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Top 2023 resources on business

Best business resource in 2023.
Learn more about business to improve your e-commerce strategy.

  • 10 Business Grants for AAPI Entrepreneurs (+ Where to Find More) - 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. Courage and hope reside at the heart of building a business. Hope for a better quality of life, financial stability, and, if we’re lucky, generational wealth for our families.
    Topics: money, grant, entrepreneurs, application, aapi, grants, dates, business, organizations, funding, small.
  • 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.
  • 16 Benefits of Branding & Co-Branding - In more ways than one, branding is a pillar of success. The benefits of branding can range from helping you develop a set of features unique to your business, like a logo and brand name, which allows customers to come to know your brand and associate it with what you have to offer.
    Topics: brand, consumers, products, trust, benefits, cobranding, business, customers, audience, helps, branding.
  • 16 Grants for LGBTQ+ Owned Businesses and Entrepreneurs - 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: grants, business, lgbtq, entrepreneurs, date, supports, grant, owners, owned, organizations, small, businesses.
  • 17 Apps to Improve the B2B Customer Experience - Building and optimizing your tech stack with the best B2B marketing integrations improves the customer experience and streamlines operations.
    Topics: customer, team, marketing, experience, data, hubspot, sales, teams, b2b, business, apps, integration, improve, customers.
  • 24 Best Sample Business Plans & Examples to Help You Write Your Own - Reading sample business plans is essential when you’re writing your own. As you explore business plan examples from real companies and brands, you’ll learn how to write one that gets your business off on the right foot, convinces investors to provide funding, and confirms your venture is sustainable for the long term.
    Topics: market, write, plans, plan, information, help, youll, youre, examples, template, sample, marketing, writing, business, best.
  • 24 Best Sample Business Plans & Examples to Help You Write Your Own - Reading sample business plans is essential when you’re writing your own. As you explore business plan examples from real companies and brands, you’ll learn how to write one that gets your business off on the right foot, convinces investors to provide funding, and confirms your venture is sustainable for the long term.
    Topics: write, help, youre, best, sample, youll, market, writing, marketing, plans, plan, template, information, examples, business.
  • 3 Native Entrepreneurs in Different Sectors - 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: entrepreneurs, support, sure, quis, tribes, business, help, different, tribal, totem, native, valandra, sectors.
  • 32 Free Advertising Tips for Your Small, Large, or Local Business - When you work at a small business with a limited budget, it’s not really possible to shell out $340,000 for a 30-second TV commercial or $10,000 for an email marketing campaign.
    Topics: social, tips, customers, audience, advertising, industry, small, create, free, offer, business, local, large, content.
  • 41 Facebook Post Ideas for Businesses - Facebook is the most popular social network in the world. Its users are on the platform to connect with friends, watch videos, and share snippets of their own lives.
    Topics: types, sourcewhy, idea, brand, post, audience, best, works, businesses, business, facebook, ideas.
  • 49 Essential Small Business Stats You Need to Know - Small businesses are the lifeblood of any economy. Mom-and-pop restaurants, corner stores, family-owned shops, boutique tech firms, and other ventures drive economic growth, foster innovation, and generate employment opportunities.
    Topics: essential, sba, say, meta, half, need, know, businesses, small, reported, verizon, stats, business, smbs.
  • - If you’re looking for the best online banks, France has plenty of great options to choose from. Whether you’re temporarily working in Europe and need to manage your money, or you’re setting up a new French business, the right online… Continue reading 5 Best Online Banks in France for 2023
    Topics: banks, bank, best, online, france, card, money, banking, account, month, business, options, free.
  • 5 Inspiring Indigenous and Native Entrepreneurs to Know About - 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: know, entrepreneurs, indigenous, owners, climate, inspiring, native, cummings, business, mohl, perez, support.
  • 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.
  • 5 Ways the AI Revolution Can Help your Ecommerce Business - Here's how to apply aspects of the AI revolution to your ecommerce business.
    Topics: ecommerce, ai, businesses, chatgpt, data, customer, models, using, help, ways, product, tools, personas, revolution, business.
  • 50 Ideas for Your 2023 Small Business Marketing Strategy - Whether you’re launching a new business or already have one, having a small business marketing strategy that includes a strong online presence for your brand is essential.
    Topics: ideas, content, business, social, small, strategy, website, media, marketing, help, free, customers, google.
  • 55 Best Online Local Business Directories & Listing Sites - Creating business listings on directory websites is an easy way to improve your local SEO.
    Topics: free, best, traffic, rating, organic, online, business, listing, directory, sites, directories, local.
  • 56 Core Company Values That Will Shape Your Culture & Inspire Your Employees - Company values help you direct every person on your team toward a common goal. They remind you that you share a bigger purpose.
    Topics: culture, business, help, values, employees, team, hubspot, inspire, customers, core, shape, company.
  • - At least 70 percent of small and medium sized business owners in Europe admit to lacking the confidence needed to scale their business in the digital realm. A large group of them needs help in optimizing their logistics, while others need assistance in VAT and customs compliance. These data come…
    Topics: online, navigating, scale, european, business, sme, smes, vat, sales, lack, owners, ecommerce, support, confidence, need.
  • 9 Types of Organizational Structure Every Company Should Consider - Choosing the best organizational structure for your company, division, or team is a lot like picking out a new car. At the most basic level, you're always looking for something road-worthy — something that can take you (and your passengers) from point A to point B without a hitch.
    Topics: team, consider, structures, organization, employees, structure, teams, example, types, company, business, organizational.
  • - In the ever-evolving world of ecommerce, Printful has emerged as the go-to platform for entrepreneurs looking to create and sell custom products online. Under the visionary leadership of CEO Alex Saltonstall, a former general manager at Wayfair—where he led a… Continue reading A Chat with Printful’s CEO, Alex Saltonstall: On Content Creation, Print-on-demand, and Building a Foundation
    Topics: building, entrepreneurs, design, products, saltonstall, printful, alex, business, printfuls, chat, significant, merchants, ecommerce, content, product, printondemand, creation, ceo, foundation.
  • - Amazon fills the top two spots in a new list of leading marketplaces in Europe. The ranking is made by the German Bundesverband Onlinehandel (BVOH). The interest group also made a separate top 50 for Germany. That is also led by Amazon. BVOH bases its ranking on various sources, including…
    Topics: german, online, bvoh, marketplaces, data, business, european, various, amazon, ranking, leads, report.
  • - Do you live and/or work in Europe, an expat, or a freelancer planning to travel to Europe as a digital nomad?  If any of the above apply, you’ll know it’s essential to have access to your money and for your… Continue reading Best Online Banks in Europe in 2023
    Topics: online, banks, business, accounts, best, account, personal, money, bank, card, europe, free.
  • - You don't need us to tell you that online shopping has transformed how we buy our essential goods.  Today, it’s possible to purchase many of our necessities from the comfort of our own homes. Gone are the days when we… Continue reading CPG Ecommerce – How to Sell CPG Products Online
    Topics: store, business, online, order, customer, sell, consumer, cpg, products, customers, ecommerce.
  • Can You Create a Wikipedia Page for Your Company? [Best Practices & Guidelines to Know] - For many Millennials and Gen-Zers, Wikipedia has become like a broad encyclopedia for all sorts of things, from random animal facts, to information about our favorite TV shows.
    Topics: guidelines, youre, best, information, wikipedias, company, business, know, practices, create, page, wikipedia, pages, youll.
  • Disability-Owned Business Enterprise Certification: Everything You Need to Know - 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: disabled, certification, disabilityowned, know, disabilityin, enterprise, corporate, process, potentially, need, dobes, dobe, business.
  • - If you’re thinking of running your own dropshipping company researching the average dropshipping success rate for a new business can be a good idea. While your ability to earn a profit with dropshipping can vary depending on a number of… Continue reading Dropshipping Success Rate: How Successful are Dropshippers?
    Topics: store, success, dropshipping, products, dropshippers, marketing, youre, customers, successful, lot, rate, right, need, business.
  • - Dropshipping vs Print on Demand: Which is the right solution for your business? At a glance, both of these business models have a lot in common. They both involve working with third-party companies to produce and ship products. They also… Continue reading Dropshipping vs Print on Demand: The Key Differences
    Topics: products, items, print, differences, youll, key, vs, dropshipping, pod, demand, need, designs, business.
