enterprise-level companies. If a retrofitted headless approach will work for your business, you can consider these headless commerce platforms: 11. Adobe Commerce (aka Magento) Headquarters: San Jose, CA, USA Number of Employees: 603 Website: https://magento.com/ Company Overview: Magento, an Adobe Company, is a leading provider of cloud commerce innovation. In addition to its flagship digital commerce platform, Magento Commerce boasts a strong portfolio of cloud-based omnichannel solutions that empower merchants to successfully integrate digital and physical shopping experiences. Magento Commerce is supported by a vast global network of solution and technology partners, a highly active global developer community, and the largest eCommerce marketplace for extensions is available for download on the Magento Marketplace. 12. BigCommerce Headquarters: Austin, Texas, USA Number of Employees: 1,267 Website: https://www.bigcommerce.com/ Company Overview: BigCommerce combines enterprise functionality, an open architecture, and an app ecosystem to power B2B and B2C ecommerce for small, medium, and Fortune 1000-sized companies. Industry-leading brands using BigCommerce include Assurant, Ben & Jerry’s, and Gibson. BigCommerce’s mission is to help merchants sell more at every stage of business growth. 13. Salesforce Commerce Cloud (aka Demandware for B2C and/or CloudCraze for B2B) Headquarters: San Francisco, CA, USA Number of Employees: 292 Website: https://www.salesforce.com/products/commerce-cloud/overview/ Company Overview: Salesforce Commerce Cloud, formerly Demandware, powers enterprise cloud commerce for large brands, enabling unified, one-to-one experiences across all points of commerce, including web, mobile, social and store. 14. Shopify Headquarters: Ottawa, ON, Canada Number of Employees: 17,319 Website: https://www.shopify.com/ Company Overview: Shopify is a leading global commerce company, providing tools to small and medium-sized businesses with clear, simple commerce requirements. Choosing the Right Headless Commerce Platform Can Boost Your Business  Choosing a headless commerce platform takes consideration and a strong understanding of your business goals and needs. At Elastic Path, we work to help brands unlock commerce solutions that give their customers exceptional commerce experiences. We’d love to talk about what that looks like for your business and whether one of our solutions will help. Get in touch with one of our experts so we can learn about your commerce needs and demo how we can help you deliver the best commerce experiences possible.  
    Topics: number, best, platform, platforms, solutions, commerce, website, overview, headless, employees, brands, company.
  • - Based on turnover, many of the 30 biggest brands sold on Dutch marketplace Bol are brands that sell products in consumer electronics and domestic appliances. However, when looking at the amount of sales brands in toys and personal hygiene dominate the top-30. At the same time, brands that are sold…
    Topics: biggest, sellers, sold, brands, dominant, bol, categories, data, turnover, platform, seller, partner.
  • Boundless Brands Raises $2.5 Million In Seed Funding - Boundless has also built a full-stack e-commerce platform that enables e-commerce site and app and all the managed e-commerce services
    Topics: fb, million, seed, raises, fullstack, services, sandeep, brands, industry, platform, funding, boundless, managed, ecommerce.
  • Brand Colors — Everything You Need to Know - Brand colors shape how people perceive your business. Up to 80% of snap judgments about products are solely based on color alone. That's right, 80%!
    Topics: need, white, primary, color, colors, used, yellow, red, know, brands, blue, brand.
  • - Retail has its own jargon in the same way other sectors do. Two such acronyms you might have come across include CPG and FMCG.  In a nutshell, the former stands for consumer packaged goods, while the latter refers to fast-moving… Continue reading CPG vs FMCG: The Similarities and Differences
    Topics: brands, goods, cpg, example, food, products, brand, vs, consumer, marketing, fmcg, differences, similarities.
  • Composable Frontend Q&A with David Stover - Embracing Composable Commerce gives brands the control to customize, accelerate change and reduce TCO. But designing, integrating, and launching the frontend experience can be a daunting and overwhelming task that can take months to complete. Should you build your own frontend experience, outsource the build to an SI, or choose an all-in-one platform that comes complete with an integrated frontend experience? Unfortunately, choosing the latter with a legacy platform leads to mediocre functionality, slow site speed, a bloated frontend, and decreased customer engagement. That is why at Elastic Path we are excited to launch our Composable Frontend.  Composable Frontend eliminates these problems and de-risks the frontend build of a Composable Commerce approach.  I sat down with our Senior Director of Product Management David Stover to learn more about Composable Frontend.   Q: What is Composable Frontend?  A: Simply put, Composable Frontend is a frontend that can be composed using a simple build tool. Brands simply answer a few simple configuration questions and Composable Frontend automatically and quickly builds a reusable modular, Next.js frontend, pre-integrated with Elastic Path and best-of-breed backend vendors. Our previously announced D2C Starter Kit is one output of the Composable Frontend framework.  The frontend includes elegantly designed, ready to use (and re-use) components for the Homepage, PLP, PDP, Cart and Checkout. It currently supports EP Product Experience Manager (PXM) functionality including bundles, variations and standard product types.  Composable Frontend includes pre-built integrations to Algolia Search, EP Payments and Braintree Payments with more integrations coming soon. Brands can also rest assured that business-model specific requirements (like account management and multi-cart) for B2B are included in Composable Frontend. Q: Why did we launch this?      Q: How is Composable Frontend unique in the market?       Q: How does Composable Frontend help brands?       Q: What’s coming next for Composable Frontend?  A: We are planning on building out the customer management area which will allow customers to login and maintain their own accounts, see their order history, maintain wishlists and reorder products which had been previously ordered.  We also have additional integrations planned such as Coveo, Advanced Commerce, Shippo and more as well as giving our customers the ability to launch new commerce experiences directly from within our Commerce Manager UI.  You can learn more about Composable Frontend here.   
    Topics: qa, experience, stover, integrations, frontend, david, launch, management, commerce, composable, brands, build, product.
  • - DHL Supply Chain is the new logistics service provider for Reflaunt, a technology platform that enables branded fashion resale. The collaboration is illustrative of the growth and potential of recommerce in Europe.According to DHL and Reflaunt, scalability is the biggest challenge in successfully reselling fashion items. The companies claim to…
    Topics: european, logistics, business, fashion, service, reflaunt, brands, dhl, supply, recommerce, resale, steps.
  • Discrepancies Experienced by Black Content Creators (Expert Insight) - Welcome to Breaking the Blueprint — a blog series that dives into the unique business challenges and opportunities of underrepresented business owners and entrepreneurs. Learn how they’ve grown or scaled their businesses, explored entrepreneurial ventures within their companies, or created side hustles, and how their stories can inspire and inform your own success.
    Topics: dont, expert, white, insight, opportunities, discrepancies, creators, experienced, content, creator, know, brands, black, influencers.
  • - London-based startup Kuai Commerce has raised 2.4 million dollars (2.22 million euros) in a funding round. The capital injection will be used to launch an ecommerce solution that helps European merchants to sell their wares in the East. Cross-border ecommerce is a way for merchants to reach an even bigger…
    Topics: sell, chinese, million, social, ecommerce, raises, commerce, brands, kuai, startup, solution.
  • - Ecwid vs BigCommerce: Which solution should you invest in for your company? Both of these tools have proven to be powerful solutions for ecommerce retailers in the past. They both offer their own website building capabilities, access to a range… Continue reading Ecwid vs BigCommerce (2023): Which is Best for Ecommerce Brands
    Topics: website, brands, vs, bigcommerce, ecwid, plan, best, tools, access, options, features, ecommerce, support.
