Top 2022 resources on ecommerce

Best ecommerce resource in 2022.
Learn more about ecommerce to improve your e-commerce strategy.

• 13 New Ecommerce Books for Fall 2022 - Once a quarter we publish a rundown of new books that could help online merchants. This installment includes titles on brand building, international ecommerce, demand creation, and more.
  Topics: audience, customer, learn, brand, kindle, build, social, books, hardcover, business, digital, ecommerce, fall.
• 13 New Ecommerce Books for Spring 2022 - Once a quarter we publish a rundown of new business books that could help ecommerce merchants. This installment includes titles on analytics, podcasting, events, direct-to-consumer, more.
  Topics: spring, ecommerce, hardcover, marketing, learn, success, startup, guide, kindle, business, retail, books.
• 4 Ways to Differentiate Your Emerging Ecommerce Brand - Your new company features a great product and there’s genuine hope and excitement among your team about the days ahead.…
  Topics: customers, social, product, ecommerce, offer, media, website, buying, differentiate, site, ways, emerging, brand, company.
• 5 Steps to Level Up Your Social-Commerce Strategy - A dynamic synergy of ecommerce and social media platforms, social commerce is proving to be a dependable sales driver: How to make it pay for you.
  Topics: socialcommerce, marketing, media, steps, ecommerce, customer, level, commerce, sales, million, shopping, strategy, brands, social.
• 5 Top Reasons Ecommerce Carts Are Abandoned and How to Give Shoppers Checkout Confidence - If there’s one silver lining about living in an era of wild uncertainty, it’s the surge in digital innovations, including…
  Topics: sezzle, cart, reasons, payment, customers, checkout, shopping, abandonment, deserted, shoppers, pay, costs, carts, ecommerce.
• 5 Ways to Provide a Positive Customer Experience in Ecommerce - Today, consumers have many online shopping options to choose from, making the customer experience a key competitive differentiator for ecommerce companies.
  Topics: provide, customer, shopping, service, ways, mobile, experience, shoppers, online, ecommerce, positive, companies, consumers.
• Announcing BigCommerce + Bolt One-Click Checkout - Consumer expectations aren’t what they used to be. The last two years have accelerated changes in what consumers expect to…
  Topics: checkout, network, experience, payment, ecommerce, ready, customers, oneclick, announcing, bigcommerce, bolt, merchants.
• Aument wants to power your next marketing message - Aument is carving out a niche in marketing automation for e-commerce stores, raising $1.5 million in pre-seed funding just four months after being founded. CEO Emilio Di Marco met his co-founders, Alan Helouani, Sacha Landesmann and Mario Leon Rojas, in Latin America while leading marketing efforts for WeWork. Their experience in working on customer acquisition […]
  Topics: users, customer, techcrunch, message, aument, customers, wants, actions, power, marketing, marco, di, ecommerce, data.
• Best Fulfillment Centers in Texas (Specifically Dallas) - Everything is bigger in Texas, so it makes sense that ecommerce warehousing, distribution, and fulfillment have become commonplace in the Lone Star state. Not only is there an incredible amount of space for fulfillment companies to set up warehouses in… Continue reading Best Fulfillment Centers in Texas (Specifically Dallas)
  Topics: shopify, texas, ecommerce, network, pricing, inventory, centers, specifically, shipping, best, month, fulfillment, dallas.
• BigCommerce 2021 Annual Report: Another Year of Digital Growth and Disruptive Innovation - As the pandemic-accelerated growth of ecommerce continued into 2021, the world experienced yet another transformational year of digital growth, and…
  Topics: download, innovation, ecommerce, pdf, sent, info, bigcommerce, worlds, growth, disruptive, report, annual, digital.
• BigCommerce Enjoys Good Spirits at eTail East in Boston - The word on the street is that eTail East was back in Boston on August 8–11 with their first in-person…
  Topics: bigcommerce, connect, bourbon, whiskey, etail, retailers, ecommerce, good, boston, events, east, spirits, opportunity, enjoys.
• BigCommerce Named a Strong Performer Among B2B and B2C Ecommerce Platforms by Industry Report - At BigCommerce, we strive to provide the best tools and resources to help merchants across the world make the most…
  Topics: strong, b2c, different, wave, ecommerce, named, industry, categories, b2b, tools, platforms, performer, trusted, report, forrester, bigcommerce.
• BigCommerce Turns Up the Heat in Palm Springs at eTail West 2022 - On the heels of NRF, the BigCommerce team headed west to make its stake at eTail West 2022 in Palm…
  Topics: turns, team, etail, attendees, west, palm, heat, pdf, bigcommerce, springs, klevu, ecommerce.
• Black Friday Checklist: How to Prep Your eCommerce Store - Black Friday Checklist: How to Prep your eCommerce Store Black Friday is the official kickoff of the chaotic holiday season. And with heavier traffic in recent years to a digital experience, it’s key for you to prep your eCommerce store for the spike - just as any physical store preps their floor and staff for the holiday wave. Before we dive in on how to best prepare your site, let’s look at a few stats regarding the busiest shopping day of the year. What the Numbers Tell Us After pandemic restrictions were lifted and in-person shopping was greenlit for most of the world, the predictions gravitated towards a shift back to the physical store. However, that’s not exactly how it all played out. eCommerce shopping behavior studies show the needle would not sway dramatically back to the in-store experience. Across global markets, there are accelerated patterns towards post-pandemic shopping behaviors towards the following trends: Buying online for home delivery More time in research/discovery online BEFORE going to a store Buying online for store pickup Black Friday Deals Trend Earlier Retailers are choosing to offer deals ahead of Black Friday, as shopping behavior trends shift to starting the process earlier to “beat the rush,” or perhaps get an exclusive deal. A recent poll tells us as many as 22% of shoppers start as early as October to cross items off their list, with early bird shoppers spending on average $460 more than those who wait until after Thanksgiving. If you offer the deals, your shoppers will come. Follow the data and the demands of your customers. If the data tells you customers are looking for Black Friday deals in October, then set up a plan to have special promotions and marketing campaigns in place to support an early start. This may look like a deeply discounted 3-day early bird sale, or perhaps a special Black Friday sneak peek for loyalty customers with special pricing. Here is a checklist to keep top-of-mind as we enter the busiest shopping season all year long: 1. Set the Course for an Easy Checkout Process 2. Draft & Review Cart Abandonment Emails 3. Check Your Site Performance 4. Be Mobile Friendly 5. Be Promo Ready 6. Glean from Data Analytics 7. Beef up your Social Commerce Strategy 8. Cater to Loyal Customers 9. Beef up your Holiday Merchandising 10. Determine On Call Schedules for Support Teams   Black Friday Prep: A Digital To Do List 1. Set the Course for an Easy Checkout Process. The less friction from discovery to checkout the better. Don’t require shoppers to create an account to checkout. Allow for a guest checkout option. While some shoppers prefer having payment methods or loyalty rewards at a glance available to them at checkout, there are significant numbers of shoppers who want speed and convenience. Meet your shoppers where they are and allow for both. Keep the cart icon front and center at every click through your site. Even better, have a constant numeric reminder of what is currently in cart. It’s important to have a visual cue to the shopper whether it’s empty, full of “maybes” or items that are a sure thing. Allow customers to pay in the way they prefer. That means well beyond traditional credit/debit cards. Offer a range of payment methods to include PayPal, Venmo, digital wallets (Google, Samsung, ApplePay), and an increasingly popular BNPL (Buy Now Pay Later) option like Klarna or Afterpay. Some European markets allow for bank drafts as a method of payment, but this largely depends on what the demand is of your consumer in your geographic locale. 2. Draft & Review Cart Abandonment Emails. As shopping cart abandonment statistics for 2022 reveal, the average cart abandonment rate ranges from 59.2% to 79.8%. Clearly too much revenue left on the table to ignore as a retailer. Here is where personalization becomes your ally. Using auto-generated, targeted emails to customers with abandoned carts is a proven strategy for conversion. Examples include offering a customer additional reward for purchasing such as a percentage, or flat amount with a cutoff date. Some shoppers change their mind about items. Offer alternatives based on their shopping history; sometimes offering a different style or brand, or perhaps accessories to support the category they were shopping such as camping or gaming. 3. Check Your Site Performance. If your site isn’t performing at peak speed, you stand to lose everything you’ve worked hard for as a brand. What is the importance of site performance? You have as little as 50 milliseconds (or .05 seconds), to make an impression on your site visitors. If pages take too long to load, or there is a delay in the checkout process, that is a customer gone for good. Fifty milliseconds sounds daunting, but there are web performance and speed testing tools at your disposal to gauge this critical metric your customers’ experience relies so heavily upon. Let’s take a look at some of the criteria for site speed/performance: How to Test Your Site’s Performance. Programs such as Pingdom Speed Test, GTmetrix, and Google PageSpeed Insights (see a Top 10 list here) help you diagnose problem areas you may not have known existed so you can fix the issue quickly. You’ll be able to see how your site is measuring up across devices, and also geographic locations. Also key to performance is how well your site is ranking in user experience. Does your site load quickly? But also is your site easily navigated? Can your customer find what they’re looking for quickly through your menu or search function?   Dynamic vs. Static Content Management. The difference between the two is dynamic content is anything subject to change based on user input such as product, pricing, or descriptions. This content is stored in a database and is fetched when the user engages with it, otherwise known as async communication. Static content on the other hand is anything remaining the same in the experience such as the navigation menu. Both types of content have distinct yet crucial functions on a site but are managed differently. Load speed is generally case by case so we recommend an API-first/ best-of-breed approach that gives you the flexibility to deliver quick speeds and dynamic content. As you edit dynamic content you want to avoid editing the HTML code as this will cause breaks in your site. Additionally when managing dynamic content, use proper caching and Content Delivery Networks (CDN) to bridge the gaps between dynamic and static content.   Image Optimization. No surprise that visual content engages users. However, high quality imagery means larger files that eat up load time. Using resized and compressed files is a lighter lift for the server to load the image. Within imagery you’ll want to pay attention to the file format. There are four file types: PNG, JPEG, GIF, WebP, and SVG. A general rule of thumb is to avoid GIFs since they do drag on site speed. When choosing between PNGs and JPEGs, PNGs work well for graphics and screenshots, while JPEGs are ideal for photographs. The newcomer is the SVG file format, or scalable vector graphic that renders well in web applications and across other use cases. Lazy load plugins are also useful to only render photos where the user is browsing.   