  • - Ecommerce hashtags are one of the most valuable tools store owners can use to boost their online research, brand awareness, and potential for growth. Yet many business leaders still aren’t taking full advantage of the benefits hashtags can offer.On Twitter… Continue reading Ecommerce Hashtags to Use in 2024 (& tips on finding the best Hashtags)
    Topics: ecommerce, finding, media, tips, hashtag, business, help, hashtags, social, posts, tags, best, customers.
  • - Ecwid vs Wix: which option is actually best for your online business? Both Ecwid and Wix are powerful, and popular software tools, designed to help companies create and grow their online presence in the digital world. They’re both considered relatively… Continue reading Ecwid vs Wix: Which Site Builder is Right for Your Business?
    Topics: website, vs, builder, products, features, online, wix, sell, tools, site, support, right, ecwid, ecommerce, business.
  • Entrepreneurs of Color on YouTube: How They Market Their Businesses & Monetize Videos - 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. Publishing an ad or working with influencers isn't the only option to get your business in front of an audience on YouTube. And with 41% of YouTube users being ethnically diverse, this multicultural demographic is eager to watch and support brands and entrepreneurs who they feel represent their culture and life experiences.
    Topics: shorts, market, monetize, videos, channel, super, earn, youtube, viewers, product, businesses, business, entrepreneurs, color.
  • - Romanian ecommerce fulfillment provider Helpship has been acquired by euShipments, a Bulgarian logistics company for online sellers. Thanks to the acquisition, euShipments can strengthen its presence in the Romanian market. Helpship is a fulfillment company from Romania. It was founded in 2016. According to the company, it has shipped 950,000…
    Topics: acquisition, eushipments, logistics, romanian, business, strengthen, fulfillment, helpship, ecommerce, company, acquired.
  • How AI Perceptions Have Changed in the Last Decade [Comparing New & Old Consumer Data] - AI may sound like a new tech trend, but it's actually been around in the lives of business owners, marketers, and consumers for years. So, how has the perception of AI changed over time?
    Topics: old, help, ai, perceptions, comparing, data, consumer, tools, consumers, decade, marketers, using, survey, business, respondents, customer, changed.
  • How AI Will Revolutionize the Future of Business, According to HubSpot's CMO - Artificial intelligence will change how businesses operate. At this point, that statement won't surprise you.
    Topics: businesses, cmo, hubspots, ai, according, work, data, help, future, business, customer, employees, product, leaders, revolutionize.
  • How Lauryn and Michael Bosstick Turned a Side Hustle Into the Multi-Million Dollar Skinny Confidential Empire - The hosts of the 'The Skinny Confidential HIM & HER' podcast discuss the evolution of their content and commerce businesses and share advice for aspiring entrepreneurs.
    Topics: creating, podcast, empire, started, things, confidential, business, think, media, way, multimillion, skinny, dollar, need.
  • How Long Does It Take for a Dropshipper to Earn Money? - You've probably stumbled upon claims online that dropshipping is an ”easy money-maker”. They make it sound like you can get rich quickly by diving into this gig. But here's the real question: Can you actually pull it off that fast?The truth is that achieving success in dropshipping hinges on your dedication and performance. To be ... Read more
    Topics: business, dropshipping, rich, does, earn, money, traffic, hours, website, profitable, long, store, conversions, dropshipper.
  • 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.
  • - While trying to improve conversion rates for an online store, you often hear about A/B testing, speeding up the checkout, or displaying customer reviews. But what about testimonials? They’re like online reviews, except your business has more control over them,… Continue reading How to Add Testimonials to Your Shopify Store (Updated for 2023)
    Topics: shopify, reviews, updated, testimonials, testimonial, video, business, customer, store, customers, add.
  • How to Build a Market Development Strategy [Free Planning Templates] - Your business is getting by just fine – but still, the questions remain: Could you be selling more? Is there an opportunity to increase market share? Is there any way you could further your product diversification efforts?
    Topics: build, product, company, templates, way, existing, strategy, development, marketing, products, planning, business, market, free.
  • How to Conduct a Competitor Analysis — The Complete Guide - Are you wondering why competitor analysis is important? Like sports teams study their opponents to find weaknesses, businesses can examine their competition to improve their SEO strategy.
    Topics: content, complete, coffee, weaknesses, competitor, data, brand, seo, guide, conduct, business, competitors, analysis.
  • How to Create Detailed Buyer Personas for Your Business [+Free Persona Template] - Responding to major events like a pandemic or recession requires marketers to use real-time data to keep up with consumer demands, attitudes, and behaviors. However, marketing according to data points alone isn't enough to get meaningful customer engagement with your business—that's the job of a buyer persona. 
    Topics: research, information, target, persona, product, buyer, template, need, free, detailed, business, create, personas, customers.
  • How to Create a Facebook Group for Your Business [+ Why You Should] - In short: Facebook groups are undeniably valuable.
    Topics: facebook, page, groups, group, users, click, private, business, create, brand, post.
  • How to Create a Great Social Media Strategy Plan in 2023 - Many businesses find creating social media strategies overwhelming. So many channels are available, and each platform constantly adds new features you need to learn and integrate into your marketing plan.
    Topics: products, great, content, audience, media, channels, customer, search, create, strategy, business, plan, social.
  • How to Design a Logo [Step-by-Step Guide] - A great logo is instantly recognizable, memorable, and closely connected to your brand’s core values and ideas. Think of iconic logos like Apple, Coca-Cola, and Nike. Logos like these are simple and elegant yet bold enough to leave a lasting impression.
    Topics: choose, logo, color, design, stepbystep, brand, text, guide, create, brands, logos, business.
  • How to Develop a Content Strategy in 7 Steps: A Start-to-Finish Guide - Whether you're just starting out with content marketing or you've been using the same approach for a while, it never hurts to revisit your content strategy plan and make sure it's up-to-date, innovative, and engaging for your prospects and customers — no matter when or how they intend to buy.
    Topics: blog, strategy, steps, ideas, audience, help, content, marketing, create, develop, starttofinish, guide, business, social.
  • - Finding a Shopify niche packed with profit potential is often easier said than done. There’s a lot of conflicting advice out there, from “follow your passions”, to “take advantage of the latest trends”. However, the reality is choosing the ideal… Continue reading How to Find Your Ideal Shopify Niche (And 10 Profitable Niche Ideas to Explore)
    Topics: help, choose, business, ideas, ideal, specific, youre, products, customers, profitable, shopify, market, explore, niche.
  • How to Identify & Work With the Best Brand Influencers for Your Business - I commented on a friend‘s vacation post, scrolled past a Comforter advertisement, and double-tapped an influencer’s skincare post this morning.
    Topics: content, influencer, best, know, identify, audience, work, business, brand, marketing, influencers.
  • How to Run a Competitor Analysis [Free Guide] -  
    Topics: free, understand, start, coffee, research, analysis, run, competitor, youll, guide, competitive, business, youre.
  • - If you’re an eCommerce seller that wants to boost their sales, you’re in the right place. Here we're exploring one such strategy: Instagram.  Did you know that as many as 90% of Instagram users follow a business account? Hopefully, this stat alone… Continue reading How to Sell on Instagram in 2023: Your Quick Guide
    Topics: youre, tap, instagram, product, customers, guide, quick, products, tag, sell, create, business.
  • - Learning how to start a print on demand business might be one of the most lucrative things you do this year. After all, the print on demand (POD) business model is one of the easiest, most affordable, and simplest options… Continue reading How to Start a Print on Demand Business in 2024
    Topics: store, designs, demand, need, start, sell, products, pod, print, business, youre.
  • How to Write a Memo [Template & Examples] - A memo (also known as a memorandum, or "reminder") is used for internal communications regarding procedures or official business within an organization.
    Topics: write, employees, message, information, free, changes, examples, template, memo, memos, include, business, provide.
  • How to Write a Powerful Executive Summary [+4 Top Examples] - Whether you're an entrepreneur looking for investors for your small business or the CEO of a large corporation, an executive summary can help you succeed and is a critical component for long-term growth.
    Topics: readers, executive, market, template, company, plan, powerful, summary, write, examples, business, information, youre.