  • Elastic Path Latest Product Innovations De-Risking Composable Commerce - At Elastic Path, we’re continuously working to de-risk Composable Commerce by developing innovative products and solutions that simplify the lives of merchandisers and minimize the barrier to entry for brands to embrace composability. This past quarter, we have launched some solutions and product updates that are doing just that. I’ll be sharing some of those key product innovations so far. Integrations Hub Many digital commerce leaders and brands recognize the benefits of a Composable Commerce approach for providing the flexibility to innovate and create best-for-me experiences. But the reality is that the complexity of integrating and managing a multi-vendor solution is time consuming and expensive, with integrations accounting for 60% of implementation budgets. This quarter Elastic Path launched Integrations Hub, a library of no-code, instant-on integrations that reduce the time and cost of implementations so you can get live vaster and significantly reduce TCO. All integrations in the Integrations Hub are hosted and managed by Elastic Path. They are all commerce-enabled integrations that are able to be deployed in a matter of minutes. Some notable integrations include Algolia, Send Grid, Salsify, and Talon.One. Explore the full list here. We’re excited to see how brands are able to leverage Integrations Hub to drastically reduce implementation costs  (up to 60%) and alleviate the burden of managing and operating their multiple integrations. Curating Products in Your Nodes Product Lists Building on our mission to simplify the lives of merchandisers, this quarter we have launched a feature update which allows merchandisers to curate products in your nodes product lists. What this means is that you’re now able to promote specific products within each of your hierarchies (categories). This enables you to create unique product collections in your storefront. For example, a merchandiser could create a curated product list of all the products in last winter’s collection that did not sell. They would now be able to select the specific products they would like to promote and create a new list of curated products from an already existing hierarchy or category, like “tops” per se. Nested Bundles (Bundles of Bundles) Another new merchandising capability is our nested bundles or bundles within a bundles functionality. Nested bundles enables merchandisers to sell a range of products (and groups of products) together at once. This specific feature allows users to insert a bundle within another bundle providing our business users with new, creative ways to sell their products. What does this look like practically? Let’s say you are a beauty brand and you have a bundle that includes eye cosmetic products such as a mascara, an eyeshadow palette, and eye liner. With this new functionality, you can also include another bundle such as the skincare bundle with moisturizer, cleanser, and toner and merchandise these collections of products as one singular SKU. However, only one bundle can be added within another bundle. Configuring Product Experience Manager Shopper Catalogs In addition to bundling capabilities, we’ve also made strides in our catalog functionality. Merchandisers can now configure their catalog to have up to five pricebooks. You can assign a priority to your price books so that product prices are displayed according to the priority of the price books. This is useful if you have price books for different scenarios such as seasonal sales, business versus retail customer pricing and reward programs. Bulk Add Tax Items to Cart We know how important customer satisfaction is for brands. That’s why we’ve added this new feature “bulk add tax items to cart” which allows a shopper to add up to 5 tax items to their cart in one action, rather than adding each item one at a time. Shoppers can specify items by selecting one of two options, by SKU or by product IT.  This minimizes the time a shopper spends adding items to a cart and can in turn minimize cart abandonment. We’re excited to continue to release new product innovations to help brands embrace a Composable Commerce approach. You can keep up with the product updates on our blog and our change log.  
    Topics: innovations, bundles, composable, bundle, items, brands, products, integrations, product, commerce, derisking, create, path, merchandisers, latest, elastic.
  • Facebook Engagement: Everything You Need to Know [+ Research] - Facebook engagement is something marketers shouldn't overlook when crafting a social media strategy. Facebook engagement can expand organic reach and place your brand higher in Facebook's News Feed. Your brand can also reach your audience's extended network through likes, comments, and shares.
    Topics: brands, live, content, followers, users, engagement, facebook, post, research, page, need, audience, know.
  • Gartner 2023 Predicts: Brands Must Focus On Composability, AI, and Building Consumer Trust - The eCommerce industry is constantly evolving to meet market demands and economic conditions. Each year Gartner makes market predictions and recommendations based on research and trends.  Here’s what Gartner predicts: “By 2026, the speed of digital innovation will improve by 60%, relative to 2022, for organizations that have established mechanisms to reuse composable digital commerce modules.”  “By 2026, 30% of sales organizations will use virtual assistants for improving seller’s efficiency and effectiveness, compared to less than 1% currently.” “By 2027, 20% of customers who ordered from enterprise marketplaces in 2022 will retreat from them due to ethical concerns and lack of trust.” Read on for a deeper dive into these predictions. Improve Cost-Effectiveness with Modular and Composable Technologies      By 2026, the speed of digital innovation will improve by 60%, relative to 2022, for organizations that have established mechanisms to reuse composable digital commerce modules." .otro-blockquote{ font-size: 1.2em; width:100%; margin:50px auto; font-family:gilroy; font-style:italic; color: #555555; padding:1.2em 30px 1.2em 75px; border-left:8px solid #08415c ; line-height:1.6; position: relative; background:#EDEDED; } .otro-blockquote::before{ font-family:gilroy; content: "\201C"; color:#08415c; font-size:6.5em; font-weight: 600; position: absolute; left: 2px; top:-20px; } .otro-blockquote::after{ content: ''; } .otro-blockquote span{ display:block; color:#08415c; font-style: normal; font-weight: bold; margin-top:1em; } The current global economic tensions are leading to margin compression in which the cost to make a product or deliver a service rises faster than the sales of the product or service. Inevitably, this leads to lower profit margins. The brands that seek to  survive and overcome it must increase revenue or create cost efficiencies.  Composable technologies increase the pace of innovation and the cost efficiency of investing in it because the components are reusable. This means that brands do not have to develop similar functionality across different applications or duplication development work across multiple business teams. Core commerce modules can be reused across applications, which increases speed-to-market and saves time and money on development work. Modular commerce applications are also deployed and updated independently, improving agility and again increasing speed-to market Gartner predicts that organizations that centrally develop and maintain composable modules will see great improvements in innovation. Innovation is something that brands cannot afford to slow down in today’s economy with higher competition and fewer buyer purchases. Elastic Path powers Composable Commerce for brands with the multi-factor, multi-brand, multi-business model, multi-geo. Start Free Trial Brands Should Consider Leveraging AI for Seller-Efficiency      By 2026, 30% of sales organizations will use virtual assistants for improving seller’s efficiency and effectiveness, compared to less than 1% currently.”      By 2027, 20% of customers who ordered from enterprise marketplaces in 2022 will retreat from them due to ethical concerns and lack of trust.” With concerns of an economic slowdown,  Gartner suggests implementing AI and ML-powered virtual assistants (VA) to save seller time and effort. These VAs can be used to automate simple common sales tasks such as managing CRM data, sales lead nurturing and answering buyer’s FAQs. While more complex tasks, like speaking  with customers on a personal level  and contract negotiations  would be left to the sellers. Sellers can also leverage VAs and AI-capabilities for scheduling the next meeting, demoing the product or following up with stakeholders. Virtual assistants are also becoming popular for B2C brands for tasks such as capturing leads, product recommendations and product demos. Virtual chatboxes are also gaining traction for retailers to help reduce cart abandonment and create a more streamlined and interactive experience as shown in the example below. Brands Must Rebuild Consumer Trust      By 2027, 20% of customers who ordered from enterprise marketplaces in 2022 will retreat from them due to ethical concerns and lack of trust.” .otro-blockquote{ font-size: 1.2em; width:100%; margin:50px auto; font-family:gilroy; font-style:italic; color: #555555; padding:1.2em 30px 1.2em 75px; border-left:8px solid #08415c ; line-height:1.6; position: relative; background:#EDEDED; } .otro-blockquote::before{ font-family:gilroy; content: "\201C"; color:#08415c; font-size:6.5em; font-weight: 600; position: absolute; left: 2px; top:-20px; } .otro-blockquote::after{ content: ''; } .otro-blockquote span{ display:block; color:#08415c; font-style: normal; font-weight: bold; margin-top:1em; } With poor customer experiences on marketplaces, consumers will begin to distrust marketplaces for future purchases.  A poor experience with one seller can create a domino effect and damage consumer confidence in other sellers.  A study from Qualtrics found that 50% of consumers decreased or entirely cut spending with a brand after a bad customer experience. That same report found that globally, organizations risk 6.7% of their revenue or $3.1, when they lose customers due to poor experiences. Marketplace operators will need to offer features that reestablish trust and monitor seller behavior such as tracking seller reviews, authenticating reviews, and validating the authenticity of products. They also need to establish processes to authenticate seller and product information and monitor suspicious behavior. The more protocols that are put in place to prevent negative and fraudulent customer experiences, the more trust consumers will have in purchasing from those brands. You can read the full report on Gartner's 2023 predictions here.  