Reduce HTTP Requests. HTTP requests occur when the browser sends a request to the server for information. The fewer requests a website must make the faster the site can load. The amount and the size of the requested files affects load times, however most engaging sites have both multiple and larger files. The best way to address this issue is to run a full report on your site and assess what images are taking the longest to load and if in fact you need them. After you assess what’s needed, you can reduce the file size.   4. Be Mobile Friendly. Having a site optimized for mobile is mission-critical to your site’s performance. If a customer doesn’t have the same flawless experience from laptop, to tablet, to smartphone, you stand to lose. Consider this: 70% of web traffic comes from mobile phones, and 80% of the top-ranked websites are mobile-friendly. The great news is that site performance tools help identify mobile optimization deficits and fixes. As you gear up for the holiday shopping season, it’s an opportunity for cross-collaboration between business and IT teams to address the issue head on given how much it affects user experience and bounce rates. As much as 60% of shoppers won’t return to a site that is not mobile-friendly. Nearly 43% of Black Friday sales in 2021 happened through mobile phones. You’ll want to lean into your developer team to fully optimize your site for mobile. The end goal is to have the exact , flawless experience from desktop to tablet to smartphone. This involves a few tactics such as image optimization as I’ve mentioned above, ensuring your site has a responsive design, and optimizing the above-the-fold content to engage shoppers quicker and for a longer period of time. Additionally, avoid intrusive ads that will hinder your shopper from engaging with your site, especially if they are on a mobile device. Recent studies have found that 96% of eCommerce businesses in North America and 94% in Europe have at least five basic errors in their checkouts. Watch the Webinar to make sure your business is not making them. Go to Webinar 5. Be Promo Ready. Are you prepared to manage the deep deals the holiday season brings? As I mentioned above, if the data shows your customers want the deals and they want them early, are you set up to provide them? Is your site prepped for sales banners front and center on your site driving shoppers to the deals you’ve carefully curated? Is your Order Management System (OMS) prepped with a clear view of inventory and a plan for backorders or pre orders for items that sell out quickly? An OMS can help automate these functions which gives your operations teams more flexibility to handle holiday shopping issues while still satisfying the customer with clear communication and a timeline as to when to expect delivery. 6. Glean from Data Analytics. In the same vein as Always Be Testing, take a look at data from the year before. What drove revenue and what might have fallen flat? What can you tweak from last year’s holiday season? You have customer gold in the numbers. Take a look at what product categories and pages saw the highest volume of traffic. What days of the week saw a spike in traffic? If you had an early bird special or flash sale, analytics and your OMS will tell you how many eyes were on it, and how well it performed revenue-wise. 7. Beef up your Social Commerce Strategy. Selling products through social media channels is currently estimated at $45 billion and expected to triple in the next few years. This figure equates to more than half of U.S. adults alone purchasing through social media. Platforms like Facebook, Pinterest, Twitter, TikTok, and Instagram allow brands to create another channel through curated content and influencer marketing. Perhaps the biggest advantage to social commerce is its power within the discovery phase of the buying journey. Instagram reports 60% of its users discover new products on their platform. When paired with word-of-mouth reviews from people you trust, (or at least share similar tastes) and the ability to tag and highlight products in both Story and Feed, you've got a highly versatile, perpetual sales engine. The path to purchase is expertly laid out from discovery, research, review, one-click purchase, and delivery. As you dive into this holiday season, it’s critical to use social media to your advantage. You’ll be missing out on a significant shopper segment, many of whom will be looking for new products to fit the people on their list. You may consider using live shopping feeds to fully tell your brand’s story and what’s new in your product line, and always make sure products can be purchased within the app using personal information already stored within a profile. In app links easily navigate shoppers to products and one click checkout. Additionally you may consider the power of social proof. As you market your products through a social media shop, offer your shoppers a way to interact with products and share them across the platform. Through the use of hashtags you create, empower your customers to use the hashtag and create their own posts. A two-fold benefit is that your customers peer review your products and have a voice, while enabling customer confidence for the shoppers new to your brand. On the flip side if a shopper is dissatisfied, you as a brand have the opportunity to address the issue. Prior to Black Friday, you may consider having a campaign for your loyal shoppers to share product reviews with a coupon reward or offer like a free gift. Peer reviews increase both customer confidence and conversion. 8. Cater to Loyal Customers. The unicorn of customer personas! Here are a few eye-opening stats on what Lifetime Customer Value (LTCV) or what is often referred to as Customer Acquisition vs. Retention: The probability of selling to an existing customer is 60-70%, while the probability of selling to a new prospect is only 5% to 20%. It costs up to 7x more to acquire a new customer than to retain an old one. Sixty-five percent of a company’s business comes from existing customers. What does that mean? You have a treasure trove of information on your loyal customers; you know their shopping habits, their product preferences, and even their payment preferences. Take full advantage of these habits by giving them an exceptional customer experience. In the realm of holiday shopping, what can you offer? Plenty. Double the points or rewards on all holiday shopping. Free gifts for loyalty members. A Black Friday “sneak peek” sale exclusive to loyalty members with special pricing. Free holiday wrapping and gift options. A portion of holiday proceeds goes to charity. 9. Beef up your Holiday Merchandising. You have more shoppers now than any other time of year. How will you stand out among the competition? Convenience. Many holiday shoppers find themselves frustrated with what to buy for the loved one/receiver who has everything. Enter gift sets or bundles. If you can afford the cost to offer this type of merchandise, it’s a solution for many harried shoppers trying to check off people on their list. Think of spa baskets, grooming products for men, kids’ items like themed candy and holiday stockings, wine and cheese assortments, or teacher gifts. Additionally for the shopper who is looking for a gift for themselves, you may see dynamic bundling as an offering. This allows the shopper to pick and choose from a selection within the bundle. An example is for the gamers or sports enthusiasts in your customer base. For the gamers, maybe you offer a choice between a headset or an additional monitor, or maybe for the skier, your options include goggles or a choice of gloves. An all-in-one gift option with more selection and control on the user experience side, but with the convenience of a single price point. 10. Determine On Call Schedules for Support Teams. Determine on call schedule for each department. It's not just IT, for example a promo may be broken, or products not published to the catalog. Elastic Path similarly has a plan and schedule in place to offer support for our customers during peak holiday traffic. In Closing Food for thought as you think about future holiday shopping experiences that drive revenue and are meaningful to your customer while optimizing your team’s time. Gartner tells us to look for a trend in how brands interact with products. According to the analyst, companies should invest in more robust product experience management (PXM) solutions. Gartner outlines this shift in their 2022 Strategic Roadmap for Digital Commerce in Direct (D2C) and Indirect Channel report. What does that mean? Brands will fare well who broaden their geographic and channel reach, and do more on the customer experience side. How will they do it? As you think about each of these strategies and tactics to optimize the holiday shopping experience, there are options to streamline it and empower people to solve customer pain points, especially in the role of merchandiser who is pulled in several directions as it is. Eager to talk about what’s next for your eCommerce strategy and how we can help? Reach out to us.  
  Topics: holiday, customer, checklist, shoppers, site, experience, black, customers, products, content, strategy, shopping, ecommerce, offer.
• Byrd Review: Who Are They? - Although finding the right fulfillment network and third-party logistics management solution can be a headache, it's essential to your eCommerce success. byrd is s a cloud-based logistics management solution designed to help businesses handle their inventory, track their orders, and… Continue reading Byrd Review: Who Are They?
  Topics: review, fulfillment, ecommerce, shipping, customers, shipments, process, orders, customer, byrd, returns.
• Byrd nabs $56M to grow its European e-commerce logistics and fulfillment network as an alternative to Amazon - Shopify put a spotlight on the role and significance of logistics and fulfillment in e-commerce when it snapped up Deliverr for $2.1 billion last week to gain its own, direct foothold into providing those services for its e-commerce customers a la Amazon. Now, an up-and-coming startup in fulfillment in Europe has closed a round of […]
  Topics: software, european, fulfillment, logistics, nabs, customers, byrd, warehouse, ecommerce, prime, services, network, amazon, merchants, techcrunch, grow.
• COVID rapid tests available on e-commerce in China for the first time - China is allowing the public to take COVID-19 rapid antigen self-tests for the first time as infection numbers hit a two-year high in recent days. Online marketplaces including JD.com and Meituan are now taking pre-orders for home test kits from government-approved manufacturers, including Shenzhen-based gene giant BGI. The products will also be available through drugstores […]
  Topics: techcrunch, kits, results, china, rapid, testing, ecommerce, test, selftest, tests, available, pcr, covid, antigen.
• ChannelEngine raises $50M for an operating system that helps retailers sell through marketplaces - Marketplaces are the order of the day when it comes to selling online, providing a one-stop shop for shoppers, and for retailers looking to target as many would-be buyers as possible, while also creating more economies of scale in areas fulfillment and delivery. Amazon has become the name synonymous with marketplace selling, but it’s far […]
  Topics: ecommerce, channelengine, sell, system, raises, operating, helps, global, marketplaces, techcrunch, help, brands, marketplace, retailers, selling, 50m.
• Charts: Average Order, Cart Abandons, More - This week's ecommerce charts excerpts research from leading vendors on average global order values, cart abandonment rates, and industry opportunities for agencies and individuals.
  Topics: average, q2, research, ecommerce, cart, order, report, charts, state, global, marketing, worldwide, abandons, kantar.
• Charts: CEO Pay for Top Ecommerce, Public Companies - Amazon CEO Andy Jassy collected total compensation in 2021 of roughly $212 million. Shopify's Tobias Lutke earned $20 million. Here's a rundown of CEO compensation at select U.S. public companies.
  Topics: companies, salary, million, ecommerce, ceo, startups, report, charts, pay, median, public.
• Charts: Ecommerce Unicorns 2021 - The number of privately-held ecommerce companies valued at over $1 billion increased dramatically in 2021. Asia had the most.
  Topics: number, unicorns, ecommerce, company, companies, unicorn, public, global, charts, report.
• Charts: Financial Stats of 6 Ecommerce Companies - The pandemic-induced shift to online shopping has been a financial windfall for many ecommerce companies and related vendors. We look at six of them here.
  Topics: term, ecommerce, charts, varies, companies, valuation, stats, unicorn, performance, unicorns, financial.
• Charts: Retail Industry Outlook 2022 - The pandemic reset global retail, hastening the shift to online shopping while exposing supply chain weaknesses. We analyze recent survey results from retail leaders on what to expect in 2022 and beyond.
  Topics: global, supply, industry, recent, sales, charts, ecommerce, deloitte, study, revenue, retail, warehouse, outlook.
• CommerceIQ gets its horn as capital continues to flow into e-commerce infrastructure startups - CEO Guru Hariharan sees the $4.5 trillion retail industry at a massive inflection point.
  Topics: continues, startups, infrastructure, commerceiq, billion, retail, company, brands, capital, horn, gets, million, hariharan, techcrunch, funding, companies, flow, ecommerce.