  • - A vast majority of German retailers are now selling both offline and online to their customers. According to a study by the industry association Bitkom, this figure stands at 85 percent, up from 77 percent in 2021 and just 66 percent in 2019.Three out of ten online-selling retailers already derive…
    Topics: sales, retailers, commonplace, todays, business, bitkom, germany, shopping, german, physical, hybrid, retail, online.
  • Introducing Organization Management from Elastic Path - Enabling Centralized, Multi-Store Commerce Management With Ease & Speed Elastic Path is thrilled to announce our newest capability, Organization Management. This capability empowers businesses to easily manage their environment across multiple, unique stores, streamlining operations and reducing costs. With Organizations, businesses can create and manage multiple commerce stores across different business models (franchises, distributor/ supplier networks, etc.), brands, or any other entity in a matter of days, not months.   In this blog post, we will dive into the business problem Organization Management solves and how business can take advantage of this capability today. The Business Problem Consider the following business: a manufacturer of veterinary supplies only sells their products to authorized veterinary offices and hospitals. These businesses sell the manufacturer’s products alongside their own products and services such as grooming supplies and services. These downstream businesses want the ability to provide a commerce experience for their customers, but oftentimes they do not have the time or resources to deliver a customer facing commerce experience. Traditionally thought of as a B2B2C model, this has historically been difficult to create and support. Think of all the nuances in a single instance of a commerce platform: integrations need to be set up and managed. Product and pricing created, deployed, and synched, customer and order data synchronization… the list goes on. Layer on the uniqueness of each individual downstream business, for example they may only sell a subset of the manufacturers products, and the complexity increases.  In traditional platforms, the most common approach to support B2B2C models has the manufacturer replicating their commerce instance for each of their partners and creating custom processes to support synchronization of products, integrations, etc. At the end of the day, this approach, while feasible, is too complex and requires too many resources to support it.  For example, IT creates the resources required for each unique store, programmers build and configure integrations for each store, devops must maintain each store with patches and updates, and support is providing fixes unique to each store environment. This reality has held back companies from embracing this business model, resulting in lost revenue. Managing Organizations with Traditional Platforms The Power of Organizations: Multi-Store Management  At Elastic Path, we saw this problem and were determined to figure out a way to empower businesses to bring this unique and lucrative model to life- without the cost & headaches.  That’s why we are excited to share Organization Management.  Organization Management enables an elegant and efficient way to manage multiple stores, connected in a single environment.  The term 'store' in this context refers to an Elastic Path Commerce Cloud store, which supports data segregation and access management across multiple business units in an organization or between organizations.  The parent organization is where products, categories, pricing, catalogs and integrations can be defined, which are then shared with downstream stores in the organization. This immediately takes away one of the biggest challenges with supporting a multi-store business model - supporting the sharing of information across multiple stores. Commerce teams do not have to worry about replicating data and recreating integrations, they are automatically shared downstream, and are controlled by the parent organization. Managing Organizations with Elastic Path 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 This scenario also happens frequently in multi-brand organizations, where each brand wishes to maintain their own brand identity, creating their own promotions, etc. We often see each individual brand endeavoring to make their own platform decision as a means by which to maintain this control. This creates an inordinate amount of complexity and technical debt in the parent organization which is likely looking for ways to consolidate their technical solutions. With Organization Management, the parent organization can now manage all brands in a single environment. Integrations to internal and external systems can be managed centrally with a ‘write once use everywhere’ methodology. Each downstream brand will have their products ‘streamed’ to their individual store. This enables consistency of product information across the organization, while still giving the brand full control over their site experience. This is the ever-elusive win:win scenario! The parent organization can consolidate technologies, reduce customizations, and centrally manage integrations while still allowing brands to fully control their own unique brand experience.  This flexibility to manage multiple stores at the organization level allows businesses to streamline their operations, reduce costs, and ensure consistency and accuracy in their customer experiences. By managing product and catalog data (via EP Product Experience Manager (PXM)) at the organization level, merchandisers can easily update their catalogs across all stores, saving time and effort while allowing for greater control over their sales strategy, while also providing individual store administrators the ability to personalize their own experiences Whether businesses have one or multiple commerce experiences, Organizations provides a single, integrated location for managing and monitoring their stores, helping them to save time, reduce errors, and gain valuable insights into their overall business performance. Key Features & Benefits of Organization Management Organization Management  includes features that will benefit existing and new Elastic Path customers who need the flexibility and control to manage multiple stores in order to meet their business goals: Flexible & Centralized Product Data & Catalog Management: With Organizations, merchandisers have the ability to manage EP PXM data at the organization level. This means they can create an organization's products, hierarchies, pricebooks and catalog that can be easily shared across all the stores in the organization. This is especially useful for businesses that have multiple stores catering to different selling channels, regions or sub-brands. By managing EP PXM data at the organization level, businesses can streamline the process of updating their catalogs across multiple stores.  Instead of making changes individually for each store, merchandisers can make updates at the organization level and have those changes reflected across all stores that use that particular catalog. This not only saves time and effort, but it also helps ensure consistency and accuracy in the product and catalog data. It is important to note that data in the stores will be segregated which means only store users in a given store will be able to access that store’s data. Additionally, Store Admins will have full control over which of the organization's products and product categories they want to sell in their store. They'll also be able to customize the pricing for these products in their store, giving them greater control over their sales strategy Centralized Commerce Operations: With Organizations, multi-store sellers can now manage all their stores from a centralized system, eliminating the need to log into separate admin systems for each site. This significantly reduces the time and effort required to manage multiple stores and enables more efficient scaling of commerce operations.   ‘Write once Use everywhere’ Integrations: Organizations includes support for instant-on integrations, via Integrations Hub,  that can be shared and managed across all stores in the organization. This eliminates the need for creating and maintaining custom integrations, further reducing development and maintenance costs. Businesses can seamlessly integrate their existing stores into their organization, ensuring a smooth and efficient transition to centralized integration management.   Single Point Configurations: Organizations allow businesses to define and manage settings at the organization level that apply across all stores. This streamlines the process of managing multiple stores, reduces the potential for errors, and ensures a more consistent and efficient process. For example, businesses can define a default currency at the organization level and easily override it for specific stores as needed. This streamlined process is much simpler than defining currencies individually for each store, saving businesses time and effort.   Access Management: The administrators at the organization level - called Org Admins - automatically have super admin permissions for all the stores in the organization. This means that if a store admin encounters an issue or needs assistance, an Org Admin can quickly jump in and help out without needing to be added as a super admin for each individual store. This streamlines the process and saves time and effort in resolving any potential issues at the store level. Organization Management is a powerful capability that enables businesses of all sizes to fully manage their multi-store use cases, unlocking additional revenue opportunities.This unique capability centralizes commerce management, streamlines operations, and reduces costs.  What’s Next We're looking forward to seeing how different businesses will benefit from the new Organizations capability.  But, this is just the beginning. Our team is continuously working to add more innovative functionality to our multi-store management solution, so stay tuned for what's to come. As always, we love to hear from our customers and learn how they are leveraging Organizations to grow their business. We look forward to sharing their success stories with you and helping more businesses achieve their commerce goals. How to Get Started Organizations is now available to all existing users of Elastic Path Commerce Cloud. To try it out, please contact our Customer Success manager, who will be glad to assist you with the set-up of your own organization.  Learn More We are excited to share this new capability and look forward to seeing how our innovative customers use it to optimize their business.  To learn more, checkout the Documentation.
    Topics: businesses, stores, path, business, management, organization, introducing, manage, organizations, commerce, store, multiple, elastic, integrations.
  • - Is dropshipping legal? This is a question you might be asking yourself if you’re planning on launching a store following the dropshipping business model. After all, dropshipping involves actively selling products created by a third-party manufacturer, with help from a… Continue reading Is Dropshipping Legal? The Ethics and Risks of Dropshipping
    Topics: youll, ecommerce, business, dropshipping, shipping, legal, products, risks, need, ethics, youre, customers.
  • Lead Generation: A Beginner’s Guide to Generating Business Leads the Inbound Way - Let’s set the stage: I’m about to dig into the best darn pile of spaghetti I’ve ever seen, and the phone rings. “May I speak to Lindsay Kow-low-witch?” asks the telemarketer on the other end. “This is an important message regarding your oven preferences.”
    Topics: way, guide, content, generation, business, sales, page, beginners, landing, inbound, generating, product, marketing, information, leads, lead.