    Topics: organizations, marketplaces, gartner, innovation, composable, sales, predicts, product, brands, customers, commerce, seller.
  • - H&M’s marketplace strategy is bearing fruit, according to CEO Helena Helmersson. The Swedish fashion giant is opening its doors to include more third-party brands.Helmersson shared this information with Reuters after the publication of new figures. H&M’s revenue is on the rise, with a growth of 9 percent compared to the…
    Topics: marketplace, hm, fashion, swedish, brands, strategy, slightly, profitable, offering, including, hms, thirdparty, expands.
  • How Consumers Responded to Black Friday in 2022 [+ Holiday Marketing Tips] - According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, inflation went up 8.2% between September 2021 and September 2022. As a result, experts theorized that this would take a toll on both retailers and shoppers.
    Topics: brands, product, responded, marketing, black, ad, ads, deals, tips, holiday, video, content, consumers, online.
  • How Luxury Brands Market and What You Can Learn - I don’t easily fall for ads or grab products because of marketing tricks. Okay, okay…unless it’s a suitable luxury brand marketing strategy like a catchy video. In that case, I transform from someone who ignores ads to someone who needs that head-turning perfume as soon as possible.
    Topics: market, learn, strategy, ads, brands, brand, digital, vuitton, marketing, luxury, porsche, products.
  • How Marketers Can Still Thrive in a Recession [Data Analysis] - When life gives you lemons, make lemonade. Right?
    Topics: brand, thrive, customers, data, social, marketing, customer, help, marketers, recession, content, brands, analysis.
  • How Marketers are Navigating Q4: Traffic, Lead & Email Data from 150K+ Brands - If you're a marketer, it's likely been a very – odd – Q4!
    Topics: data, brands, mom, saw, q4, marketing, marketers, lead, industries, traffic, hospitality, yoy, construction, 150k, leisure, email, navigating.
  • How Social Media Influenced Coachella - Welcome to HubSpot Marketing News! Tap in for campaign deep dives, the latest marketing industry news, and tried-and-true insights from HubSpot’s media team.
    Topics: influencers, content, marketing, influenced, revolve, influencer, social, nearly, brands, festival, media, coachella.
  • How Sorority Rush Became Big Social Media Business - Sorority recruitment has transformed from a secretive process to big social media business.
    Topics: content, potential, process, recruitment, tiktok, business, rushtok, social, brands, sorority, media, big, rush.
  • How To Do Representation in Marketing the Right Way (+ Consumer Perspectives) - Welcome to Breaking the Blueprint— a blog series that dives into the unique business challenges and opportunities of underrepresented business owners and entrepreneurs. Learn how they’ve grown or scaled their businesses, explored entrepreneurial ventures within their companies, or created side hustles, and how their stories can inspire and inform your own success.
    Topics: brand, ensure, representation, feel, serve, consumer, underrepresented, marketing, way, right, brands, consumers, representative, perspectives.
  • How To Turn TikTok Videos Into Big Sales - More
    Topics: studios, design, content, brands, tiktok, mush, turn, jacob, videos, big, brand, retailers, work, sales.
  • How the Nike and Tiffany & Co. Collaboration Was Overshadowed by AI - Welcome to HubSpot Marketing News! Tap in for campaign deep dives, the latest marketing industry news, and tried-and-true insights from HubSpot’s media team.
    Topics: marketing, strategy, overshadowed, blue, collaboration, tiffany, product, shoe, brands, ai, nike.
  • How to Be an Effective Instagram Manager [Expert Tips] - Instagram has over 2 billion monthly active users worldwide and is among the top five most-used social media platforms. So, it's safe to say your organization's audience is among Instagram's many users.
    Topics: content, tips, help, consistent, brand, brands, media, audience, manager, effective, instagram, expert, social.
  • How to Collaborate with Brands as a Content Creator [Expert Tips] - Welcome to The Creative, a series that gives content creators actionable advice from professionals in the creator economy. Whether you're a seasoned creator or just starting out, read The Creative to learn how to grow your platform, improve your content, and stay ahead in the ever-shifting creator landscape.  As a content creator, I've found the most common question other creators in my circle ask is, "How do I collaborate with brands?" And it makes sense that it's top of mind for so many creatives since brand deals are among the primary sources of income for podcasters, influencers, YouTubers, streamers, and more.
    Topics: scott, creators, podcast, brands, collaborate, expert, payment, brand, work, content, know, tips, creator.
  • How to Craft a Brand Manifesto [Guide + 10 Examples] - To inspire your audience to be loyal to your brand, you need to have a core message that focuses on your brand's purpose and shows why your brand is worth following. To do this, you'll need to craft a brand manifesto that expresses your brand's values.
    Topics: guide, wants, examples, brands, products, manifesto, craft, audience, consumers, purpose, help, brand, life.
  • How to Get Sponsored on Instagram (Even if You Currently Have 0 Followers) - It's no surprise you want to become a paid Instagram influencer, but the idea of getting your posts sponsored might seem laughable if you’re just posting pictures of your brunch instead of skydiving pictures in Australia.
    Topics: content, brand, followers, partnership, currently, post, instagram, brands, tap, posts, youre, paid, sponsored.
  • How to Monetize Your Brand's Blog in 2023, According to HubSpot's Blog Leaders - Are you struggling to monetize a blog? Don’t fret. Whether running a personal blog or managing the official blog on your company's website, monetizing your blog is achievable with the right know-how.
    Topics: according, brand, monetize, brands, service, hubspots, product, blog, readers, monetization, posts, content, money, leaders, marketing.