• Digital Merchandising Best Practices - No argument that eCommerce sales skyrocketed in the last two years, as the world turned to mobile devices to buy everything from a week’s worth of groceries to a new couch for the family room. But even as the world opens up post-pandemically, eCommerce retail sales maintain the top spot on the leaderboard. Projections point to upwards of $7 trillion in sales by 2024. What’s happened to merchandising as we’ve made the shift from brick-and-mortar to a virtual store and cart? Plenty. How do you translate an in-store experience into an engaging digital one that leads a shopper to Buy Now sight unseen? Let’s dive into the world of eCommerce merchandising and find out how retailers create a path to purchase from the physical to the digital experience. What is Digital Merchandising? Also known as eCommerce or online merchandising, digital merchandising is the practice of marketing goods in the digital space. Just as you map product placement and displays in-store with branding considerations to draw the customer over, the same actions happen in a virtual store to entice the shopper from their chosen device. Product merchandising is about having the right assortment, and showcasing it at the right time to the right customer. You are essentially creating content; and given the 2024 online sales projections retailers can’t afford to sit this one out. Make a Plan & Get Campaigning You may have a number of goals for your business; you’ve targeted a specific sales growth percentage or doubling down on the number of promotions per month, or you’d like to grow your loyalty program for top spenders. Whatever the case may be, once you’ve set the goals it’s now time for strategizing. You’ve stated the what - now you need to flesh out the how. Personalization: It’s a New Day for Data Collection When it comes to eCommerce merchandising campaigns it’s ok to get personal. In fact, it’s mission critical. With the death of third-party cookies, retail marketers are forced to revisit how they collect data and lean in on first or zero-party solutions to power personalized shopper experiences. Research shows today’s shoppers care how you get their data and what you do with it. “Seventy percent of consumers like personalization, as long as brands are using data they’ve shared directly.” Source: Twilio A Common Personalization Trap: The Creep Factor There are many schools of thought on how much personalization is too much. I think we can all agree that ultimately personalization should best serve the customer and fulfill a need. Stepping outside the boundaries and creating an inaccurate assumption defeats the purpose of winning trust. For example, I’m a pet owner. I often browse and shop online for pet food and supplies and have tried the numerous subscription services based on this category But that also means over the years I’ve had to inevitably say goodbye to pets. Here is a snapshot of the types of personalization I could experience based on the data capture: Zero Party: The cat food you liked in our poll is now BOGO First Party: The pet carrier you browsed last month is on clearance Second Party: Congrats on the kitten! Need pet insurance? Third Party: It’s hard to lose a furry friend. Next time, check out our pet caskets and internment services You’ll notice as we progress through each scenario, the degree of personalization falls a bit further into the off-putting range. What you ideally want to do is solve a problem or create a convenience; not push the limits of knowing too much. “Personalization can mean a lot of things, so it’s important to understand what a marketer thinks it is and how it’s creepy. This can often clear up initial concerns. Then for us, the guiding personalization principle is to figure out if and how it adds value to the end user…” Source: Paul Munkholm, Kettle Interested in Learning More About eCommerce Merchandising? Discover 10 areas to optimize your eCommerce merchandising strategy for your business and more with our playbook. Go to Playbook Ecommerce Merchandising Trends and Tips to Consider Many of today’s digital merchandising tips and trends are based in AR/VR technology, embraced in greater numbers by Gen X and Millennial groups. A few examples of these tactics include: Virtual dressing or try-on rooms allowing shoppers to try clothing or makeup swatches from any device, wherever they are, before purchase “See it in your room” capabilities for furniture or décor accessories to replicate digitally what the item will look like in a shopper’s home or space (a useful deterrent from returns) Social networks like Pinterest and Instagram have leveraged this technology in their algorithms. Studying how they strategize and leverage it in the path to purchase in-app can be useful if you’re looking to see more AR/VR in play Implement 360 plug ins and enable virtual product tours across devices It really depends on your product assortment and what you’re able to invest in as far as technology – you need to assess what works best for your business. Bear in mind how critical it is for shoppers to get the same level of comfort and confidence they do from an in-store experience and a face-to-face conversation with a retailer - having a unique experience is key to engaging (and keeping) today’s shopper. Product Merchandising Product merchandising is key to all types of channels. And what eCommerce has shown us is the complexity around merchandising. In today’s eCommerce landscape retailers have multiple digital storefronts, complex pricing needs to reflect flash or scheduled sales, loyalty pricing, or bundling models. A Rapidly Changing Landscape Ecommerce changes rapidly so it’s important to be on top of what’s trending in digital merchandising technology and how that affects your customer. The in-store experience is not going away; instead the merging of the physical and virtual is now the combined commerce narrative. Operating and streamlining the experience in both worlds is becoming the norm. Above all – make it easy, friction-less, predictive, and personalized (appropriately), from discovery to purchase. Answer questions for your customers before they even know they had them. Build trust and confidence from the first time they click on your site or app. Make shopping with you an unforgettable experience they simply can’t do without.
  Topics: sales, pet, todays, merchandising, personalization, practices, digital, experience, data, ecommerce, best, virtual.
• Ecommerce Acceleration Is the Future. Don't Get Left Behind. - The global ecommerce market is exploding, and 2022 is shaping up as the year of the accelerator.
  Topics: achieve, left, future, technology, traffic, dont, brands, right, accelerators, scale, acceleration, ecommerce, data.
• Ecommerce Copywriter on Tactics, Tools, More - High-converting ecommerce copywriting starts with research. That's according to Christopher Silvestri, the founder of Conversion Alchemy, an agency.
  Topics: copywriter, lot, website, thats, used, copywriting, visitors, tactics, tools, worked, customers, ecommerce, started, design.
• Ecommerce Product Releases: April 17, 2022 - Ecommerce merchants enjoy non-stop innovation from vendors and service providers. The installment of “Product Releases” includes updates on social commerce, the metaverse, brick-and-mortar, selling on Amazon, and more.
  Topics: merchants, discovery, digital, announced, ecommerce, product, pinterest, commerce, services, releases, shopping, platform.
• Ecommerce Product Releases: April 3, 2022 - This installment of "Ecommerce Product Releases," our twice-monthly rundown of new services that could help merchants, includes live streaming, next-day delivery, subscription payments, and more.
  Topics: returns, storefronts, releases, ecommerce, product, expansion, platform, merchants, shopping, marketplace, technology, receive.
• Ecommerce Product Releases: August 15, 2022 - This installment of our twice-monthly rundown of new services for merchants includes updates on same-day deliveries, fraud prevention, SMS purchasing, and more.
  Topics: platform, amazon, releases, app, products, ecommerce, commerce, brands, product, announced, shopify.
• Ecommerce Product Releases: March 15, 2022 - Twice monthly we publish a rundown of new services, updates, and collaborations that could help merchants. This installment addresses social commerce, shipping, virtual fitting, more.
  Topics: product, video, launches, meta, merchants, releases, zeekit, technology, program, sellers, ecommerce.
• Ecommerce Product Releases: May 17, 2022 - This installment of "Ecommerce Product Releases," our twice-monthly rundown of new services that could help merchants, includes digital currencies, checkout tools, freight logistics, and more.
  Topics: digital, service, releases, product, returns, shipping, merchants, instagram, fulfillment, customer, ecommerce, platform.
• Ecommerce Product Releases: May 3, 2022 - Twice a month we publish a rundown of new services, updates, and collaborations that could help merchants. This installment includes updates on augmented reality, international transactions, small business marketing, and more.
  Topics: releases, business, product, ecommerce, ar, aws, merchants, platform, services, announced, small.
• Ecommerce Product Releases: September 18, 2022 - This installment of our twice-monthly rundown of new services that could help merchants includes updates on live shopping, warehousing and distribution, cryptocurrency, and more.
  Topics: capabilities, sellers, prime, releases, product, brands, amazon, insights, launches, ecommerce, marketing.
• Ecommerce and Creator Tools Will Merge - If engagement is central to broad economic growth, creators are a key financial driver. And that could give rise to a new generation of tools and services.
  Topics: economy, creator, shopify, merge, engagement, ecommerce, tools, creators, products, marketing, software.
• Egypt’s Mylerz raises $9.6M for its e-commerce fulfillment service, eyes Africa-wide growth - Mylerz, a Cairo-based e-commerce fulfillment startup, plans to enter three new markets in North Africa and expand across Egypt over the next three months against the backdrop of the $9.6 million funding it has just secured. The startup also has its eyes on the growing e-commerce market in East Africa, with the long-term goal of […]
  Topics: techcrunch, egypts, ecommerce, service, africawide, egypt, africa, eyes, delivery, partners, cash, startup, partner, mylerz, growth, raises, fulfillment, logistics.
• Eurora raises $40M for its AI-based system to automate EU e-commerce shipping compliance - The e-commerce market has boomed in the last several years, and with that so has the appetite of tax collectors to do their bidding: make rules that make sure their countries are getting a cut. That’s spelled more red tape and more customs hoops (and costs) for those shipping and receiving goods, and also delays […]
  Topics: customs, vat, techcrunch, sure, raises, compliance, ecommerce, aibased, tax, platform, pandemic, shipping, automate, thats, system, eu, eurora.
• Ex-Chime engineers raise $4M for B2B payments infrastructure startup Streamlined - While working as the head of treasury at Braintree, Boris de Souza once discovered a $90 million payment that went “missing” for over two weeks because of poor payments infrastructure. “It was my first week on the job, and I received an email from a client saying ‘I think you shorted us $90 million,’” he […]
  Topics: techcrunch, engineers, million, ecommerce, businesses, infrastructure, startup, raise, 4m, payment, souza, b2b, business, exchime, streamlined, payments, ach.
• Flyp wants to give power resellers enterprise-grade e-commerce tooling - There is no shortage of platforms out there to sell your old stuff. From thredUp and The RealReal to Facebook Marketplace to eBay, the tech world has long sought to capitalize on the generally wasteful attitude of consumerism over the last half century. But lurking among these platforms is a group not often thought about, […]
  Topics: used, wants, inventory, enterprisegrade, resellers, ecommerce, group, ventures, platform, power, tooling, million, startup, techcrunch, flyp, platforms.
• GreenGeeks Review – Eco-Friendly Hosting, But Is It Good? - Finding a reliable hosting provider is often difficult. There are so many choices available out there, and it primarily depends on the kind of web hosting you require. Do you want cloud hosting, or do you want a dedicated host?… Continue reading GreenGeeks Review – Eco-Friendly Hosting, But Is It Good?
  Topics: available, ecommerce, free, wordpress, offers, website, greengeeks, review, great, plan, good, ecofriendly, hosting.
• Harlem Capital leads seed into Because, an e-commerce enablement startup - Because provides a “Canva-like” editing experience for e-commerce managers to design and publish messages aimed at driving conversion rates.