  • Leadership Advice from 8 Black-Owned Business Leaders - 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: advice, building, leadership, black, founder, leaders, business, lead, blackowned, team, questions, big, skills.
  • Leadership Styles: The 11 Most Common & How to Find Your Style [Quiz] - Imagine the leaders that inspire you. Each is likely unique, with a different style they use to meet goals, motivate, and animate their teams. There are many different styles of leadership, and each can have a different impact on a company.
    Topics: style, leadership, good, quiz, team, employees, work, styles, common, goals, business, leader, leaders.
  • Marketing 101: The Ultimate Guide for Beginners - If you're new to marketing, you might have a skewed perception of it. You might imagine a multimillion-dollar Super Bowl ad or a glowing billboard in Times Square.
    Topics: product, social, audience, ads, right, guide, key, business, beginners, target, marketing, ultimate, content.
  • - When running a business, the last thing you need is time-consuming procedures to manage your finances. So if you’re looking for a suitable business bank account, you’re in the right place. I'm putting three contenders under the microscope: Monzo Business,… Continue reading Monzo vs Revolut vs Starling (2023) – The Ultimate Comparison
    Topics: spending, vs, exchange, monzo, revolut, starling, comparison, account, bank, pay, payments, ultimate, free, business.
  • New Marketing Jobs That Could Focus on AI [Data + Examples] - It's no secret that AI is rapidly changing the marketing industry.
    Topics: marketers, examples, tools, learning, machine, marketing, jobs, ai, data, content, leaders, business, focus, job.
  • - The decision of whether to get into a traditional offline business, a modern online business, or some combination of the two, is one of the most important decisions you can make.  Each has pros and cons that should be considered. … Continue reading Offline vs Online Business: Which is Best for You?
    Topics: vs, offline, world, company, businesses, physical, online, need, business, customers, dont, best.
  • - Launching and scaling an eCommerce business involves a lot of moving parts. From creating your brand and setting up your online store to connecting with suppliers, you’ll need a serious ‘can-do’ attitude to hit the ground running.  However, there is a way… Continue reading Pietra Review (2023): Does Pietra Really Do It All?
    Topics: suppliers, business, does, really, product, need, pietra, pietras, products, review, fulfillment, youll, brand.
  • Press Release Distribution: Top 11 Services + 4 Mistakes to Avoid - To thrive as a small business, you need press coverage. But, unfortunately, coverage doesn't just come naturally – you need to work for it.
    Topics: press, release, services, mistakes, youre, send, business, media, distribution, avoid, journalists, service, contact.
  • - Printful vs Merchify: which solution is best for print on demand? As custom clothing selling becomes increasingly popular in the ecommerce market, the number of platforms available to retailers is growing. Today’s business leaders have a host of options to… Continue reading Printful vs Merchify (2023): Which is Best for Your Business?
    Topics: products, plus, options, order, vs, items, youll, printful, merchify, best, printing, business, choose.
  • - Choosing the best ecommerce platform for your business is one of the first and most important steps you’ll need to take when diving into the online world. Whether you’re starting your online brand for the first time, or just expanding… Continue reading Quick Step by Step Guide to Choosing the Best Ecommerce Platform
    Topics: guide, platform, quick, online, ecommerce, need, best, help, solution, youre, store, step, tools, business, choosing.
  • - Are you in the market for a business bank account? Great – because you’re in the right place. This review looks at two well-known options: Starling Bank and Revolut Business. Starling is a UK-based bank offering personal and business banking… Continue reading Revolut Business vs Starling (2023): Everything You Need to Know
    Topics: need, starling, payment, revolut, business, vs, payments, account, money, free, exchange, know, bank.
  • SWOT Analysis: How To Do One [With Template & Examples] - As your business grows, you need a roadmap to help navigate the obstacles, challenges, opportunities, and projects that come your way. Enter: the SWOT analysis.
    Topics: apple, weaknesses, swot, market, opportunities, analysis, template, youre, examples, products, business.
  • - Are you an ecommerce entrepreneur looking at ways to manage your business's cash flow?  Well, if you're a Shopify user, you might be interested to read about its latest offer: Shopify Credit.  In this review, I look at what Shopify… Continue reading Shopify Credit: Everything You Need To Know
    Topics: know, account, eligible, payments, receive, card, need, credit, cards, cashback, shopify, business.
  • - The best Shopify side hustle ideas can be extremely lucrative in today’s world. In an uncertain economy, most of us can benefit from earning a little extra income. However, not everyone has the time or energy to manage more than… Continue reading Shopify Side Hustle Ideas for 2023: Simple Shopify Business Ideas
    Topics: create, simple, hustle, products, sell, online, accessories, ideas, way, selling, business, shopify, market.
  • - Shopify vs Printify: Which solution should you invest in for your company? The decision can be difficult to make. After all, while both Shopify and Printify are tools designed to help would-be entrepreneurs build their own businesses, they both offer… Continue reading Shopify vs Printify (2023): Building your Business
    Topics: building, custom, products, tools, plus, order, printify, fulfillment, vs, business, store, range, shopify.
  • - 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.
  • - Shopify vs Teespring, which solution should you be using for your business? It might seem like a simple question, but it’s not a like-for-like comparison. Shopify is a comprehensive commerce platform, designed to help businesses create and run various types… Continue reading Shopify vs Teespring (2023): Which Solution is Best for You?
    Topics: business, custom, online, products, social, tools, vs, platform, solution, best, store, teespring, shopify.
  • - Shopify vs Zyro: Which website building platform is best for you? On the surface, both Shopify and Zyro have a lot in common. They each offer business owners and entrepreneurs an easy-to-use environment where they can create a branded website,… Continue reading Shopify vs Zyro (2023): Choosing your Website Builder
    Topics: builder, shopify, zyro, website, ecommerce, tools, plus, business, vs, sales, online, features, choosing.
  • TAM SAM SOM: What Do They Mean & How Do You Calculate Them? - Starting a new company is exciting. So is gauging an industry’s profit potential or forecasting a revenue goal for your business. But as you start calculating, you must remember to root these figures in reality.
    Topics: product, serviceable, som, mean, calculate, market, addressable, sam, revenue, tam, total, business.
  • - Are you struggling to manage your business's current phone system? Is it time for an upgrade? Do you need a virtual phone system that you can use whenever you need it, wherever you are? If so, you might be in… Continue reading Talkroute Review (2023): Is This The Right Phone System for You?
    Topics: team, numbers, calls, route, system, review, talkroute, right, talkroutes, business, phone, callers.
  • The 2 Simple & Straightforward Methods for Market Sizing Your Business - When you’re considering a new venture, one of the first things you should do is determine whether there is a valuable market for it.
    Topics: help, potential, product, sizing, segments, simple, research, methods, market, business, customers, straightforward, size.
  • The Beginner's Guide to LinkedIn Marketing & Networking - Did you know LinkedIn has over 774 million users across the globe? This metric alone makes the platform one of the top social networks today.
    Topics: connections, network, business, content, share, marketing, linkedin, youre, profile, beginners, guide, networking, page.
  • The Best Free Business Budget Templates - Business budgets are a source of truth for your income and expenses. That includes all the money you spend — from A/B testing your marketing campaigns to your monthly office rent.
    Topics: costs, business, best, templates, template, need, track, expenses, financial, help, revenue, budget, free.
  • - With the best Shopify AI tools, ecommerce business owners can discover the benefits of implementing artificial intelligence into the shopping landscape. While AI has been influencing the transformation of ecommerce for some time now, it has become particularly appealing for… Continue reading The Best Shopify AI Tools to Explore in 2023
    Topics: store, ai, tools, explore, business, chatgpt, free, product, descriptions, range, shopify, best.
  • The HubSpot Blog’s State of AI Report [Key Findings from 1300+ Business Professionals] - Whether you’re already using AI in your role or still on the fence, there’s no denying that the way we work is about to change drastically.
    Topics: generative, professionals, ai, key, marketers, cases, sales, report, hubspot, blogs, using, content, state, findings, write, say, business.