  • How to Supercharge Your Product Catalog without Replatforming - There’s a longstanding belief that if you want to change your commerce product catalog, you’re probably signing up for a full-on replatform. The reason? Catalogs are often tightly intertwined with how the commerce platform works overall. In a monolith, the catalog is tightly coupled with promotions, cart, product information management (PIM) or enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems, and order management systems (OMS). Unwinding this mess is complex and error-prone. However, supercharging your product catalog doesn’t have to involve a replatform.  Many brands struggle with rigid, inflexible product catalog management systems that make it nearly impossible to create dynamic product bundles, build shoppable landing pages, and respond quickly to market opportunities. Using EP Product Experience Manager (PXM) it’s possible to execute on unique product merchandising opportunities without custom development work or replatforming. Let’s talk about why a flexible product catalog management experience matters, and how it works.  Merchandising every moment At the heart of many frustrating commerce interactions is a broken catalog experience. Or as my colleague Julie Mall put it, “The eCommerce catalog is dead.” If you’ve ever tried to buy something from a “shop the look” page, only to have to search through endless size and color options, you’ve felt this pain. Just recently, I visited two separate landing pages from a brand collaboration to discover that sizes were fully sold out on one brand’s page, but available on the other. These types of catalog configuration and data integration issues shouldn’t be happening in 2023 — but they do all the time! Even so, brands want to take advantage of all of their merchandising and distribution options. It’s the secret to responding to a moment in time for a campaign, creating a unique product bundle or collaboration, or experimenting with a new marketing or advertising channel. Rigid catalogs stand in the way of progress, and the perceived pain of replatforming is holding brands back from making any changes. That’s why we built EP PXM to work with existing commerce systems, enabling brands to launch all kinds of creative catalog configurations without custom code. Let’s take a look at how we do this.  Get hands on with an Elastic Path Free Trial Start building the commerce experience your unique business demands with a free Elastic Path Commerce Cloud account. Get in touch with us and we will setup a Free Trial store for you for six weeks. Sign up for a free trial How EP PXM works with existing commerce platforms Unlike the traditional commerce catalog, EP PXM can output “finished products,” which can then be ingested into a traditional catalog system. This happens the same way a catalog system might add products from a PIM or ERP, only EP PXM would serve as the product data source. That way, merchandising and brand teams can work in EP PXM to build bundles and SKUs to increase average order value, quickly move excess inventory, and help their customers assemble multiple products into a single package. From there, these teams can push these bundles through their existing commerce system to be sold like any other product. In the past, it was very hard to do things like product bundling effectively without a lot of custom development work. I was visiting a snowboard website recently and was struck by an obvious bundle opportunity — a snowboard requires bindings, the rider often is buying boots at the same time, and there are multiple upsell opportunities including gloves, hats, and jackets. In today’s ecommerce experiences, the best a visitor might get are recommendations such as “people also purchased,” “shop compatible gear,” or “designed to work together.” While these offer visitors flexibility, they also push the burden of packaging multiple options to the visitor — introducing friction into the purchase process and resulting in abandoned carts from someone who was a high intent buyer. Tightly coupled catalog architectures have been a major barrier for brands to offer bundles, which leaves a missed opportunity to generate incremental revenue on the table. With EP PXM, all of the capabilities required to build bundles are built from the ground up as decoupled, independent services to give merchandisers incredible flexibility. And all of the capabilities are delivered out of the box in our Commerce Manager application, eliminating the need for custom development work or off-platform CloudOps to manage custom code. Another option would be to create influencer-focused landing pages that only exist for a moment in time. For example, brands often want to work with an athlete or an influencer to capitalize on a big win or a viral moment. Using EP PXM, pre-approved brand assets, and a simple development front end, they can quickly spin up a new landing page with a custom product bundle, processing transactions through their existing commerce system. In the past, many brands haven’t been able to move quickly enough to respond to these moments, due to the custom development required to launch this type of campaign. Building the case for a gradual replatform Some companies need to see EP PXM to believe how it empowers their merchandising and marketing teams to move faster. Seeing EP PXM in action is often enough inspiration to gradually replatform in favor of a more nimble, API-first composable commerce approach. Like any modern, agile software development project, you can test a product catalog-focused campaign, and learn enough to drive toward a future replatform. Over time, the merchandising team can solve their business problems, without grinding progress to a halt due to an expensive and disruptive replatforming process.  Instead, a brand might choose to replatform gradually with a single market or product line, continually testing and learning from each experience. I recently wrote about how to break up with your commerce monolith, describing this “start small” pattern in more detail. I encourage you to check it out if you’re interested in transitioning to Composable Commerce without the pain of replatforming all at once.
    Topics: merchandising, ep, brands, commerce, work, pxm, development, custom, catalog, supercharge, product, replatforming.
  • How to Tell a Compelling Brand Story [Guide + Examples] - Your audience is programmed to crave and seek out great stories. They want to know your brand’s origin, missions, goals — your entire brand story.
    Topics: brands, skin, brand, product, red, does, guide, examples, relate, riding, compelling, products, quo, tell.
  • How to Use Buy with Prime to Benefit Your Brand and Customers - Amazon's Buy with Prime gives sellers the best of both worlds, integrating Amazon's Prime benefits into their own brands' websites.
    Topics: customers, customer, shoppers, checkout, sellers, buy, amazon, brand, brands, website, prime, benefit, shipping.
  • HubSpot's Social Media Team Gives 5 Tips for Bringing Your Brand on TikTok - Taking the risk with any new platform is daunting. After all, no one wants to dedicate their time, energy, or budget into something with little return.
    Topics: platform, bringing, brands, tiktok, gives, audience, content, tips, team, videos, hubspots, brand, youll, social, media, youre, nyst.
  • If You Sell Anything Online in 2024, Make Sure You Take These 5 Steps - With shoppers craving connection, retailers that make the human touch part of their ecommerce play could find themselves rewarded.
    Topics: online, ways, customers, sales, brands, ai, steps, human, sure, shopping, sell, retailers, retail.
  • Integrations Hub Adds Google Merchant Center Instant-on Integration to Improve Product Discoverability - Integrations Hub continues to make Composable Commerce a reality for brands by bringing “instant-on” integrations that empowers brands to reach their customers where they shop. With the Google Merchant Center integration, brands can make their products available in the Google Merchant Center and under the Google Shopping tab with a few simple clicks.   How to Set Up Google Merchant Center Instant-On Integration Our demo video below will walk you through how to set up the “instant-on” integration directly within Commerce Manager, our business user tooling, and the pre-requisites for the Google Merchant Center.  For more information, check out our documentation page.  What is Google Content API for Shopping?  The Google Content API for Shopping allows direct interaction with the Merchant Center platform. The “instant-on” integration with Elastic Path Commerce Cloud lets brands sync their product data to the Merchant Center instantly.  Get hands on with an Elastic Path Free Trial Start building the commerce experience your unique business demands with a free Elastic Path Commerce Cloud account. Get in touch with us and we will setup a Free Trial store for you for six weeks. Sign up for a free trial What can you do with Google Merchant Center?  Google Merchant Center allows merchants to register their websites with Google and upload their product content data, allowing their products to appear automatically in Google search results in the Shopping tab. Google will display a summary with the name, image, and price. When the search result is clicked, it will take shoppers directly to your Elastic Path Commerce Cloud powered storefront. Every time your catalog is published in Commerce Manager, the product data will automatically synchronize with the Google Merchant Center, including name, description, price, image, EAN/UPC, and a link to your product on your storefront.  Allow your products to be discovered by more customers by leveraging the simple yet powerful tool.   