  Topics: team, ecommerce, capital, shopify, seed, investment, website, sales, techcrunch, software, startup, enablement, stansbury, harlem, leads, companies, product.
• Has Apple Changed the Advertising Industry? - U.S. marketing expenditures are the highest in years. Could Apple's iOS privacy changes be the cause?
  Topics: industry, media, advertising, ad, marketing, ecommerce, growth, apple, revenue, shopify, apples, changed.
• How Ecommerce Will Empower Individuals In the Decade Ahead - Your daily life will be made easier by changes coming over the next 10 years.
  Topics: personalized, individuals, empower, ahead, youll, world, need, glasses, ar, parameters, ecommerce, based, purchases, decade.
• How Elle Liu Turned a Rough Night’s Sleep into a 7-Figure Ecommerce Brand - Elle Liu was a hot sleeper and often had her slumber disrupted by uncomfortable cotton sheets. She decided to turn this peeve into a 7-figure ecommerce brand called Eucalypso, which creates sleep-friendly, earth-friendly bedding from eucalyptus fibers.More
  Topics: marketing, eucalypso, elle, liu, product, lot, sleep, social, 7figure, support, brand, nights, ecommerce, rough, cotton, business, turned.
• How Experiential Ecommerce is Digitally Reconceptualizing Human Connection - Experiential ecommerce is changing the way people shop online, as brands shift gears towards humanizing connection.
  Topics: shopping, reconceptualizing, digitally, human, feel, connection, consumers, experiential, brands, ecommerce, experience, user.
• How Just a 2 Percent Lift in Ecommerce Conversions Can Grow Your Company by $72,000 - When 98% of most shoppers fail to complete the checkout, here's how just a 2% lift in ecommerce conversions can add more than $72,000 in new revenue and drive higher profits for your business.
  Topics: company, conversion, checkout, conversions, rates, lift, grow, shoppers, customers, rate, ecommerce, trust, business.
• How Keyword Clustering Powers SEO - Keyword lists for SEO are often cluttered and seemingly endless. "Clustering" can help by grouping keywords by a common modifier.
  Topics: powers, single, editing, page, platform, keyword, seo, ecommerce, clustering, search, group, keywords, example.
• How This Company Is Helping Ecommerce Brands Scale and Grow - The co-founder of 8fig shares how his platform is helping online sellers plan and execute their growth around their supply-chain needs.
  Topics: scale, need, businesses, fast, help, grow, company, ecommerce, small, extremely, brands, 8fig, helping, pay.
• How the Ukraine War Impacts Ecommerce - Human suffering from the Ukraine war is far more important than economic impacts. Nonetheless, business leaders should contemplate the potential effects on their companies.
  Topics: supply, companies, ukraine, gasoline, chain, fuel, war, impact, increase, prices, impacts, ecommerce, price.
• India’s Licious raises $150 million for its fresh animal protein e-commerce platform - Licious, a Bengaluru-based startup that sells fresh meat, seafood and other fresh animal protein online and which became the nation’s first direct-to-consumer brand to become a unicorn last year, said on Tuesday it has raised an additional $150 million from a set of late-stage investors in a move that appears to be a precursor to […]
  Topics: ecommerce, protein, meat, fresh, raises, platform, investors, startups, techcrunch, seafood, indias, vivek, animal, valuation, licious, startup, million.
• India’s antitrust watchdog approves Amazon acquiring Cloudtail-parent firm Prione - The Indian antitrust watchdog on Wednesday approved Amazon’s proposed acquisition of estranged partner Catamaran Ventures’ stake in Prione, which operates one of the largest sellers on the e-commerce platform, providing the American giant with the pathway to continue to operate Cloudtail in the world’s second largest internet market. Amazon proposed the acquisition late last year, […]
  Topics: india, local, operates, stake, acquiring, ecommerce, techcrunch, prione, watchdog, approves, sellers, amazon, indias, largest, firm, proposed, antitrust, cloudtailparent.
• Indonesia, an Overlooked Ecommerce Market - Indonesia has the fourth largest global population and a sizeable ecommerce economy. Yet Western merchants often overlook the opportunity to sell there.
  Topics: indonesia, market, popular, revenue, visits, southeast, marketplace, million, quarter, ecommerce, overlooked.
• Key Ecommerce Trends That Can Take Your Business to the Next Level - Ecommerce brands need to be prepared for the coming disruptions to succeed in their chosen industry. The trends described below are those I believe will have the most influence in the coming year.
  Topics: customers, customer, product, important, social, brands, marketing, key, media, business, trends, ecommerce, level.
• Lessons from 16 Years in Ecommerce - Christopher Dobroth has worked in ecommerce since 2006. He's held management and operational positions across many industries. Here are his three lessons for success.
  Topics: works, ecommerce, lighting, weaknesses, site, theres, business, lessons, work, ive, team.
• Make it Big Podcast: The Current and Future State of B2B Ecommerce - Welcome to The Make it Big Podcast, a bi-weekly audio series about all things ecommerce by BigCommerce. In this episode,…
  Topics: ecommerce, future, podcast, custom, online, experience, state, b2b, seeing, buyers, shopping, headless, digital, current, big.
• Moonshot Brands funding, acquisitions highlight change in e-commerce aggregator space - Company co-founder CJ Isakow said this was just the beginning of what he thought would be further consolidation in the crowded sector.
  Topics: aggregator, aggregators, space, million, acquisitions, highlight, company, techcrunch, isakow, assets, brands, months, funding, moonshot, change, sellers, thrasio, ecommerce.
• Moot channels $18M for a platform and toolkit to power e-commerce strategies for brands - E-commerce today is played out wherever a consumer sees something and wants it — be it on a company’s site or app, a social media feed, a marketplace, a search or an advert. Today a startup called Moot that’s helping businesses and brands sell through all those channels in a unified way is announcing $18 […]
  Topics: platform, companies, company, ecommerce, 18m, today, brands, power, growth, strategies, techcrunch, channels, moot, solutions, toolkit.
• My Favorite Ecommerce KPIs - Key performance indicators help a business stay on track. Contributor Chris Dobroth has managed ecommerce companies since 2006. Here is his list of essential KPIs.
  Topics: rates, rate, open, ecommerce, sales, visitors, percentage, marketing, conversion, kpis, page, favorite, profit.
• Nomagic picks up $22M for its e-commerce warehouse picking robots - Robotics are playing a growing role in the world of e-commerce logistics and fulfillment — where they are seen not just as a way to speed up operations but to drastically reduce the costs of running them — and today a startup developing software and hardware specifically in the area of robot picking is announcing […]
  Topics: nomagic, work, robotic, smaller, nowicki, tech, techcrunch, ventures, ecommerce, identify, robots, warehouse, 22m, small, picking, picks.
• Picking a Processor: How Security Leads to Success in the CBD Industry - In the year 2022, if you’re in the business of, well, business, setting up an ecommerce platform on your website…
  Topics: online, business, industry, help, ecommerce, payments, processor, success, cbd, security, picking, payment, leads, merchant, processing.
• Podcast Advertising Basics for Ecommerce Brands - Contextual podcast ads read by the host are a form of influencer marketing. They can drive demand for ecommerce products and even the brand itself.
  Topics: urls, brand, surveys, ads, podcasts, podcast, basics, ad, ecommerce, brands, rate, advertising, sponsor.
• Productsup raises $70M to help retailers navigate sales strategies in the choppy world of e-commerce - To many people, e-commerce is synonymous with shopping on Amazon, but the reality is that a retailer has the option to use a bundle of different channels to sell and market products — and many do. Today, a startup called Productsup, which has built a platform that helps retailers navigate that landscape, is announcing $70 […]
  Topics: round, market, shopping, strategies, navigate, sales, retailers, channels, productsup, help, ecommerce, solutions, raises, techcrunch, world, companies, commerce.
• Pros & Cons of Dropship eCommerce - Dropshipping is one of the easiest, low-barrier to entry businesses provided you have access to the internet. If you’re not familiar with the dropship business model it’s relatively simple; you set up a virtual storefront and sell items at retail (without holding inventory), to which you forward for fulfillment by a wholesaler, and you in turn keep the profit. How Popular is Dropship? Dropshipping is still a viable business given that dropshippers have the leverage to earn more than 50% profit than those who keep their own inventory; and with eCommerce steadily on the rise even post-pandemic, there is opportunity to reach customers where they are with this method. Suppliers also stand to gain with 18% more profit selling their products to dropshippers. Sounds simple? It is and it isn’t. In this post we’ll take a second look at dropship and review the pros and cons as a business model. We’ll start with the pros: #1 Pro – Turn a Profit if the Product is Right You’ll want to do a fair amount of brainstorming and market research before venturing into the world of drop ship. The key to success is finding your product niche. With eCommerce heavily influenced by competition, you’ll need to stand out in the marketplace. Look at what’s trending; are there upticks in a particular industry such as health and beauty, driven by a social media influencer touting the next greatest skincare regimen? Is there a new craze in mobile accessories targeting the 18–24-year-old set? Current trends point to increased spend within women’s clothing, baby items, and tools (think specialized all-in-one kits for the home or car), with beauty products not far behind. #2 Pro – No Inventory Management Without the pressure of where to store product, you have freedom to test products without buying in bulk. Less overhead, less to worry about. Your biggest upfront expense is how you will host your virtual storefront, but more on that later. #3 Pro – Work with Trusted Vendor Partners A good partner is crucial to your success. You’ll want to work with vendors who offer ease of use, support, and speed, such as selecting a reliable Order Management System (OMS). We commonly work with Jetti and FluentCommerce for order management integrations specifically related to drop ship. We cover more top OMS providers in our blog for more insight as to Who’s Who in the market, and what questions you’ll need to ask to determine what provider is right for your business. #4 Pro – Speed to Market You’ll be off the ground and running in no time. With no physical retail space and inventory to manage and insure, your startup costs are minimal. Your focus with any dropship business as we’ve mentioned above is the product mix; you’ll want to focus on a niche market or what’s trending like fire in the market. It’s also a good idea to test products since you don’t need to purchase in bulk. #5 Pro – Scalability Dropshipping is highly scalable considering you can sell about anything and ship it to anywhere in the world, provided your fulfillment vendor has service there. And now for the inevitable Cons: Want to Learn More About the Top eCommerce Solutions? If your team is thinking about or currently evaluating an eCommerce software, you likely have many questions and possibly some concerns about different eCommerce software providers. Check out our guide comparing the top 4 solutions. Read the Guide #1 Con - There will be Upfront Costs You are essentially creating your own personal storefront, so you’ll need the platform to build it out and go live. Vendors like Shopify, WooCommerce, OpenCart, and Drupal are common in the market, with WooCommerce known for its economy especially when starting small dropship stores. A basic WordPress site could run between $1,500 - $3,500, however if you need advanced features, you’re looking at additional spend for plug-ins and customizations. From the Shopify side, it’s an estimated monthly charge of $30 to create and host a site, along with their selection of themes and branding tools. Building rapport with your customers begins with a name. Choose a domain name that fits your brand style and is memorable. The average domain cost is between $5-$20/year. If you need help selecting a name with a ring to it, try using a domain name generator to see what’s available. You’ll need to invest in advertising. As your business grows organically you may scale the budget back, but when you launch take full advantage of mobile and social ads to get your name out there. Ask Plenty of Questions Look at the basic features offered by a provider such as product, catalog, payment gateways, taxes, and shipping methods, and determine what you’ll require to get up and running. You may not even require additional plugins at this stage in the business. You’ll also want to consider ease of use with clean user interfaces, and the all-important scalability factor. I recommend looking at several vendors to compare your needs to go live quickly, and where you see yourself in a year. #2 Con – This is Not a Get Rich Quick Business Model If you’re looking for overnight success, dropshipping is not the right business for you. It’s not simply opening the virtual storefront and advertising while your fulfillment partner does all the work. A growth mindset will serve you well. Knowing what to sell and for how long is key to dropshipping success. Bear in mind again with so much competition you’ll need to stand out with the product and how you sell it in your store. This article offers tips on how to make your dropship offer unique and profitable. #3 Con – You Have Less Control of the Customer Experience In contrast to a B2C or D2C channel, you have little control over outcomes such as shipping and packaging; especially if you are drop shipping overseas. If there are customer complaints regarding shipping delays it’s out of your control to fix it, if not prohibitive. This is where finding a reliable fulfillment vendor is so important; you’ll need to build a relationship with them and know their limitations and strengths. #4 - Lack of Quality Control You’re selling a product sight unseen with little shipping control. The condition of the product once it’s received can be unpredictable. If you have concerns about a product’s initial quality, it’s recommended to order a sample to see and touch for yourself. This is also a perfect opportunity to create product imagery or content for your storefront to put the product’s best foot forward. Dropshipping May be Just the Right Model for You A fair number of pros and cons in the drop shipping model, however if you do your market research, keep an open mind, pick the right vendors, and strike while the iron is hot you stand to fare well.