  • The Ultimate Guide to eCommerce Payment Processing - eCommerce is booming, and with more people shopping online than ever before, having a streamlined and efficient payment process is essential. However, with so many payment methods and processors available, and so many new payment trends, it can be overwhelming to know where to start. When you have a reliable eCommerce payment processor, platform, or service provider, you spend less time maintaining the back end of your commerce experience and more time managing orders, improving customer experience, and expanding your business. Having a great payment processing setup gives you the freedom to work on business priorities, such as landing new clients and providing customers with a sterling experience. In this ultimate guide to eCommerce payment processing, you’ll learn everything you need to know about accepting payments online – from understanding the different types of payment methods to choosing the best payment processor for your business. What is eCommerce Payment Processing? eCommerce payment processing is the process of accepting online payments. eCommerce payment processing first involves the customer inputting payment information, which a payment gateway validates and uses to process the transaction via a merchant account. The goal of eCommerce payment processing is to provide a secure, reliable, and convenient way for customers to pay for online purchases – while also ensuring that sellers receive payment quickly and efficiently. As digital commerce has grown, reliable and secure payment solutions are necessary to handle the high volume of online transactions. eCommerce payment processing is now crucial for any online business, as it allows merchants to accept payments from customers worldwide. And with the growth of mobile and digital payments, eCommerce payment processing is set to become even more important in the future. What is a Payment Gateway? A payment gateway is a software application that makes it easy for businesses to accept and process customer payments online. Payment gateways act as a bridge between a merchant's website and the financial institution handling the customer's payment, ensuring that sensitive information such as credit card details are appropriately encrypted.  While most payment gateways come with fees, there are many different options available on the market today. Businesses can choose the one that best fits their needs and start accepting payments online quickly and easily. Payment Gateway Examples With a bevy of choices available, choosing the best payment gateway for your business can be hard. Here are some of the leading payment gateways that could fit your unique business needs: PayPal: PayPal is a popular online payment gateway that allows individuals and businesses to make and receive payments online. Users can link their bank account, credit card, or debit card to their account and use it to make or receive payments for goods and services.   Stripe:  Stripe integrates with business websites and mobile apps, allowing customers to enter their payment information and complete a transaction securely. Stripe often processes payments, deducts fees, and transfers the funds directly to a business's bank account.   Square: Square is a digital payment processing platform with a range of features and services for businesses, including point-of-sale (POS) hardware and software, online payment processing, invoicing, and analytics. The platform is designed to be easy to use and accessible to businesses of all sizes, with no setup fees, monthly fees, or long-term contracts.   Elastic Path Payments Powered by Stripe: Elastic Path Payments, powered by Stripe, is a fantastic all-around eCommerce payment processing solution for businesses of all sizes. With a robust and secure payment processing platform and a broad range of plug-and-play integrations and solutions, this state-of-the-art payment system will propel your business to a new level of efficiency and profitability.     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 Factors to Consider When Choosing an eCommerce Payment Gateway While many payment gateway options are available, brands should still look for a few specific factors when choosing a payment gateway. Here are some of the key factors brands should consider when choosing an eCommerce payment processing system:  Security: To protect your business from the stress and potential liability of a data breach, be sure that your payment gateway is as committed to security as you are and can protect your business’s and clients’ sensitive information.    Integration: Your payment gateway should seamlessly integrate with your website or eCommerce platform to ensure a smooth checkout process for customers.   Fees: Consider the fees charged by the payment gateway, including transaction, monthly, and setup fees, and make sure they’re affordable for your business.   Customer Support: Pick a payment gateway that offers reliable customer support to address any unforeseen issues during the payment process. What is a Payment Processor in eCommerce? A payment processor is a third-party service provider that facilitates transactions between a merchant and their customers. Payment processors handle the authorization, processing, and settlement of payment transactions in a secure environment.  eCommerce payment processors act as a bridge between the merchant's bank account and the customer's bank account, ensuring the secure transfer of payments. While payment gateways act as a conduit between the merchant and the payment processor, it is the payment processor that handles the actual transaction. Best Practices for eCommerce Payment Security Making online purchases is simple and convenient, but has historically also come with risks, particularly regarding payment security. As a result, businesses need to take extra steps to secure their eCommerce payment processing systems and protect their (and their customers’) sensitive information. Here are eCommerce payment security best practices: Use HTTPS and SSL encryption for security: HTTPS and SSL encryption ensures that all data transmitted between the customer's browser and the website is encrypted and can’t be intercepted by hackers. Implement two-factor authentication: Two-factor authentication adds an extra layer of security by requiring customers to enter a code or use a separate device to confirm their identity before completing a transaction. Store customer data securely: Proper storage of customer data incorporates a range of techniques, including using strong passwords, limiting access to sensitive data, and regularly backing up data to prevent loss in the event of a breach. Conduct regular security audits and updates: Security audits and updates involve regularly reviewing and updating security protocols, testing for vulnerabilities, and staying up-to-date with the latest security threats and technologies. Streamline Your eCommerce Payment Processing with Elastic Path Clearly, eCommerce payment processing involves many moving parts. Your customers expect a strong, seamless commerce experience, and will do business elsewhere if paying is a hassle or their data is breached. At Elastic Path, we’re dedicated to providing the best eCommerce payment processing solutions for businesses of all sizes. Our experts are always on hand to assist you in choosing and setting up an eCommerce payment solution that works for your brand. Get in touch and learn how Elastic Path can provide an eCommerce payment processing solution that serves your customers, boosts your brand, and grows your business.
    Topics: payment, gateway, customers, guide, online, data, fees, payments, business, processing, ecommerce, ultimate.
  • The Ultimate List of Marketing Quotes for Digital Inspiration - “Success is making those who believed in you look brilliant.” This is one of my favorite quotes in regards to my job at HubSpot. It inspires and motivates my work and, no matter my mood, I find it to be an uplifting message to ponder and drive my performance. Not to mention, it’s a quote from (and often repeated by) one of our co-founders, Dharmesh Shah.
    Topics: quotes, content, ultimate, digital, hubspot, business, cofounder, marketing, inspiration, work, list, team, ceo, help.
  • This is How You Get $500 in Free Advertising Credit - Advertising is essential for businesses to expand their reach and online presence, potentially driving sales. However, advertising costs can add up quickly, especially if you're running campaigns on various platforms. This can be a challenge for those on a tight budget. But did you know that you can actually get free advertising on major platforms ... Read more
    Topics: ad, ads, facebook, credit, advertising, offer, google, business, account, credits, free.
  • - In this Tide vs Revolut Business review, we’re zoning in on two of the most popular business banking services on the market. However, if you don't have time to trawl through my entire Tide vs Revolut Business review, here are… Continue reading Tide vs Revolut for Business: What You Need to Know
    Topics: need, payment, revolut, tide, business, vs, payments, spending, account, free, exchange, know, team.
  • Top 15 Ecommerce Platforms of 2023: Find the Best One for Your Business - Today's businesses need a reliable ecommerce platform to expand their online presence. Luckily, organizations can simplify operations, provide seamless shopping experiences, and manage their online stores more efficiently with an ecommerce platform.
    Topics: platform, business, free, templates, online, analytics, platforms, best, customizable, features, need, ecommerce, businesses.
  • - Shopify Free Trial | Full Shopify Review | Shopify Pricing Plans and Fees Subscribe to Our YouTube Channel Read our full article featuring Shopify's Pros and Cons. Shopify Pros and Cons Video Transcript INTRO Hey there, amazing viewers! Welcome back… Continue reading Video: Shopify Pros and Cons
    Topics: youre, support, platform, business, video, pros, cons, security, need, shopify, store, customers, online.