    Topics: free, integrations, merchant, path, google, brands, adds, commerce, instanton, center, product, hub, elastic.
  • Is Social Media Dying? What That Could Mean for Marketers - The social media boom of the last decade is over. It’s not that people are no longer using social media — they are. They’re just using it less, and engaging differently.
    Topics: tiktok, media, mean, dying, brands, social, friends, shop, users, space, marketers, platforms, close.
  • Is Your Brand Missing Out on Extra Income? How to Harness the Game-Changing Benefits of Affiliate Marketing - As brands continue to realize the benefits of this marketing strategy, it is likely to remain a prominent fixture in the marketing landscape.
    Topics: online, affiliate, brands, successful, businesses, strategy, products, improve, shopping, rise, embrace, affiliates, marketing.
  • Locad Raises $11Million In Series A Funding - The fund raised will be used towards building the region's largest fulfilment network
    Topics: 11million, locad, chain, raises, warehouses, supply, round, funding, logistics, orders, engine, entrepreneur, brands, series.
  • - After two years, Mango has stopped selling other brands on its own marketplace. The Spanish fashion retailer had been offering products from brands like Rituals through its own channels. This decision comes after Mango recorded an online sales growth close to 10 percent during the first half of 2023. Revenue…
    Topics: stops, mangos, sales, selling, brands, rituals, mango, online, onethird, platform, revenue, retailer.
  • Marketing Moves That Helped Skims Reach A $4 Billion Valuation - Earlier this month, Kim Kardashian’s apparel company Skims made headlines after closing a $270 million fundraising round, reaching a valuation of $4 billion. In a business climate where VCs are pulling back investment from direct-to-consumer brands, this accomplishment is quite the feat for a four-year-old business.
    Topics: skims, valuation, helped, moves, brands, reach, popular, products, billion, tiktok, million, social, marketing, brand, product.
  • Omsom’s 5 Keys to Successful Brand Storytelling - Vanessa Pham and her sister co-founded Omsom, an Asian sauce company, because they had a story to tell about growing up as first-generation Asian Americans. In this episode of Shopify Masters, Vanessa shares her tips for making your brand’s story resonate.More
    Topics: press, keys, food, brands, talking, brand, successful, loud, storytelling, omsoms, vanessa, wanted, tell.
  • Online Stores Like Amazon Are Robbing Your Brand — Here's How AI Can Stop Them - AI has enormous potential for sellers and vendors on marketplaces. By using AI to learn about customers, adjust rates, optimize pricing and manage inventory, brands can improve their competitive advantage, drive sales and increase overall profitability on online platforms.
    Topics: sellers, platforms, marketplace, products, sales, robbing, online, ai, brand, marketplaces, brands, stop, amazon.
  • Onport - At Elastic Path, we are committed to empowering all brands to achieve their commerce goals through our innovative approach to commerce technology. Our focus on making Composable Commerce accessible to all brands is made possible through the Instant On integrations available in our Integrations Hub. These integrations provide a seamless connection to best-of-breed commerce solutions, allowing merchandisers to drive revenue and easily create unique commerce experiences. With this approach, Elastic Path is leading the way in revolutionizing the commerce industry. These "instant on" integrations are pre-configured with common data mapping and event triggers. With just a few clicks, merchandisers can customize their integration and leverage Onport’s Marketplace, Dropshipping solution to deliver on modern customer expectations,  How To Leverage Onport in the Integrations Hub? Check out our quick demo to learn how to set up this "instant on" integration without a single line of code from within Commerce Manager, our business user tooling.  {"preview_thumbnail":"/sites/default/files/styles/video_embed_wysiwyg_preview/public/video_thumbnails/mtDBYHGhRt2VWzb3KJaDCG.jpg?itok=biAta__E","video_url":"https://share.vidyard.com/watch/mtDBYHGhRt2VWzb3KJaDCG?","settings":{"responsive":1,"width":"854","height":"480","autoplay":1},"settings_summary":["Embedded Video (Responsive, autoplaying)."]} For more information, check out our documentation page to see how your brand can benefit from leveraging the "instant on" Onport integration.  Who is Onport? Onport provides best-of-breed shipping and marketplace solutions by connecting your product catalog and order information in a central dashboard integrated with leading couriers. Enabling automation of your order fulfillment anywhere in the world across a multi-vendor ecosystem to be efficiently managed in a matter of clicks. Simplifying the workflow and saving time allows you to focus on your eCommerce success.  Check Out Our Integrations Hub See how you can supercharge your store with other "instant on" integrations. Go to Composable Commerce Hub What is part of the Onport Instant On Integration? The Onport integration allows for seamless communication between Onport and Elastic Path Commerce Cloud. With this integration, product, inventory, and order changes in Onport and Elastic Path Commerce Cloud are automatically reflected in the other platform via webhook events. Brands can use this integration to efficiently manage their marketplace and dropship operations, with features such as product sync, order sync, inventory sync, and split order. This no-code integration enables brands to streamline their operations and improve customer experiences.  
    Topics: onport, instant, sync, elastic, path, brands, integrations, shipping, integration, flexibility, commerce, order, control, split, marketplace, dropship.
  • Personalization Is an Overused Buzzword. This Is the Real Future of Ecommerce. - Retail media is embracing a model that lets sellers and brands use first-party data to build authentic relationships — and it will change ecommerce forever.
    Topics: amazon, isnt, data, companies, media, consumer, personalization, sellers, future, retail, firstparty, retailers, ecommerce, brands.
  • - German ecommerce aggregator Razor Group has raised 70 million dollars (65.7 million euros). The company currently has over 200 brands in its portfolio, but wants to add more soon. The funding will also be used to expand geographically. Ecommerce aggregator are growing quickly in European ecommerce. In November, Dutch company…
    Topics: razor, brands, raises, ecommerce, round, million, wants, funding, group, company, dollars, euros.
  • Research Finds Customer Loyalty Isn't What It Used to Be [2023 Data] - It’s a reality we can’t ignore: Customers are increasingly exploring different brands and shopping options. Product unavailability and depleted inventory shelve coupled with rising prices have made even the most loyal customers inclined to venture beyond their go-to brands.
    Topics: finds, research, isnt, brands, value, customer, products, used, trust, data, customers, define, brand, loyalty.
  • - Polish ecommerce platform Saleor has raised 8 million dollars, or 7.4 million euros, in a funding round. Ecommerce giant Zalando is one of the investors. The capital injection will be used to drive further growth. Saleor is an open-source ecommerce software platform from Poland. It was founded in 2020. It…
    Topics: saleor, ecommerce, capital, brands, euros, round, zalando, zeos, raises, platform, funding, million, offering.
  • - Secret Sales, the UK-based off-price marketplace, has acquired the Spanish online fashion retailer Dreivip. Brands and retailers on Secret Sales will have quick access to millions of new clothing customers.Secret Sales, which initially started as a members-only flash sales website, transitioned into an online marketplace in 2020, featuring hundreds of…
    Topics: spain, secret, expands, brands, online, sales, europe, spanish, ukbased, yearoveryear, website, marketplace.