  Topics: storefront, need, business, pro, products, ecommerce, cons, product, shipping, pros, youll, market, dropship.
• Q&A: Alyona Mysko of Ukraine-based Fuel Finance - Fuel Finance is a Ukraine-based "financial department in the cloud." Alyona Myskyo launched the company two and a half years ago to provide easy-to-follow info to help merchants with quick decision-making.
  Topics: help, ukrainebased, ukraine, fuel, qa, shoes, alyona, finance, war, ecommerce, unit, employees, platform, mysko, financial.
• Q&A: Anastasia Zhuk, Ukraine Agency Owner - The Whidegroup is an ecommerce agency in Zaporizhzhia, Ukraine, near Crimea. Its co-owner, Anastasia Zhuk, describes in this interview the war's impact on her business, family, and life.
  Topics: zhuk, agency, owner, ecommerce, war, western, anastasia, russian, whidegroup, city, magento, zaporizhzhia, husband, ukraine, qa.
• Salsify secures $200M as the boom in e-commerce catapults its valuation to $2B - E-commerce is booming, but it’s become increasingly apparent over the years that the businesses that are able to capitalize on that trend — and contribute to that growth — are those able to grasp the right technology to navigate the space. Today, Salsify, one of the startups building e-commerce solutions to that end, is announcing […]
  Topics: 2b, companies, company, ecommerce, million, salsify, round, brands, purcell, catapults, tech, techcrunch, work, valuation, secures, boom, 200m.
• Seven DTC eCommerce Trends in 2022 - The world of digital commerce is constantly changing, and with the rapid shift to online retailing as a result of the COVID pandemic, 2022 promises to be no different. With this trend in online shopping, the DTC eCommerce industry will only continue to grow. In 2021, U.S. direct-to-consumer (DTC) eCommerce sales reached 129 billion, and are projected to reach 151 this year. Now isn't that crazy!   As DTC businesses continue to prioritize digital commerce experiences, brands are facing more market competition than ever. With that being said, in this blog, I will give a general overview of seven major DTC eCommerce trends you should keep an eye on for your brand to succeed in 2022. What is DTC eCommerce? DTC eCommerce is an eCommerce business model in which brands sell directly to their end customers, as opposed to using third-parties such as wholesalers, distributors, or other retailers. There are many benefits of selling direct to consumers, including: Differentiation: Having full power on decisions, brands can better differentiate themselves as well as their products in the marketplace. Boosted Customer Loyalty: As a result of the direct relationship brands can facilitate with customers, they can build a more loyal customer base. Better Customer Experiences: By being able to have a close relationship with consumers, brands are able to collect direct feedback from them that can be used to create better customer experiences in the future. Direct Control: Without having to rely on parties to sell their products, DTC businesses are able to have direct and full control over their pricing, products, and branding. An example of a DTC eCommerce brand is Glossier, a company in the beauty industry, which uses the platform Contentful to facilitate their sales channels. Through Contentful and social media, Glossier has created a strong, loyal customer base and enhanced customer experiences. Their instagram page consists of 2.6 million followers with a content mix of customer reviews, product promotions, and influencer partnerships to draw in more customers. Today, Glossier is a billion dollar brand company that sells online beauty products, branching into millennial and Gen Z target audience through brick-and-mortar shops to provide the best brand experience possible. Top 7 DTC eCommerce Trends 1. Social and Live Commerce for Expanded Shopping Experiences Shopping on social media platforms and livestreams has become increasingly popular in recent years. According to Swirl, from 2015 to 2020, revenue from online video commerce went from $3.5 billion to $17.6 billion, and that number is expected to be $25 billion by 2023. Platforms such as Instagram offer tags on photos that direct consumers to a brand’s website, where they can quickly purchase the product they were viewing. This immersive shopping experience appeals to consumers as they are able to purchase products that are endorsed by their favorite celebrities or influencers. Livestream shopping is similar to QVC (a televised shopping service that showcases live retail programming 24/7), but consumers now have access to the products at their fingertips.   See How Elastic Path Delivers Unique Customer Experiences The Elastic Path Demo Library features multiple demos that showcase the power and scale of our products. Go to Demo Library 2. Consumers Becoming Increasingly Sustainability Conscious Sustainability is at the forefront of consumers’s minds nowadays and companies are following suit. According to a global survey, "66% of global consumers would pay more for sustainable businesses and products." With that being said, many brands are becoming environmentally conscious and shifting away from plastic in packaging and now include the origin of materials used, as well as information on how to recycle them. In addition, many companies now include data about their carbon footprint with their customers. Overall, these trends depict the shift in consumer and brand consciousness toward our natural environment, leading to a bright future for eCommerce businesses. 3. Omnichannel Shopping Leading to Better Customer Retention According to Omnisend, “customer retention rates are 90% higher for omnichannel versus single channel.” An omnichannel approach to eCommerce is being adopted by companies to make the customer experience more convenient. For example, allowing a customer to shop online but return in-store guarantees that the customer has a seamless shopping experience. Furthermore, integrating digital channels enables a company to maintain a consistent brand appearance across all devices. 4. Personalization Means Better Brand Experiences Personalizing the customer experience increases the likelihood that the customer makes a purchase and has a positive experience with the brand. According to Accenture, “74% of consumers would find ‘living profiles’ valuable if they could be used to curate the experiences, offers, and products they receive.” With direct access to customer data, such as browsing history, interests, and searches, brands are able to create unique experiences like hosting a live stream event or even creating a hologram. The ability to personalize also allows companies to more easily adapt to trends, by making changes such as new colorways for products. 5. Delivery and Return Policies Will Become a Key Service Differentiator Studies have shown that delivery fees and return policies are important factors when customers are choosing where to shop. According to Forrester, “about three out of five French, UK, and US online adults prefer retailers that offer free return shipping; about two out of five prefer retailers that provide refunds via the original form of payment.” Free delivery and free returns are services that customers strongly desire, and can cause customers to choose one brand over another. Brands who care about the customer experience should invest in streamlining their delivery and return processes. 6. AI Creates Innovative Ideas AI plays a significant role in omnichannel planning, which enables companies to capitalize on business opportunities in real time. Machine learning is especially useful in forming the demand plan for product attributes, marketing events, and style or color forecasts for the lifecycle of a product. AI automates these processes and drastically reduces the time needed for planners to create manual “SKUs”. 7. Subscriptions Build Up Customer Loyalty As DTC eCommerce continues to grow, many companies have adopted a subscription model that has shown great success with traditional retailers. A subscription eCommerce service offers consumers a lower-cost way to buy what they need. Around half of companies surveyed in 2019 stated that they would implement subscription services to boost customer retention. What’s Next for DTC eCommerce? DTC eCommerce offers tremendous opportunities for brands due to the growing trend in online shopping. Large retailers such as Nike have already begun to shift their focus to appealing to the needs of online shoppers. The cost savings achieved through DTC eCommerce is directly transferred to the consumer, which leads to people preferring DTC eCommerce brands over traditional retailers. Also, DTC eCommerce allows companies to be more adaptable and in control of their distribution. In a fast-paced world where trends are ephemeral, a digital presence is vital. Digital commerce enables DTC brands to keep up with consumer trends and gives them a significant advantage over traditional retailers. Above are just a few of the DTC eCommerce trends that represent how companies are adjusting to the post-pandemic digital world. As companies adopt these trends of sustainability, AI, and personalization, DTC eCommerce will continue to become an approach more companies will look to expand to. For more information on DTC eCommerce, check out our DTC eCommerce page here.
  Topics: companies, products, consumers, shopping, brand, seven, customer, ecommerce, direct, trends, brands, dtc.
• ShipBob Alternatives for Cost-effective and Speedy Ecommerce Fulfillment - In the world of 3rd-party logistics (3PL) ShipBob reigns supreme. But does that mean it’s the absolute best fulfillment provider for every single ecommerce business? Absolutely not! That’s why we want to share some of the best ShipBob alternatives.  The… Continue reading ShipBob Alternatives for Cost-effective and Speedy Ecommerce Fulfillment
  Topics: costeffective, best, alternative, 3pl, ecommerce, fulfillment, alternatives, speedy, shipping, shopify, shipbob, stag.
• Shipium gives e-commerce retailers Amazon-like supply chain tech - E-commerce retailers of all sizes can have that supply chain coordination layer that enables them to provide fast and cheaper shipping, too.
  Topics: shipping, amazonlike, tech, supply, ecommerce, shipium, technology, chain, gives, company, retailers, techcrunch, million.