  • Vivrelle’s Journey to Embracing Composable Commerce - Since its infancy in 2020, Composable Commerce has empowered brands to build and optimize commerce solutions comprised of multiple best-of-breed vendors. The beauty of taking a composable approach is being able to cater to the current needs of your business and having the flexibility to shape and mold your tech stack as the needs of your business evolve. In addition, brands see added benefits, including reducing the total cost of ownership (TCO) and accelerating time-to-market. We recently had the privilege of sitting down with our customer Vivrelle, a members-only club providing access to luxury designer handbags and accessories, to discuss their unique journey to embracing Composable Commerce. In this blog, we’ll summarize our conversation with the Vivrelle team and their digital commerce journey.  Founded in 2018, Vivrelle came onto the scene with a unique business model. Being a members-only club where members can exchange luxury accessories on a rotating basis, it follows a circular business model. While most retailers frown upon returns, Vivrelle loves them! It indicates that their members are using their services, trying out new bags, and leveraging their exclusive membership.  With a unique business model comes unique needs, and that can also come with roadblocks in finding vendors to support your requirements. When they were first starting in 2018, there wasn’t anything in the commerce market that could support their unique requirements, so they opted for a homegrown solution. The homegrown solution served the company well over the coming years, but slowly it inhibited their ability to innovate at scale. Wanting to grow the business, they started the discovery process of looking for an eCommerce vendor.  The Vivrelle team knew they wanted to work with best in-class vendors, so adopting a composable approach was a natural fit. With a composable approach they would gain the control to easily try new things and differentiate their user experience. By partnering with Elastic Path, the team has been introduced to tech partners that will enable them to innovate and continue to give the luxury experience their customers expect.  In a composable architecture, you can think of your digital commerce platform as the hub or brain of your tech stack. Being the core of powering your experience, you must find the “brain” that is right for your business. Select the wrong one, and you’ll pay for it down the road. While a daunting task, Vivrelle embraced it knowing that they were in control of their destiny and how they wanted to move forward. Ultimately, they selected Elastic Path.  Innovations like the Integrations Hub, an instant-on, no code, commerce-enabled library of integrations fully managed and hosted by Elastic Path, made selecting Elastic Path an easy decision. The Integrations Hub will enable the team to test and learn with their digital commerce experience. When asked what their favorite part of the Integrations Hub was, the team was unanimous in optionality. The team found relief knowing they could swap things in and how without risking breaking the entire system.  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 When starting the replatforming project the biggest challenge the team wanted to avoid was taking on too much. While there is excitement in a big bang launch, the member experience is an essential part of their business, and it was crucial to the team that they not disrupt that. To avoid that risk, the team is opting for a phased approach.  Replatforming is no small feat, and while the Vivrelle team has had an uneventful experience it can often be fraught with challenges. When asked about what advice they would have to give to retailers on the cusp of replatforming they advise that you have a solid understanding of your list of requirements and what are just the bells and whistles.  Far down in their path to implementation, the team is set to launch this Spring. To date, the team has had a smooth implementation and with the launch date on the horizon, they’ll be surprised if any roadblocks arise. The team attributes the ease of launch to the flexibility of the solution and the teamwork from both the Elastic Path team and their system integrators, BORN Group. Feeling set up for longevity, partnership has played a pivotal role in their integration with the understanding that the partnership doesn’t end on launch date but will continue on as the business continues to evolve.  Click here to access the full fireside chat with Jeff Neil, VP of Engineering and Donna Quinlan, Head of Product at Vivrelle. Interested in learning more about how you can embrace a composable approach? Read our customer stories or reach out to a member of our team today.   
    Topics: commerce, experience, embracing, vivrelle, path, approach, team, elastic, business, composable, journey, vivrelles, unique.
  • Want Better Internet Sales? Use This Overlooked Strategy - The employment of this service eliminates the need to hire, train and manage an in-house team, an endeavor that can drain substantial resources in terms of time and money.
    Topics: ecommerce, overlooked, dfy, customer, digital, service, business, data, services, businesses, operational, strategy, transforming.
  • What is Business Casual in 2023? Give Your Office Outfit a Gut Check - I remember my first internship — more specifically, its dress code, which left me googling, “What does business casual mean?” Then, I took a shopping trip for blouses, comfortable slacks, and sensible flats to replace my sneakers.
    Topics: check, business, office, shoes, pair, wear, casual, look, colors, outfit, dress, gut.
  • What is a Brand Champion? How to Leverage Them for Your Business - There’s nothing better than having people cheering for you on the sidelines and advocating for you in the rooms you’re not in, especially as a business owner.
    Topics: marketing, social, create, business, brand, leverage, champions, customers, employees, champion, theyre.
  • What is a Business Plan? Definition, Tips, and Templates - In an era where more than 20% of small enterprises fail in their first year, having a clear, defined, and well-thought-out business plan is a crucial first step for setting up a business for long-term success.
    Topics: plans, startup, plan, goals, company, business, financial, investors, templates, needs, tips, market, definition.
  • What is a Marketing Plan & How to Write One [+Examples] - For a while now, you‘ve been spearheading your organization’s content marketing efforts. Your team's performance has convinced management to adopt the content marketing strategies you’ve suggested.
    Topics: write, examples, team, plans, business, plan, strategy, strategies, content, mission, marketing, youll.
  • - What is a side hustle, and why is it such a popular concept these days? The concept of earning a little extra money on the “side” of your primary job or 9-to-5 career is nothing new. For as long as… Continue reading What is a Side Hustle? (Plus Ideas to Start Your Own) (2023)
    Topics: earning, start, hustle, help, need, plus, business, money, youre, income, youll, ideas, work.
  • What is an iPaaS? - The global Integration Platform as a Service (iPaaS) market was estimated to be worth 3.7 billion in 2021. By 2026, the iPaaS market is anticipated to increase to $13.9 billion. When the market share of a business technology worth billions of dollars is slated to triple in half a decade, it’s likely to be lasting. So it’s no wonder that people are asking: What’s an iPaaS? Learn the definition of iPaaS and why it’s a growing technology. Then, learn the benefits of an iPaaS, what makes an iPaaS different from other forms of software technology, common iPaaS solutions, and why iPaaS is critical for Composable Commerce. What is an Integration Platform as a Service (iPaaS)? An Integration Platform as a Service (iPaaS) is a cloud-based platform that connects otherwise disjointed software systems. Specifically, iPaaS helps integrate apps and software from different vendors into your business’s software ecosystem. How Does an iPaaS Work? Your iPaaS works by serving as a communication conduit for different software services. Think of your iPaaS provider as a contractor who is helping you build a home. You might pick a floorplan, specific appliances, lighting, and other custom design choices, but it’s your contractor who is in charge of acquiring materials and coordinating with electricians, carpenters, plumbers, and other specialists. Your iPaaS is in many ways similar to this contractor. An iPaaS is a vendor that handles the management of and communication between the different software services that you use. As a business, you might choose software providers for marketing, accounting, productivity, and other functions. Your iPaaS sits between your software services, cloud-based apps and data, digital devices, on-site data, and IT and gets them working in sync to advance your business’s goals. What Are the Benefits of an iPaaS? As cloud computing becomes more popular, the benefits of having an iPaaS grow. The benefits of an iPaaS for businesses include: Improved connectivity: iPaaS helps eliminate technological silos within an organization. As your organization grows, different software integrations can become disjointed, scattered, and difficult to manage. With iPaaS, you can share data and best practices and security standards across your software providers – and make the changes you need fast.   Centralized management and smoother workflow: Using a slew of top-tier SaaS solutions is great, but it means having to manage all those different software connections and integrations. iPaaS makes it possible to manage all connections, integrations and software relationships in one centralized place. This way, your team can work smoothly and efficiently.   Satisfied clients and prospects: The benefits of an iPaaS extend to happy clients and customers. Since an iPaaS provides your team a centralized source of data and information, your team can provide a better experience to consumers. Your customer support reps will better find accurate information about their clients, marketers will see what campaigns are driving results, and sales staff will have leads from all sources routed to them more quickly. 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 Is an iPaaS Different Than a PaaS, SaaS, or ESB? There are other “as a Service” software tools and integration architectures on the market. How is iPaaS different from these other solutions? PaaS: A similarly-named but distinct iPaaS alternative is a Platform as a Service (PaaS). PaaS is a cloud–based platform that grants developers the tools necessary to develop and manage web-based applications. The hardware and software platform of a PaaS is provided by a third-party and hosted on their infrastructure. A PaaS is a platform for building applications and often requires a development team. An iPaaS, meanwhile, is a platform for integrating apps and software from different vendors. The point of an iPaaS is to connect the outside applications that power your business – you don’t need a development team to use one.    SaaS: Software as a Service (SaaS) is the most common technology in cloud computing. With SaaS, software is distributed through the internet. Servers, databases, and codes create applications that users like your business can access from connected devices. Adobe, Asana, Google Workspace, HubSpot, Mailchimp, Dropbox, Marketo – they’re all SaaS solutions. SaaS and iPaaS technologies are distinct: SaaS is a way of delivering software over the internet while iPaaS is a cloud-based solution to integrate SaaS solutions and other technologies into your business.   ESB: A traditional form of software integration is an Enterprise service bus (ESB). An ESB is an integration architecture approach that works with on-premises software and hardware. In this way, it is the inverse of iPaaS, which is cloud-based – meaning that the software is integrated via the internet and does not require on-premises software and hardware. Because of its on-premises requirements, ESB has a high hardware cost and high maintenance cost, which iPaaS does not. Examples of Common iPaaS Solutions Despite the benefits of iPaaS, you may be unfamiliar with specific iPaaS technologies. Leading iPaaS vendors include: Informatica: Informatica is an Enterprise Cloud Data Management company. Informatica specializes in data integration, offering products that assist with data replication, data quality, data masking, and other data services.   Jitterbit: Jitterbit’s iPaaS capabilities focus on automation for business processes and workflows.   Zapier: Zapier is an automation tool that connects organizational systems. Zaps, Zapier’s automated workflows, help businesses automate business processes without help from a developer.   Mulesoft: Mulesoft offers customized iPaaS solutions. Mulesoft is a strong option for businesses seeking pre-built integrations to connect their systems.   Workato: Workato comes at iPaaS with a strong IT focus, branding itself as an intelligent automation platform that connects businesses and IT through cloud-based solutions. The specific iPaaS solution that is correct for your business will depend on budget, requirements, and your present tech stack. Why iPaaS is Critical for Composable Commerce Tell us what you think: You assemble a suite of technologies to power business solutions. But monitoring, controlling, updating, and integrating architecture from multiple vendors is costly, burdensome, and getting in the way of good work. Sounds as if you need an iPaaS, right? We agree. And it’s why we think that iPaaS is absolutely crucial to Composable Commerce. After all, Composable Commerce is about assembling best-of-breed commerce solutions based on your business needs and digital commerce vision. You have unique commerce needs, so you deserve a unique commerce solution – and that’s going to mean different technologies and plenty of integrations. The problem? Integrate and stitching together these different commerce solutions and technologies into a unified whole is hard. You need an iPaaS, and specifically, you need Composer from Elastic Path. We created Composer because we heard from brands using Composable Commerce that they needed an iPaaS that would increase speed to market, reduce TCO, and simplify composable solution management. Composer is the only commerce-intelligent iPaaS on the market, and the next step in our mission is to make Composable Commerce accessible to every brand. Learn more about Composer and how this commerce-driven iPaaS can boost your business.