  • - Software provider for ecommerce brands, Shop Circle, has raised 120 million dollars (111.8 million euros) in a funding round. The startup will use the capital injection to expand its suite of products. It wants to become a one-stop shop software provider for online sellers. Shop Circle was launched in the…
    Topics: circle, suite, shop, provider, dollars, secures, wants, software, brands, funding, ecommerce, million, round.
  • - Shopify vs Tailor Brands: Which is right for your company? The question can be a little more complicated to answer than it seems. After all, it’s not an apples to apples comparison. While Shopify is a comprehensive ecommerce platform, Tailor… Continue reading Shopify vs Tailor Brands: Comparing Core Features
    Topics: tailor, brands, custom, logo, month, core, features, shopify, tools, vs, comparing, online, design, business.
  • - Ecommerce software provider Shopline is expanding into Europe. The Singapore-based company is launching a European headquarters in London. It raised 182 million dollars last year in order to accelerate its global expansion. Shopline is a website builder for online merchants. With its customizable themes, sellers can quickly launch their website.…
    Topics: customers, shopline, uk, media, social, brands, company, launches, website, ecommerce, customer, platform.
  • Shoptalk 2023 Recap: Key Trends and Learnings - Shoptalk is an annual tradeshow where thousands of retailers come together to discuss the latest trends, technology, and future of retail. Our team was thrilled to attend once again in Las Vegas this year- meeting partners, prospects, and clients to talk about the state of the retail industry and discuss their digital vision and initiatives for the upcoming year. In this blog, I’ll share some of the key trends and learnings from the showfloor. Brands Need More Education On Composable Commerce While the idea of Composable Commerce is becoming more prevalent in discussions  from prospects, partners, and sessions, the understanding of the general concepts of what it entails and the benefits for brands is still lacking. There is a general understanding of headless commerce, from sessions explaining the agility and flexibility to increase speed-to-market and lower TCO. However, there still needs to be more clarity in the market on the difference between headless and Composable Commerce.  In short, Composable Commerce builds upon a headless commerce architecture. We have a Composable Commerce Architecture Guide which explains the nuances and differentiation between the approaches. Get hands on with an Elastic Path Free Trial Start building the commerce experience your unique business demands with a free Elastic Path Commerce Cloud account. Get in touch with us and we will setup a Free Trial store for you for six weeks. Sign up for a free trial Omnichannel Experiences Are Shifting To Unified Commerce The idea of omnichannel experiences is nothing new for retailers. Today’s market requires the flexibility to reach customers across touchpoints and channels whether through mobile, in-person, or in-store. However, the conversation has now shifted from not just reaching the various touchpoints, but to creating a unified experience across channels. What does a unified customer experience look like? It’s more than just creating a seamless experience across touchpoints. It’s understanding the customers and creating experiences that align with their needs. This also looks like making a concerted effort to provide assistance through AI chatboxes and video on your brand’s websites and through mobile. There is a growing expectation for customers to be helped throughout the buying experience and those means are a notable strategy to assist with this.  In the more traditional omnichannel perspective, unified commerce also looks like providing platform support for social selling and curating personalized content that suits their needs. Agile Merchandising Strategies Must Be Implemented As we’ve seen over the last couple of years with a global pandemic, inflation, economic uncertainty and more, a merchandiser’s ability to pivot is a required skill to meet market changes.  Whether you’re weathering the changes between pre-pandemic and post-pandemic shopping patterns or dealing with cultural or socio-economic shifts for consumers, brands need to leverage flexible and agile merchandising strategies to make changes and iterate at speed. That starts with having a deep understanding of the customer through data and by utilizing a platform that will give you the best-in-class digital experiences. Elastic Path’s Show Presence Last but not least, the energy at Shoptalk was impeccable. Meeting hundreds of retailers and chatting it up about how we’re de-risking Composable Commerce for brands was exciting and purposeful. The first day of Shoptalk we announced Integrations Hub. Integrations Hub is a library of no-code, instant–on integrations that reduce the time and cost of implementations so you can get live faster and vastly reduce your TCO. This is a game-changer for some many brands who are concerned about the cost and work to manage a multi-vendor solution. We handle the hosting, management and monitoring. Integrations are enabled so quickly that we even held a competition at the booth challenging people to enable one of our integrations within 5 minutes or less. Our booth also featured our customer Vivrelle, a first-of-a-kind luxury membership club that gives customers the opportunity to borrow luxury handbags, jewelry and accessories. At the booth, we demonstrated how we power their membership business model and enable one-click checkout through our EP Payments solution. We even raffled off one of the Vivrelle luxury handbags to those who participated in our demo.   Overall, Shoptalk was one for the books with many lessons and valuable conversations. It was a great way to get excited about the future of retail. We’re looking forward to attending again in the future.
    Topics: understanding, customers, shoptalk, recap, free, commerce, experience, brands, composable, key, integrations, trends, learnings, unified.
  • Should Brands Address Social Issues? - When it comes to social justice, what role do brands play?
    Topics: companies, social, issues, stance, making, address, public, statements, brands, justice, consumers.
  • Social Impact Done Right: Why Nike and Dove Are Teaming Up to Advocate for Girls Sports - We recently discussed whether or not consumers want brands to make social statements with our sister publication, The Hustle. The main consensus is instead of making broad social media statements, consumers want brands to make tangible changes to improve broader communities.
    Topics: sport, girls, advocate, teaming, confidence, nike, body, right, brands, participation, dove, resources, social, impact.
  • - In this Tailor Brands review, we’re looking at an all-in-one platform for branding and marketing. This powerful ecosystem offers a full selection of brand design and advertising tools, so you can launch your presence online quickly and effectively. Business leaders… Continue reading Tailor Brands Review 2023: A Complete Guide to Tailor Brands
    Topics: website, online, tailor, help, brands, create, choose, access, guide, business, logo, review, complete.
  • The 7 Types of Social Media and Pros & Cons of Each (Research) - When it comes to social media, I‘m quite the expert. I had to tireless scrub through social media for potential stories back when I was a journalist. Now, I’m HubSpot‘s go-to blogger for almost anything social media-related, so I’m always keeping up with the latest online happenings.
    Topics: types, platform, brands, social, pros, post, platforms, users, content, media, cons, research, video, business.
  • The Future of Partnerships: Celebrities Working For Major Brands - Celebrity brand partnerships are evolving beyond endorsements and #sponcon.
    Topics: working, partnerships, employees, equity, future, wedding, grainge, work, celebrities, brands, delta, major, nudestix, brady, strategic.
  • The Scarcity Principle: How 7 Brands Created High Demand - If you took the same Introduction to Economics class that I struggled through in college, you might remember this key lesson: The law of supply and demand states that a low supply and high demand for a product will typically increase its price.
    Topics: buy, demand, principle, high, limited, available, supply, consumers, purchase, product, brands, created, scarcity, toms.
  • The Top Brands on Threads & How They Gained Followers So Quickly - Since launching in July, Threads has accumulated 120 million users. Among those users are brands using the platform to connect with their audience and boost brand awareness.
    Topics: quickly, threads, gained, marvel, brands, followers, count, brand, content, wars, audience, relatable, uses.
  • The Top Channels for Influencer Marketing in 2023 [New Data] - Finding the right influencer for a brand campaign can feel like dating. You want someone who shares your values, aligns with your goals, and will make a great impression on your friends and family — or followers, in your brand's case.
    Topics: data, brand, youtube, influencers, platforms, creators, influencer, channels, marketers, brands, platform, marketing.