• Shopify launches new ‘Linkpop’ link in bio tool with built-in e-commerce features - Shopify has entered the “link in bio” market with the launch of a new tool called “Linkpop.” The new offering is aimed at creators and allows them to sell products directly from their Linkpop page. Creators and merchants can include important links on the page and also launch storefronts to sell directly on the platforms […]
  Topics: features, link, links, builtin, tool, techcrunch, page, linkpop, directly, products, launched, shoppable, shopify, merchants, launches, bio, ecommerce.
• Shoptalk 2022: BigCommerce Joins the Year’s Biggest Retail Reunion - In late March 2022, more than 10,000 retail thought leaders, branded manufacturers, startups, investors, media and analysts descended into the…
  Topics: sessions, bigcommerce, speakers, retail, thrilled, team, learn, ecommerce, reunion, shoptalk, pdf, joins, biggest.
• Sneaker e-commerce platform Kicks Crew raises $6M Series A - The global thirst for an up-charged pair of Yeezy’s or limited edition Jordan’s combined with a growth in a digital ecosystem is creating new opportunities, particularly in the sneaker resale market, for companies like Kicks Crew, a Los Angeles- and Hong Kong-based sneaker and apparel platform. The company just raised a $6 million Series A […]
  Topics: 6m, kicks, crew, sneaker, footwear, techcrunch, platform, yip, products, raises, product, startup, market, ecommerce, series.
• Sokowatch rebrands to Wasoko as it raises $125M Series B from Tiger Global and Avenir - Informal retail is king in Africa, with hundreds of billions of dollars of consumer goods sold through its channels yearly. Yet its industry remains highly fragmented as shop owners and kiosks still have issues around access to capital and getting goods regularly and on time from suppliers and distributors. B2B retail and e-commerce platforms have […]
  Topics: series, techcrunch, ecommerce, raises, global, retail, market, rebrands, yu, b, tiger, sokowatch, wasoko, growth, avenir, company, african, markets.
• Southeast Asia Tops Worldwide Ecommerce Growth - There are 10 countries in Southeast Asia. Five of them have the fastest ecommerce growth rates on the planet. Here are the numbers — sales, growth %, and leading providers.
  Topics: internet, thailand, billion, worldwide, ecommerce, shopee, asia, tops, philippines, million, indonesia, growth, southeast.
• Swiftly quickly gets brick-and-mortar stores set up to cater to online customers - Swiftly provides the technology tools that democratize the technology lead, enjoyed by Amazon and Walmart, to the rest of the industry.
  Topics: customers, cater, techcrunch, store, brickandmortar, set, gets, online, swiftly, million, quickly, retailers, digital, kim, grocery, ecommerce, technology, company, stores.
• TechCrunch+ roundup: Startup survival tips, content as a service, leading with transparency - Once investors started shaving value from high-flying stocks, it changed the game for early-stage valuations, says Navin Chaddha, managing partner at Mayfield.
  Topics: survival, roundup, leading, wilhelm, service, private, techcrunch, miller, tips, content, slowing, ron, saas, alex, company, startup, transparency, ecommerce.
• Text Commerce Is Upfront Permission to Sell - Text commerce is the process of obtaining payment and shipping info from shoppers upfront as well as permission to send offers. The model can solve multiple hurdles for merchants.
  Topics: service, text, wine, shipping, sell, payment, upfront, permission, ecommerce, address, coffee, business, messages, commerce.
• The 13 Best Marketing Channels for Growing Your Ecommerce Business - We’ll define what a marketing channel is, share examples of different channels, and walk through a framework for choosing the right ones for your brand. More
  Topics: marketing, alex, email, customers, channels, product, brand, best, ecommerce, growing, search, paid, business.
• The Best Navigation for Ecommerce Sites - The best ecommerce navigation mimics human decision-making. Too many sites overwhelm visitors with complex menus and an avalanche of info.
  Topics: menu, website, shoppers, navigation, site, sites, visitors, best, ecommerce, info, bars, brains.
• The Creator Economy Draws Entrepreneurs - Is attracting an audience via content a better way to start and build an ecommerce business? The creator economy appeals to many would-be entrepreneurs.
  Topics: online, creators, selling, retail, economy, products, ecommerce, audience, store, creator, sell, draws, entrepreneurs.
• The End of the Monolith Commerce Platform - As Hemingway so adroitly put it in The Sun Also Rises: Bill: "How do you go bankrupt?” Mike:  "Two ways,  gradually, then  suddenly.”   And what relevance is this to the eCommerce space - well, I believe that we are seeing the tipping point in this space away from the monolith to a faster, more flexible, commerce landscape which delivers real benefit to both an organisation but also to their clients and suppliers - and the pace of change is accelerating. First, let's be clear that the first age of eCommerce when the likes of ATG, IBM Websphere, and Hybris were the only games in town - they were a revelation; delivering a full suite of capabilities that allowed organisations to sell online and make, in many cases, a huge contribution to their profit margins, reach, and brand. However this also came at a cost, not just in development, hosting, and management but also setting strict guardrails on what could be sold, when, and how.  Gradually, the buildup of technical debt (the outstanding development request, enhancements, and bug fixes), the sheer cost of maintenance, upgrades, and changes in the way customers want to engage has meant that organisations had to look at something different. So the second wave of eCommerce came along - lighter weight, maybe headless, maybe SaaS, and increasingly microservices based, and a few companies started to move off their monoliths.  Or perhaps, more factually, they started to explore how they might replace some aspects of the full function stack - the cart maybe or the checkout.  Small steps because one thing that the monoliths did was deliver: You want promotions? Tick.   Multiple catalogue management? Check! Variations and bundles? Step this way. And so on for security, scalability, OMS...   Ready to Consider Replatforming? If your business has outgrown your current ecommerce platform, check out our webinar, "Replatforming Tips to Embrace Composable Commerce," for advice on how to move to a more modern solution. Watch the Webinar and that created a problem to the second generation, they just were not as functionally rich as the monoliths - and if you wanted that then there was often a huge amount of external development to be done. Change was coming but coming slowly. But now it feels that the tipping point has come with the advent of three major changes:  Development of core commerce capability on the new SaaS / Headless / Microservices architecture Composable Commerce allowing for the plug and play implementation of best of breed/need technology The development of migration blueprints enabling a low-risk movement to the new solution Commerce is more than a cart and check out - today's organisations want to operate across multiple business models - B2B, D2C, B2C, and marketplaces.  Further, they need to manage the catalogues that are presented to the different customers; based on geo, channel, brand, spend, segment overlayed with sophisticated promotions, and capable of managing complex bundles - and of course scalability and security is a given. Building on the basis of a MACH (Microservices, API First, Cloud Native, Headless) architecture to deliver these business capabilities, so the merchandiser can get back to their day job is now expected in a solution (and delivered in a few). Composable Commerce builds on the core commerce advances to deliver the non-core commerce required functionality be it Search, CMS, PIM, OMS, Taxation etc. With the correct pre-built integration, be it via Accelerators or Pre-Composed Solutions™ you can choose your technology of choice based on price point, functionality, etc. and build out your tailor-made solution but without the months of custom integration that would have been required previously.  Elastic Path also provides Composable Commerce XA™ - a support offering which de-risks ownership of a solution made of multiple components by providing first line support for the whole application.  You have an issue with the "shop", one number to call, one team to help. Finally, and as important as the previous two advances, is the development of migration blueprints - a known route that covers not only the migration of data, but of functionality and organisational capability. Critically, this input has to come from an SI or agency who has a foot in each camp; with experience implementing a monolith and of working with a next generation composable commerce solution, performed the functional and organisational gap analysis, and developed a repeatable solution to ensure minimum risk moving from A to B. At Elastic Path we recognize that no two solutions are the same, so working with our partners have developed the first of our blueprints; read about the Elastic Path solution for brands migrating off Sales Force Commerce Cloud towards a Composable Commerce approach. In the near future additional solutions for Hybris will be announced. A few brands have migrated from their monolith, or are in the process of doing so, but it has been slow and faltering steps - the "gradual" phase. What is happening now is an acceleration into the "suddenly" phase, supported by the developments in functionality, composability, and migration blueprint. The change is coming, and it's coming faster than you think. Elastic Path Commerce Cloud, our technology, and SI/agency partners are the fulcrum for that change.
  Topics: functionality, solution, end, platform, development, coming, solutions, path, monolith, commerce, composable, migration, ecommerce.
• The Expert jumps into home goods e-commerce - The Expert, which provides video consultations with top designers, expands into e-commerce to become what co-founder Leo Seigal referred to as “Farfetch for home.”
  Topics: ecommerce, designers, seigal, jumps, brands, clients, vintage, company, goods, experts, ventures, techcrunch, expert, million.
• The Folklore Group secures $1.7 million, launches fashion B2B e-commerce platform - Fashion e-commerce startup The Folklore Group today announced a shift from direct-to-consumer to B2B wholesale against the backdrop of a $1.7 million pre-seed funding, which the startup plans to use to fuel the growth of its new business. The startup’s new wholesale business, dubbed The Folklore Connect, will link luxury fashion brands in emerging markets to […]
  Topics: group, africa, startup, launches, brands, south, sales, rasool, secures, continent, ecommerce, million, platform, retailers, folklore, fashion, b2b, techcrunch.
• The ROI on AR: How Augmented Reality is Boosting Ecommerce Sales - It’s easier than ever to add AR and 3D experiences to your store. and data shows that shoppers are craving more personal experiences.More
  Topics: reality, using, sales, getting, used, products, product, ecommerce, 3d, richard, conversion, roi, ar, augmented, boosting, shopping.
• The e-commerce boom is still afoot in Africa, Jumia’s earnings indicate - Jumia, the pan-African e-commerce company (and sole tech company based on the continent listed on the NYSE), released its first-quarter financial performance today. The company’s results included consistent growth but lapses in some areas compared with Jumia’s previous quarter.  As always, the first page of every Jumia report highlights its year-over-year wins. The first quarter […]
  Topics: yearoveryear, techcrunch, indicate, growth, boom, million, africa, afoot, quarter, earnings, revenue, q1, jumia, company, ecommerce, jumias.