    Topics: platform, ipaas, commerce, business, data, solutions, saas, service, different, software.
  • Who Should I (or My Business) Be on Threads? Should You Tweak Personal Branding for the New Platform? - Meta has an answer to Twitter, and it's Threads. The social media conglomerate launched Threads in July, and the platform amassed 100 million users in just five days.
    Topics: content, app, threads, brands, post, tweak, brand, branding, posts, users, business, personal, x, platform.
  • Why Group Buying Could Never Find Many Takers in India - Group buying is a very popular business model in China. Some of its prominent startups in the space include Pinduoduo, Meituan, and Didi
    Topics: buying, different, space, takers, business, platform, india, models, commerce, group, model.
  • Why You Need to Create More Landing Pages [Data + Tips] - "I've already got some landing pages, so why should you make more?" That sounds almost as crazy as saying the question, “Well I've already got some leads, why should I get more?”
    Topics: marketing, tips, business, pages, data, need, offers, different, create, landing, number, website, increase, youre.
  • eCommerce Microservices Explained: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly - This post was originally published on October 21, 2018 and has been updated for accuracy and relevance to the current market. In today’s world, a one-size-fits-all commerce approach won’t get the job done. It is crucial that brands within eCommerce consistently evolve with today’s market demands and the needs of customers. One of the best ways to do this? eCommerce microservices. eCommerce microservices allow you to meet customer expectations in a fast and flexible manner, so you can always stay up-to-date with eCommerce best practices and new technologies.  But are you aware of all there is to know about eCommerce microservices? Let’s break down the good, the bad, and the ugly truth about microservices in eCommerce that brands like yours should know. What Are eCommerce Microservices? Microservices are small services that are loosely coupled, independently deployed, and organized around business capabilities that enable the rapid, frequent, and reliable delivery of large complex applications.  Though they were established a decade ago, microservices are still new to many commerce practitioners. While many developers are adapting to and experimenting with microservices for eCommerce, others have continued to shy away because of the perceived complexity and risk. That’s likely to change in future years, as Composable Commerce makes it easier to work in microservices architecture. As you decide whether an ecommerce microservices architecture is right for you, here’s what to consider: 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 The Good: Benefits of eCommerce Microservices Microservices are known for unparalleled flexibility and modularity. Standing up a new customer experience and adding additional customer experiences can be done fast with microservices technology.  Microservices are fully independent: Separate platforms, deployments, and data storage capabilities exist separately from each other. If a developer needs to make a new microservice and works in Javascript, he or she can make the microservice in Javascript. They don’t need to learn a new language in order to keep growing the platform. This way, any new application can be built quickly and has a reduced time-to-market. This is the complete opposite of a full-stack monolithic suite, in which the most functionality lives in a single service that is tested, deployed, and scaled as a single unit. To get a platform working requires integration phases, quality assurance, and a shared language. Expanding the monolithic suite to include other touchpoints and devices requires a substantial customization, making it cost-prohibitive to explore new ideas.   The Bad: Common eCommerce Microservices Challenges When companies are moving from a monolithic to a microservices eCommerce solution, challenges do arise. After all, having a monolithic pattern means having infrastructure, licenses, and organizational structure built around a monolithic technology. The possible challenges of a full-on replatform of a solution that was not built from the ground up with APIs and microservices include: Laying off or retraining workers Dealing with duplicative data and connections Losing control of your database Adjusting your cross-functional organizational capabilities and communication These challenges don’t override the benefits of an eCommerce microservices architecture. Choosing an API-first, microservices-based commerce solution such as Elastic Path ensures that you have support as you incrementally replace your monolithic system and retrain your team. The Ugly: The Downside of Adopting eCommerce Microservices Without Support The biggest downside of microservices is the complexity that the mini-services introduce into your team’s developer architecture. When eCommerce microservices first came onto the scene, developers found that they were managing multiple microservices at once. It made for unlinked, challenging work and a process that wasn’t streamlined. Some developers have also encountered challenges tracking their changes and work after adopting a microservices architecture. The autonomy and independence microservices provide your team may also mean that the departure of a single teammate renders some of your architecture impossible to edit. For these reasons, having support when adopting eCommerce microservices is essential. One way Elastic Path Commerce Cloud helps is the inclusion of Packaged Business Capabilities (PBCs).  PBCs and microservices are not the same. PBCs are a grouping of APIs that serve a specific business capability. Microservices are tightly scoped and specific. PBCs are useful because they reduce complexity, enhance clarity, and are developed via business-centric planning. For brands looking for a business-centric eCommerce solution, PBCs are a strong option – and selecting and managing PBCs is made easier with Elastic Path. Should You Adopt an eCommerce Microservices Architecture? An eCommerce microservices architecture will provide the flexible foundation businesses today need to keep up with the ever-evolving commerce landscape. Implementing a microservices architecture benefits both developers and end users with: Abundant opportunities for customization. With the addition of multiple front-ends, you can easily and seamlessly integrate multiple new touchpoints for customers – all while staying connected to the same back-end. Quick and easy implementation. Due to the decentralization of the development process, microservices allow for rapid implementation of changes. This means you can go to market faster with new updates. A leaner technology stack. Since you are only adding what you truly need, you will be able to enjoy a streamlined and more efficient tech stack.  Front-end traffic won’t impact the back-end. In the past, developers have typically had to adjust the entire system to extend services. With microservices, the front-end and back-end are individually scaled, which means high traffic won’t impact what’s happening in the back-end.  Pick and choose the solutions you want. With eCommerce microservices, you can select services and solutions that specialize in your exact needs and enjoy a specialty-tailored approach. Moving Forward with eCommerce Microservices eCommerce microservices may be a major benefit for your business. While the developers of the past have experienced many pain points when adopting microservices for eCommerce, you can learn from their mistakes and adjust your microservices strategy to achieve business success.  At Elastic Path, we want to ensure that the ugly side of microservices never rears its head. Talk to an expert to discover how our team can help you implement a microservices architecture that fits your business needs and objectives.  