  • - Consumer Packaged Goods (CPG) companies play a significant role in our lives. They dominate your go-to grocery stores, households, cabinets, and pantries. Whether I talk about your daily household staples, favorite snacks, and beverages, or your cleaning supplies like laundry… Continue reading Top 15 Best CPG Companies of 2024
    Topics: best, companies, revenue, cpg, product, food, brands, care, products, consumer, company.
  • - Watching the top CPG ecommerce trends year after year is a good way to ensure you can stay one step ahead in this competitive landscape. The Consumer Packaged Goods (CPG) market is set to reach a value of $3.61 trillion… Continue reading Top 15 CPG Ecommerce Trends for 2024
    Topics: brands, customers, companies, sales, trends, products, cpg, ecommerce, marketing, consumers, need.
  • - In anticipation of the retail industry’s Black Friday event, Vestiaire Collective has removed H&M, Zara, and dozens of other brands and retailers from its platform. The fashion resale specialist is urging partners and customers to join its ‘Think First, Buy Second’ campaign.The French company, an exponent of the rapidly growing…
    Topics: platform, vestiaire, company, brands, criteria, hm, bans, fashion, collective, ban, wave, fast, zara.
  • Video Marketing: Build a Winning Video Strategy in 2023 - Discover how your brand can benefit from a video marketing strategy, and how to use video to improve brand awareness and make sales.More
    Topics: brand, product, social, marketing, youtube, platform, strategy, video, content, build, brands, winning, videos.
  • What is Brand Salience? [+How Do You Measure It?] - While branding can feel like a vague concept, it's one of the most important elements of a marketing strategy.
    Topics: marketing, brands, increase, purchasing, customers, salience, brand, think, positive, create, measure.
  • What is Global Marketing? See 13 Businesses with Brilliant Strategies - Global marketing is no longer reserved for brands with deep pockets, nor is it a hassle for marketing managers who handle all marketing efforts.
    Topics: strategies, businesses, marketing, brilliant, international, countries, different, brands, regions, strategy, imitate, global, brand.
  • What is Product Bundling? - As a merchandiser, you aim to sell more products and earn more revenue. You have many tactics at your disposal to accomplish this including the broad buckets of marketing, branding, sales, and product merchandising. One specific product merchandising tactic proven to increase average order volume (AOV) is product bundling Product bundling comes with substantial benefits for brands and consumers. Learn product bundling basics, the advantages of product bundling, and the basics of price bundling. You’ll be informed about a staple of merchandising and be more prepared to optimize your own product bundling strategy. What is Product Bundling? Product bundling is when a collection of two or more individual products is instead sold together as a combined offer. Consider a hypothetical shopping experience. A consumer is searching for one item, such as a desk, and realizes that they need additional items, such as a ring light or computer monitor or lamp. The concept of product bundling is to package these complementary products and sell them together. You experience a classic product bundle every time you drive through a fast food restaurant. A main product, such as a hamburger, is bundled with related, complementary items, such as fries and a drink. Together, these bundled products cost less than they would if they were purchased in individual transactions. Plus, customers end up assigning greater value to the main product: Doesn’t a hamburger alone for $5.00 sound less tantalizing than a hamburger, fries, and a drink for $7.50? Product bundles come in traditional and dynamic forms. Traditional product bundles offer customers a prepacked collection of products. For example, a video game company might offer a traditional bundle with a game console, two controllers, and 2 pre-selected games. Dynamic product bundles give buyers the ability to choose the options within a bundle. In a dynamic bundle, the video game company would first identify a few major components, such as a game console, controllers, and games.  Then, the company would offer specific options within those components. For example, a buyer would select one of three game consoles, two of five controllers, and two of 10 games. This way, consumers have the ability to choose the options in the bundle. Some dynamic bundles might even allow buyers to select which components to buy – for example, electing for four games and one controller instead of two games and two controllers. In short, dynamic product bundling gives consumers choice and control. Product bundles can be SKU-based or SKU-less. SKU-based bundles are when a bundled set of options have a single associated stock keeping unit code (SKU) with an assigned, pre-set price. SKU-based bundles are popular for brands who are setting a sale price for a bundle, such as a promotional package. SKU-less bundles do not have a single associated price. In a SKU-less bundle, each individual option in the bundle has its own price and is listed separately in a catalog for purchase. Sometimes, the total cost of a SKU-less bundle is set by adding the standalone prices of each product. Other times, the individual options can be discounted if they are purchased in a bundle. In digital commerce, SKU-less bundles are typical for “people also bought” add-ons. Whatever the format, product bundling is when multiple related products are sold together to the same buyer at the same time in one package. 5 Product Bundling Advantages Product bundling is popular because it improves commerce bottom-lines for companies and brands. Major product bundling advantages include: 1. Product bundling increases average order value (AOV) The first and foundational product bundling advantage is increasing average order value (AOV). AOV represents the average total dollars spent each time a customer completes a purchase. Different companies are bound to have different AOVs, but in general, higher AOVs help brands grow profitability. The higher your AOV, the more revenue earned from the same number of customers. This way, marketing, sales, and distribution costs decrease relative to revenue – improving your return on investment and bottom-line. Product bundling plays a large part in increasing AOV: Forrester research has indicated that 10 to 30% of commerce revenue comes from upselling and cross-selling via product bundles. Product bundling increases AOV for different reasons. For one, product bundles are often discounted, which means that customers have their own financial incentive to buy in a bundle instead of individually. Product bundles also often encourage buyers to purchase related and complementary items at the same time, instead of separately. In this situation, a buyer might not save money but they will save time by not having to buy items piece-by-piece. Product bundles are also likely to improve your long-term AOV, as customers who enjoy a bundled set of products you sell will place their trust in your commerce. If your brand earns their trust, customers are likely to buy from you again, and may opt for bigger-ticket items or more expensive bundles. 2. Product bundling enhances customer experiences Commerce is about happy customers, and product bundles improve and enhance customer experience. When a consumer is making a purchase, they’re rarely buying just one item. The car has to come with insurance. The television needs a stand or mount. The toy needs a battery and the printer needs cartridges. Product bundling enhances customer experience by offering these complementary items for purchase at the same time as a main item. Products and services are grouped together, with the customer’s ultimate needs in mind. This way, the customer spends less time mixing-and-matching products and associates your brand with anticipating and meeting their needs. Get hands on with an Elastic Path Free Trial Start building the commerce experience your unique business demands with a free Elastic Path Commerce Cloud account. Get in touch with us and we will setup a Free Trial store for you for six weeks. Sign up for a free trial 3. Product bundling reduces customer decision-making  Making decisions is hard. Product bundling reduces customer decision-making and allows for clear, simple buying. Deciding to purchase a product or service requires cognitive load, which is the amount of thought required to carry out a task or make a decision. Buying related, complementary products separately forces customers to ask difficult questions: Do these bed sheets match that comforter? Will this amp work with my electric guitar? Is this the right conditioner for my shampoo? Eventually, consumers may become overwhelmed and decide against any purchase. Product bundles solve this problem by reducing the decision-making required by customers. In a product bundle, consumers are reassured that the sheets match the comforter, the guitar plugs into the amp, and the conditioner complements the shampoo. In addition to immediately increasing sales, reducing customers’ cognitive load through product bundling improves customer experience and makes for satisfied, repeat business. 