• Top Reasons to Not Choose Composable Commerce - Since spearheading the Composable Commerce movement and advocating for its game changing tenets and architecture, we’ve made it our mission to reimagine eCommerce for leading brands. By definition, Composable Commerce refers to a modular digital commerce approach utilizing composable  architecture. The API-first, microservices-based architecture powers solutions to achieve unique business needs in a customized tech stack. Composable Commerce enables marketing, merchandising, and sales teams to bring a brand's unique digital vision to life by launching and continuously optimizing digital commerce experiences that leverage multiple, best-of-breed vendors composed together into a complete business-ready solution. Digital commerce footprints no longer fit the one-size-fits-all model from one vendor. Back in the first wave of the eCommerce revolution businesses ventured online with standardized platforms and minimal control over outcomes. The eCommerce landscape of today is far more demanding. With far more touchpoints, a saturated market, and consumer expectation for modern digital experiences, businesses can no longer rely on outdated legacy platforms that can’t keep up. Out of this demand for innovation in the eCommerce space is the Composable Commerce movement. But, what if the Composable Commerce approach isn’t for everyone? You may have heard Gartner’s prediction that by  2023 organizations who have adopted a Composable Commerce approach will outpace competition by 80% in the speed of new feature implementation.   A compelling case, but let’s take a look at the reasons why a company may not fit the Composable Commerce model. First and foremost, you may be completely happy with the out-of-the-box functionality of your platform. If your existing solution checks all the boxes for your business for where you are right now, you may not see a reason to replatform.   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 The Size of Your Business Smaller operations don’t require multiple vendor partners and integrations that composability affords. New businesses, home startups, and small mom and pop shops (10K and under of GMV), don’t have complex business requirements that would necessitate all the functionality and capabilities of a composable solution. Low-Level Digital Maturity You have low digital maturity if you have little to no in-house technical expertise, and no intention to hire a partner with technical expertise. In addition, your business is likely new to digital commerce and does not yet see it as a fundamental driver of business success. Being low in digital maturity is not a bad thing at all – it’s about finding the best vendor solutions to match your needs. For low maturity companies, out-of-the-box eCommerce solutions are your best investment. Low-Level Complexity If your catalog is fairly simple with limited product variations you don’t need functionality to manage multiple brands, geographies, or hierarchies. In addition, if you’re operating solely in the D2C or B2C channels, without a plan in the short term to expand into new markets (B2B, B2B2C), a flexible, fast, and scalable architecture is not necessary. Again, an out-of-the box solution you can manage without a development team is a better choice. You can always re-evaluate (and replatform) as your business grows. Logistics of Managing Multiple Vendors Adding multiple services and vendors requires a certain level of management. You’re dealing with numerous sales and support teams and integrating with their software. Our answer to that challenge is Composable Commerce XA™, proprietary monitoring technology enabling Elastic Path to monitor integration data flow to quickly and easily identify the source of an issue across a multi-vendor solution. And in the event of an identified issue, we serve as the primary point of contact throughout the process of managing issue resolution across a multi-vendor solution. With the complexity of multiple vendors are these sub factors: Multiple Service Level Agreements Each vendor will have their own Service Level Agreements (SLAs) in a composable solution. With an open ecosystem of vendors, it can be a challenge to predict consistent service levels. Microservices-Based Architecture Can Be Overwhelming Within an eCommerce composable solution, you’ll need to work across separate interfaces and tools. This takes investment of time and money and is daunting to a less technical team. Many companies who are ready to adopt the approach choose a system integrator or agency to provide guidance with the process in lieu of an in-house technical team. A Great Place to Start Today’s eCommerce landscape is fiercely competitive. You’ll need to leverage every tool to remain in the game. Wondering about your next move when it comes to eCommerce? Check out our eCommerce evaluation tool.
  Topics: ecommerce, vendors, vendor, digital, business, solution, reasons, composable, architecture, multiple, commerce, choose.
• Twitter expands e-commerce efforts with launch of mobile storefronts, Twitter Shops - Twitter today is introducing a new shopping feature called Twitter Shops, which will allow merchants to curate a collection of up to 50 products to showcase on their Twitter profile. The mobile-first feature, which is free to use, aims to encourage users to go from talking about products on Twitter’s platform to actually clicking through […]
  Topics: mobile, shops, efforts, merchants, shop, users, techcrunch, products, platform, feature, twitter, expands, video, storefronts, ecommerce, launch, shopping.
• UPS partners with Jumia to expand delivery network in Africa - Global logistics and package delivery company UPS will leverage Jumia’s network across Africa to grow its reach in the continent, following a new partnership announced today that gives it access to the e-commerce firm’s last-mile delivery infrastructure. This means that UPS customers can pick-up or drop-off packages for sending across the world at Jumia’s stations […]
  Topics: africa, partnership, delivery, expand, jumia, ecommerce, platform, network, marketplace, techcrunch, partners, ups, logistics.
• Una Brands teams up with KlickBrands to enter South Korea’s e-commerce market - Una Brands, a Singapore-based e-commerce aggregator, has partnered with South Korean peer KlickBrands to expand its footprint in South Korea.  The strategic partnership will help South Korean e-commerce brands grow domestically and make inroads into more countries in Asia. Una, one of the largest e-commerce aggregators in Asia, has already established its presence there, including Singapore, Australia, […]
  Topics: asia, koreas, techcrunch, teams, market, brands, presence, south, enter, million, una, ecommerce, korea, klickbrands.
• What I’ve Learned about Ecommerce Platforms - Contributor Christopher Dobroth has spent 16 years in ecommerce. He has used many ecommerce platforms. Here's what he's learned to date.
  Topics: ive, ecommerce, worked, need, features, resources, business, bigcommerce, platforms, budget, learned, platform, needed.
• What is Advanced Search? - Anyone managing an eCommerce business knows how vital site search is to the customer experience. How customers find your products quickly and efficiently based on information such as name, size, color, or SKU can be the difference between a sale or a lost opportunity.  Let’s take a closer look at Advanced Search, commonly used terms in how we talk about it, and top takeaways to remember about Search optimization.  Advanced Search goes beyond the typical search box functionality shoppers use onsite. It allows brands to refine the search and discovery criteria to target user intent and display results quickly and accurately. We’ll discuss four Advanced Search tactics: Multiple Content, Faceted Search, Keyword Discovery, and Intuitive Search.  But first things first – how important is Search really? Consider this: as many as 68% of shoppers would not return to a site if they experienced poor Search performance. Studies show 15% of total users use site search, and this accounts for 45% of total revenue. Site search performance affects the bottom line; if you are not optimizing it, your competitor will.  The Cost of Ignoring Search  Advanced Search allows brands to refine and personalize search and discovery criteria so they find what they are looking for in less time. As user engagement improves so does checkout conversion and loyalty. Frictionless shopping experiences begin with how customers interact with your search functionality.  What can it cost you when you don’t make the investment in search? Plenty. Once your customers land on your site, the clock is ticking for search and conversion. The more obstacles preventing discovery and checkout, the greater bounce rate and ultimately decreased revenue, plus the cost of a damaged brand reputation.  At Elastic Path we have a trusted community of vendor partners and system integrators who bring your commerce platform to life. In the Search and Advanced Search realm, we have established relationships with those partners who do it well, such as Algolia, Bloomreach and Advanced Commerce.  How Do We Talk about Advanced Search?  Under the umbrella of Advanced Search are a few key terms as you think about the outcomes of robust search functionality. Here is a quick primer on what to know:  Multiple Content Types  In this example, a shopper chooses from any number of content types such as subscription type, a category, a collection, or a blog post related to the keyword. From the array of content displayed from a single keyword the shopper has multiple ways to browse and several paths to purchase.  Faceted Search  Faceted Search allows shoppers to define search terms by choosing from a range of product information.  Shoppers choose from predetermined attributes (such as category, brand, availability, etc.) to find a product with a closer match to their intent.  Source: Algolia  Keyword Discovery  There may be a disconnect between product descriptions and the language shoppers use in the search box. For example, shoppers may be frustrated searching for knives, when the marketing copy may only refer to the term “cutlery”. To make the product more discoverable, the search function may incorporate customer reviews into the related product function on the product and category pages.  End result: shoppers can now find products based on formal descriptions (cutlery), and by language actual customers use in reviews (knives).    Struggling with Your Search Function? Take a Look at How Composable Commerce Can Optimize the Search Process Go to Demo Library Intuitive Search Intuitive Search  gives instant results where the service or product referenced in the shopper’s search language lives.  Given the possible complexity of product information, Intuitive Search cuts down on the time it takes for customers to find exactly what they need and make the purchase.  Top Takeaways to Consider When Implementing Search:  1. Just like the cart, search boxes should be easy to find. With so much revenue riding on search queries, don’t make your customers hunt for the way to start their experience.   2. Put a Search Box (or universally recognized symbol for search like a magnifying glass), on each page of your site. 3. Allow for typos. If a brand name or attribute is misspelled, don’t have the search results return as zero. You will not see that shopper again on your site. Expand your site’s tolerance for spelling errors and alternative spellings.  4. Consider Auto Complete to quickly guide your shoppers to the most relevant results.  5. Use an analytics tool to further identify personas and what your customers want, or inefficiencies in your inventory.  6. Optimize the search function for mobile. With the majority of shopping (and just browsing) happening on mobile devices, the experience must be seamless, or you stand to lose a customer for life.  7. Use Natural Language Processing (NLP) for best search results.   
  Topics: product, shoppers, language, customers, discovery, ecommerce, function, search, advanced, site, results.
• Wholesum raises $50M Series A to roll up third-party sellers on e-commerce platforms - As the boom of the e-commerce aggregator trend continues in Asia, South Korea, the fifth-largest e-commerce market in the world, is rolling up. Wholesum, a Seoul-based e-commerce aggregator, is jumping on the trend of larger firms buying up third-party merchants that would usually sell on e-commerce platforms like Amazon and eBay. The company said Tuesday […]
  Topics: brand, 50m, global, ecommerce, south, roll, joo, platforms, raises, million, growth, techcrunch, sellers, series, wholesum, brands, thirdparty.
• Why E-Commerce Businesses Need to Rethink Their Channel Strategy - The growth of the e-commerce industry has resulted in the need for ever-evolving marketing strategies. Now, without a strong channel strategy, storefronts will fall behind their competitors.
  Topics: need, strategies, amazon, traffic, businesses, channel, channels, strategy, ecommerce, multiple, rethink, data.