    Topics: ugly, explained, business, good, bad, microservices, monolithic, elastic, developers, solution, architecture, commerce, ecommerce, path.
  • eCommerce Search Engine Providers - What’s the Best eCommerce Search Engine? Last year, retail eCommerce sales exceeded $1 trillion for the first time in history. Clearly, consumers expect to find goods and services online. For your brand, meeting that consumer expectation means having a strong eCommerce search engine. Leading eCommerce search engines help your customers find exactly what they’re looking for with minimal effort, and give you insights into what your buyers are searching for. Site search is a powerful capability because a strong eCommerce search engine will fuel positive customer experiences. Positive customer experiences mean more business and repeat customers, and that means more revenue. Learn more about eCommerce search solutions and the best eCommerce search engines on the market. What Are eCommerce Search Engines? An eCommerce search engine is a specialized search engine that helps customers find products on your digital storefront. A strong eCommerce product search engine is able to interpret the search queries of your customers. If a customer types “dress” into your digital storefront’s site search box, your eCommerce search engine should give them products that fit that description. Note that an eCommerce search engine is different from a general search engine, such as Google. Google crawls the web to give information related to a search query. An eCommerce search engine exists specifically for and on your site and directs customers exclusively to products that you sell. How Does Choosing the Right eCommerce Product Search Engine Help You? Having a strong search engine included in your digital commerce experience comes with benefits that improve your customers’ experiences and your brand’s business. The benefits of an eCommerce search engine include: Improved customer experience: Consumers are able to find what they’re looking for, as their searches are answered fast with relevant results Site search enables eCommerce personalization, giving customers a shopping experience unique to their desires and habits You can collect more data on your customers, which helps you better target consumers in the future Customer conversion rates improve, and your business makes more money. In all, a strong eCommerce search engine helps you offer customers relevant products and improves the likelihood that they’ll purchase. eCommerce Site Search Solutions: Must-Haves As you evaluate eCommerce site search solutions, some functionalities are a must. Scalability Your eCommerce solution must be able to weather the  up-and-down nature of an online marketplace. At times, overall traffic will surge. At other times, searches for specific items will increase. For example, if you sell home maintenance equipment, people are much more likely to search your site for snowblowers in November than April. The eCommerce search engine you use must manage the highs of traffic and data without crashing your site or giving your IT department fits. Faceted navigation and filters  eCommerce search engines exist to move your customers closer to purchase, which means giving them the ability to search for products that have their exact specifications. To find the right product, customers want faceted navigation and filters. An effective eCommerce search engine will have visual cues that help customers narrow down to desired categories such as price, size, color, and more. Natural language processing (NLP) When customers type a query into your search site tool, they aren’t likely to put in the full, technical name of a product. Instead, they may search for “nike running shoe” or “red polka dot dress.” Natural language processing (NLP) is able to recognize a brand name or product specification and display products that match customers’ desires. NLP is integral to an eCommerce search solution because if a customer types “nike” into your search bar, they don’t want to see Reebok. If they search for “red shirt,” they don’t want to see green pants. If your customers’ language can’t be processed to produce appropriate product recommendations, they’re more likely to toggle to a third-party search tool that could route them to one of your competitors. No Zero Results The last thing you want is for consumers to search your website and your search engine provider to display to them absolutely nothing. Being given zero results causes consumers to bounce to a different website. A strong eCommerce search engine should show consumers relevant results for any search, not a blank page with nary a product. Artificial intelligence AI is significant to the present and future of eCommerce search engines. AI is especially important to providing highly personalized services and giving customers a fast, friction-free experience. Make sure your eCommerce site search solution has strong AI capabilities. Just like any partner in your eCommerce solution, a site search vendor needs to align with your business needs and goals and integrate well with your existing system. 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 12 Best eCommerce Search Engines Deciding on an eCommerce search solution isn’t easy. Learn about 12 eCommerce search engines that can help move your customers closer to purchase.   1. Algolia Headquarters: San Francisco, CA Website: algolia.com Overview: Algolia’s search as a service model indexes clients' sites to make for a simpler search task. The benefits include easy implementation and the ability to make changes quickly as needed. Algolia is known for their expertise in advanced search functionality, which is especially useful for catalog management. Algolia’s instant-on integration is available with Elastic Path’s Integrations Hub. Watch this demo to see how Algolia can be quickly and simply integrated into your digital commerce solution.   2. AddSearch Headquarters: Helsinki, Finland Website: addsearch.com Overview: AddSearch is known for a flexible, easily integrated product. Small business owners in particular turn to AddSearch because of its moderate cost and strong customer service.   3. Advanced Commerce Headquarters: London, United Kingdom Website: advancedcommerce.io Overview: Advanced Commerce’s GrapheneHC eCommerce platform includes a strong product search tool. GrapheneHC helps brands answer any search query and provide relevant results through intent recognition. GrapheneHC avoids null search results through predictive text, a synonym library, redirects, and a strong reporting tool.    4. Azure Cognitive Website: azure.microsoft.com Overview: Azure Cognitive Search is the only cloud search service with built-in AI capabilities that enrich all types of information to easily identify and explore relevant content at scale. Azure Cognitive Search provides an indexing and query engine and stores search indexes that brands create and manage. Azure Cognitive Search also has a query language for composing simple to complex queries.   5. Bloomreach Headquarters: Mountain View, CA Website: bloomreach.com Overview: With applications for content management, site search, page management, SEO optimization, and role-based analytics, Bloomreach is a central location where everyone who manages customer experience can come together to drive positive business outcomes.   6. Constructor.io Headquarters: San Francisco, CA Website: constructor.io Overview: Constructor prides itself on helping brands optimize site search for more than just relevance, instead viewing its eCommerce search engine as a product discovery tool optimized for business results. Constructor allows brands to personalize their entire product discovery experience with autofills and recommendations that target specific users’ shopping habits. Compared to other tools, Constructor gives brands strong control over exactly what shoppers see when they type in a given query.   7. Coveo Headquarters: Quebec, Canada Website: coveo.com Overview: Coveo provides search optimization for eCommerce applications, websites, and workplace enablement. Coveo’s solutions plug into any system, regardless of tech stack. You can start from scratch or use their pre-built integrations. Coveo’s users tend to be pleased with its analytics capabilities.   8. Google Cloud Search Headquarters: Mountain View, CA Website: cloud.google.com Overview: Google is a well-known market leader in search. Google Cloud Search builds on the powerful searching capabilities of Google and gives the customers of brands like yours to search websites and product catalogs. Google Cloud Search helps get customers to products by offering relevant search suggestions.   9. Handshake by Perficient Website: perficient.com Overview: Handshake is a modern Search Connector Framework that takes the guesswork out of getting content to index. Handshake manages connections, content, metadata, and permissions on a schedule. Handshake also provides a user interface that helps business users create connection pipelines.   10. LucidWorks Headquarters: San Francisco, CA Website: lucidworks.com Overview: Founded in 2008, LucidWorks initially provided support and consulting services for the Apache Lucene/Solr open-source search project. Currently, LucidWorks is the largest supporter of open-source search industry-wide. LucidWorks offers search, discovery, and analytics solutions from two platform products.   11. Sinequa Headquarters: New York, NY Website: sinequa.com Overview: Sinequa’s search optimization expertise applies to large organizations with complex information layers such as government agencies. Sinequa scores well in the marketplace for a smooth integration process.   12. Yext Headquarters: New York, NY Website: yext.com Overview: Yext offers customized search and discovery experiences based on natural language processing and AI. Yext’s real-time search analytics provides additional insights into what users are searching for,  and the questions they’re asking. Yext is known for strong, multi-format support capabilities. Choose an eCommerce Search Engine That Provides You Lasting Solutions Having a strong eCommerce search engine is essential to digital commerce success. Options abound, so evaluate your brand’s digital maturity and commerce goals before selecting an eCommerce search engine. Also remember that a robust, intuitive site search functionality is only part of what’s required to deliver customers an extraordinary shopping experience. Whether you’re choosing an eCommerce search engine or adding other digital commerce architecture, a Composable Commerce solution doesn’t have to break the bank. Check out Integrations Hub from Elastic Path for 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.
    Topics: customer, site, ecommerce, business, search, engine, commerce, customers, providers, strong, product.