4. Product bundling moves stock and clears inventory Merchandisers can face challenges in moving stock, clearing inventory, and avoiding returns. Product bundling addresses this challenge by helping brands clear inventory and move stock fast. If you have a product that just won’t come off the shelves, bundle it with a popular, fast-moving product. This way, you capture buyers’ attention and use the popularity of the fast-moving item to turbocharge sales of the overstocked product. Added bonus, call this item a “free gift” to  show your customers generosity and disincentivize them from returning the product. When brands use product bundling to clear inventory, they often use discount bundling. It’s a double-win: You clear inventory and increase the AOV associated with the popular product. Consumers get more for less and you reduce or eliminate inventory waste. 5. Product bundling expands your market and exposure to new customers As a brand, you’re always trying to expand your market and attract new customers. Discounted product bundling can help. In a time of inflation and economic uncertainty, buyers may hesitate to purchase expensive, big-ticket items. In February 2023, PwC found that 96% of surveyed consumers intend to adopt cost-saving behaviors over the next six months  Discounted product bundling makes consumers’ buying decisions more palatable by offering customers cost-saving opportunities. In this sense, product bundling can be a strategy to attract and convert downmarket customers without reducing the quality of your products. Plus, a properly-discounted product bundle will attract these customers while still increasing your AOV – expanding your brand’s footprint without sacrificing revenue and profit. Product Bundle Pricing Basics Brands face serious decisions when they decide how to price their bundles. Setting a price for a product bundle, also known as price bundling, is required when two or more products are sold together for a price that’s lower than the cost of purchasing the two products separately. Price bundling incentivizes customers to buy, as they receive more product for less money. Brands that offer a price bundles choose between two product bundle pricing strategies, pure bundling and mixed bundling: Pure product bundle pricing In a pure product bundle, the individual products in a bundle have to be purchased in a bundled item. These options are not for sale separately as standalone products – buy them in a bundle, or don’t buy them at all. A common example of pure price bundling is subscription meal kits. The meals aren’t for sale individually, though the cost of a week’s worth of meals is usually less expensive than comparable standalone meal options. Mixed product bundle pricing Mixed product bundling works differently than pure bundling. In a mixed product bundle pricing offer, you buy a package of products for a set, discounted price that can also be purchased as separate, standalone items. Mixed product bundle pricing works because consumers experience savings and brands get a higher AOV. For example, a shaving kit company could offer a mixed product bundle of five razors for $25. Consumers still have the option to buy any of the razors individually for $7, but see each unit discounted when bundled. eCommerce Product Bundling Boosts Performance and Sales Product bundling is a valuable commerce strategy. Leading brands use product bundling to sell more items, earn more revenue, and improve their customers’ experience. Whatever the industry, many consumers have come to expect product bundles and price bundles, which means choosing the right type of product bundle is essential to your brand’s commerce success.
    Topics: price, bundling, product, consumers, bundle, brands, customers, bundles, buy, products.
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  • “Hacking” The Social Commerce Experience With Edge Checkout - Like many tech trends that originate in China, social commerce seems promising for U.S. brands. However, given the economic pressures of late 2022 and 2023, some social giants like Meta have dialed back their investments in native social commerce channels. Even so, the growth of this medium is far from over. According to eMarketer, social commerce sales grew 34.4% in 2022, with a projected growth of 20% (to more than $107 billion) by 2025. With the addition of new data privacy changes from Google and Apple, many marketers have been hesitant to depend on third-party customer acquisition channels, doubling down on building and nurturing their own customer databases. The growth of social commerce may seem at odds with the need for commerce brands to capture more first-party customer data. But, it doesn’t have to be that way.  It is possible to experiment with social commerce channels, without giving up control of your customer data. But first, it’s important to understand how U.S. consumers are using social commerce. The short version: many are browsing instead of buying in-channel. That leaves plenty of room to improve the social commerce experience and acquire long-term customers. How U.S. Consumers Use Social Commerce Today Most U.S. consumers use social commerce for discovery, and then complete the transaction on the merchant’s website. Surprisingly, almost three-quarters prefer to check out on the brand site. A major reason why customers aren’t converting on social media is trust.  According to Accenture, 49% of non-social buyers are concerned about purchase protections and returns, while 41% don’t trust the social platforms themselves with their data. Similar data shows that even one bad experience prevents shoppers from making repeat purchases: 66% were unlikely to make another purchase on social media because of the difficult return process.  If you drill down into how consumers act on specific channels, you’ll notice a lot of engagement across the board. These signals show us that social commerce continues to be a strong brand building and engagement tool for merchants, even if customers don’t convert directly in-channel. According to Comscore, in 2022 consumers had 153% more engagement on retailer and brand-sponsored content on Facebook and 175% increase on Instagram.  Other platforms outside the Meta umbrella are getting in on the action. TikTok saw an explosive growth in views, which were up 407% from 2020 to 2022 for U.S. retail and consumer packaged goods brands. A majority of these TikTok users (86%) also visit Amazon, explaining Amazon’s growth as both an ad platform and search engine. Pinterest introduced a shopping API for merchants to sync catalogs to the platform, personalization advancements to surface more relevant results for users, a hosted checkout feature, and more. Get hands on with an Elastic Path Free Trial Start building the commerce experience your unique business demands with a free Elastic Path Commerce Cloud account. Get in touch with us and we will setup a Free Trial store for you for six weeks. Sign up for a free trial How To Play In Social Commerce Without Giving Up Customer Data All of this activity goes to show that social commerce isn’t going away, especially as an awareness channel. With that said, nobody wants a repeat of social advertising 1.0, which nearly wiped out many D2C brands with its excessive customer acquisition costs. Brands were originally willing to trade off customer data for the transaction. While customer acquisition costs were low, you could build a business that way. But unfortunately, that’s no longer the case. Let’s look on the bright side. It is possible to “hack” most social commerce experiences and still hold onto your customer data. More importantly, doing so improves the customer experience by reducing friction at the point of purchase, so customers don’t have to take the action of coming to your website after gaining awareness of your product on social. Let’s look at how this could work. Shoppable links and landing pages embedded into your brand’s profile, posts or ad units are one approach. These direct the customer to the exact item and variation they’re browsing, removing friction. Or, if the item they’re browsing is out of stock, edge checkout enables you to send an opt-in SMS or email directly to the customer, maximizing conversions once the item becomes available again. Ultimately, owning your own customer data and maintaining control of the digital experience is a good thing for privacy and customer trust, as well. Remember how customers don’t exactly trust social shopping? Brands that establish trust with customers — whether that’s through compliant opt-in marketing, making good on their fulfillment, returns and exchanges, or maintaining excellent customer support — stand to benefit most.  Trust is the beginning of any great relationship. From there, your brand has a better chance of getting to know your customer and serving them better, more personalized recommendations based on their preferences. To sum up, it is possible to use a flexible, API-first commerce approach to experiment with social commerce platforms, while keeping interactions within the four walls of your brand. We looked at shoppable landing pages and edge checkout experiences as two examples, but the possibilities are truly endless. The ultimate goal is to remove friction between the customer and the merchant. Doing so creates a better experience across the entire customer lifecycle — from order, to fulfillment, to returns/exchanges, to loyal repeat buyers.  
    Topics: experience, brands, growth, customers, checkout, trust, data, consumers, edge, commerce, customer, hacking, social.