• Why Partner With Elastic Path - Today’s eCommerce requires innovation at speed. Microservices-based, API-first solutions deliver on that innovation by opening the door to differentiated customer experiences. Elastic Path has been an early adopter of the Composable Commerce approach, enabling sales, marketing, and merchandising teams to launch and optimize digital commerce experiences leveraging best-of-breed vendors into one business-ready solution. But you already know this if you’ve come this far. Also no surprise that Composable Commerce runs on an open ecosystem of vendors. With vendor functionality ranging from search, and OMS (to name just a few), we partner with you to create modern, agile commerce solutions based on specific business needs. Together we navigate the complexities to deliver a highly scalable, and easily customizable solution composed of best-of-breed functionality. We’re looking for partners to build our community, reimagine eCommerce, and grow revenue. (That means your revenue too). So why would you partner with Elastic Path? You certainly have plenty of commerce platforms to choose from, the competition is fierce. Do any of these scenarios sound familiar to you? You don’t want to be left behind when it comes to the latest technology – rigid, slow, monolith platforms are a thing of the past and you want to be a leader in a composable, microservices-based practice   You want a high implementation success rate to build your customers’ trust   You want to be a part of joint GTM strategies and business planning Or, maybe You prefer to work across many modern programming languages based on your preference and skill, without the need for specialized architecture knowledge and language   You find it difficult to deliver on specific client needs working with rigid, monolithic systems. You prefer flexibility and speed in architecture for rapid deployment   You expect extensive documentation, guided tutorials, and self-enablement capabilities If any or even all these points resonate with you, let’s take the discussion a step further. What can you expect from us? A few key attributes of our partner program to consider: No pay to play modeling. Your investment is your time, thought leadership, and desire to create unique commerce solutions. We don’t require any monetary commitment.   State-of-the-art training modules designed for your schedule. You’ll access trainings wherever you are, anytime, at your pace. Our dedicated learning portal provides the knowledge you need to be successful.   Progress through our tiered certification levels and be rewarded as you go with successful implementations and greater access.   Access to support from sales and partner enablement teams through a range of channels. Interested in Partnering With Elastic Path? Elastic Path is the leading independent provider of commerce solutions for digital experiences. We build for our partners, so contact us today. See the Future of eCommerce Our Customers The Elastic Path story would be incomplete without our customers. We’ve helped companies ranging from retail, manufacturing, professional services, consumer goods, healthcare, and hospitality spaces realize their eCommerce goals and bring their brands to life including: Pella Windows and Doors came to Elastic Path with a need to develop an online revenue stream to continually evolve their business. Today Pella has a custom-built configurator that empowers customers to create their perfect windows and doors online, resulting in an elevated path to purchase and reduced cart-abandonment. Paro is a growth platform bringing businesses and expert finance and accounting professionals together through AI technology and acute industry knowledge. Their community of professionals provides a range of services to clients, from bookkeeping and accounting to highly specialized corporate development and strategic advisory. Paro successfully launched a customer portal in 5-6 months with the support of implementation partners Algolia for search functionality, Stripe for payment processing, and GetStream for a chat feature. Luxury jeweler Teilor had aggressive goals to expand their eCommerce presence in the next five years. They were looking for a partner to guide them through the digital transformation towards an omnichannel experience, and the critical future-proofing of the solution as they scale. With the typical buying journey lasting between 4-6 weeks, they needed an experience to balance both the online and in-store components of their customer’s highly personal discovery and purchase. They achieved their desired customer experience through an SI partnership for migration and pre-built solutions to launch quickly. How Elastic Path Differentiates Let me take a moment to familiarize you with more of what Elastic Path has to offer in the way of products, services, and resources. Elastic Path Commerce Cloud: All the Power in a Single Platform With core capabilities ranging from cart/checkout to product content management, to payments, inventory, and account management, Elastic Path Commerce Cloud (EPCC) is a single platform solution across channels, (B2B, B2C, or even B2B2C), brands, and geographies. We’ve eliminated the need for messy workarounds and costly development time. Your development time is significantly reduced for use cases across multiple brands, channels, and touchpoints in a signal instance. But we’ve taken that a step further with value add-ons, services, and solutions: Pre-Composed Solutions™ For those businesses ready to embrace a multi-vendor solution that may be new to Composable Commerce we offer pre-integrated, business-ready packages for a quicker launch with less risk. Capabilities like search or front- end management are built-in and enable easier customizations and management. We’ll also collaborate with SI partners to develop new pre-composed solutions based on customer needs. Elastic Path Payments Powered by Stripe Provide a seamless customer experience at checkout with Stripe’s best-in-class security and fraud management. Improve conversions, support subscriptions, BNPL, and alternative payment methods such as digital wallets. Composable Commerce XA™ Service and support are a touchstone at Elastic Path. One of the common pain points of a multiple vendor solution is support when issues arise. Our answer to this is Composable Commerce XA. We are the single point of contact across vendors and solutions to identify and resolve issues in a timely fashion. This reduces risk and gives customers greater peace-of-mind when managing a composable, multi-vendor solution that could otherwise be overwhelming. Migration Packages We’ve developed the only Salesforce Commerce Cloud Migration Package. After hearing many SFCC customers share the limitations they’ve encountered with an all-in-one platform we answered the call. Through Pre-Composed Solutions, migration services and tools, and the multi-vendor assurance of Composable Commerce XA, we’ve de-risked the transition to Elastic Path Commerce Cloud. Composable Commerce Hub While we’re talking firsts, the Composable Commerce Hub is the first and only open exchange of business solutions powered by an ecosystem of leading digital commerce providers. Whereas traditional vendor marketplaces were home to just partner integrations, the Hub includes all the pieces for a brand to combine with the Composable Commerce platform to quickly and confidently launch with a truly DIY, composed solution. You Would Be in Good Company You’ve heard quite a bit about us. And now we’d like to hear more about you. Take a moment to reach out and connect with us, and feel free check out who’s currently in our expanding directory of Solutions and Tech Partners.
  Topics: services, ecommerce, partner, commerce, partners, customers, path, solutions, support, composable, elastic, solution.
• Why Your Agency Needs Composable Commerce Solutions in the Mix? - Composable Commerce may have reached buzzword status, but its driving force in today’s eCommerce success stories is unrefuted. Both major and up and coming brands are adopting its approach and architecture to transform the customer experience at speeds faster than ever expected. Today’s customer demands it. As an agency it’s critical to be at the forefront of technology, with every resource at your disposal to deliver on your client’s expectations. Composable Commerce is the right now of eCommerce. Here’s why your agency should join the movement. Composable Commerce Changes the Game With the flexibility of modular architecture and the open ecosystem of vendors, brands like never before have more control of user experiences and have the ability to scale at speeds faster than ever before. One of the Big-Five publishers had outgrown ShopifyPlus, but was worried it would take too long to move to a new eCommerce platform. They migrated in only 54 days using one of our Pre-Composed Solutions™. Composability supports brands and businesses who need to pivot quickly with growing demand. And if the last two years taught us anything it’s that change is constant. Composable Commerce Supports Complex Business Requirements In the early days of eCommerce, monolith systems were the gold standard; an out-of-the-box functionality with core features in a one-size-fits-all model. But for businesses (and your potential clients) with more complex needs, this platform can’t keep up with demand when it’s time to iterate. Think of businesses with instances of “multis” – multi brands, multi geographies, multi channels, or multi catalogs. This level of complexity requires modularity; the flexibility and speed that a microservices-based, API-first approach offers without the bloat of features not needed and the slow to market speed of a monolith. (If the wheels don’t fall off first). Composable Commerce Opens Up New Partnerships and Revenue With an open ecosystem of vendors great partners lead to even greater implementations. For functionality ranging from search, tax, chat, payments, CRM, OMS, and more, you’re opening the possibilities to develop even better solutions. Through our community of implementation, solutions and tech partners, we’ve developed unique solutions for brands ready to take the first steps into composability. Composable Commerce is future-proof. Referencing the modular building block analogy, the components are meant to be swapped for better functionality. There is no locked-in vendor solution, the approach is based on a best for the business need. For your agency this means growing partner relationships and opportunity to develop unique solutions – great for your reputation as an innovator and great for your revenue to always be building better. You want to stay ahead of the game with your clients, and composability by design is built for change. Want to See How Elastic Path Commerce Cloud is Future Proof? Launch and optimize innovative experiences fast, with a modern, headless, SaaS, API-first, & microservices-based commerce platform. See the Future of eCommerce No Other Approach Brings Business and Tech Users Together Speaking of a growth mindset and the power of partnerships, another key tenet of Composable Commerce is its benefits to both business and tech stakeholders. We’ve already touched on complex business requirements and the ability to iterate at speed, but let’s take another look at what that means for the stakeholders involved. In a recent Gartner study, 84% of respondents indicated there can be more than twelve primary leaders of a digital commerce initiative. The remaining respondents cited no primary lead for a digital commerce strategy. Similar questions posed in a 2019 survey produced the same results. A shift has occurred towards a digital commerce approach of total ownership distributed across the organization. So what does that mean? A siloed environment is death to the customer experience. A friction-free customer journey starts with open communication and a shared roadmap among all teams involved. And that opens the conversation to developers, marketing, customer service, and operations teams; wherever data and customer touchpoints can be identified and streamlined in the solution. A happy customer is confident and ready to purchase. For you as an agency, happy customers lead to conversions, and conversions lead to happy clients. The Composable Commerce Approach Can Be Gradual Let’s say you have a client on a monolith commerce platform who is reticent, rightfully so, of making the switch to a more composable solution. It can be daunting for a business new to a multi-vendor solution and microservices-based architecture; especially those without an in-house dev team. The good news is they can gradually transition over one functionality at a time. Let’s say they need more self-checkout options at point-of-sale – those integrations can be made with their existing legacy system and launched quickly without disruption to the business. You can now set the stage for future implementations with total client confidence because you’re meeting the client where they are, not forcing a canned sales pitch of services they don’t need. Incredible Opportunities in Growth, Technology, and Industry Reputation It’s official – eCommerce has gone composable. It will benefit your agency’s bottom line to advocate for its adoption, but also your reputation as a thought leader and innovator. Read more about our community of Solutions and Tech partners and find out more about joining the Composable Commerce movement as a partner.
  Topics: customer, commerce, solutions, tech, needs, mix, agency, business, brands, ecommerce, platform, approach, composable.
• ZMO.ai secures $8M led by Hillhouse to create AI generated fashion models - With breakthroughs in machine learning, it’s no longer uncommon to see algorithmically generated bodies that can move and talk authentically like real humans. The question is now down to whether startups offering such products can achieve a sustainable business model. Some of them have demonstrated that potential and attracted investors. ZMO.ai, founded by a team […]
  Topics: zmo, ecommerce, humans, working, sales, secures, techcrunch, led, virtual, hillhouse, fashion, create, generated, startup, companies, models, zmoai, customers, ai.
• Zubale bags new capital to match gig workers with LatAm e-commerce fulfillment jobs - Now flush with new capital, the company plans to launch some embedded financial products for the independent workers using its marketplace.
  Topics: products, techcrunch, financial, capital, investors, month, qed, order, ecommerce, workers, jobs, latam, fulfillment, retailers, zubale, gig, company, match.
• a16z backs Rutter’s goal of being ‘Plaid for commerce’ - Rutter is building a universal e-commerce API for reading and writing data so that tech customers can integrate with commerce platforms and access financial data points.
  Topics: fintech, plaid, a16z, platforms, zhou, backs, company, techcrunch, data, seeing, rutters, commerce, including, goal, ecommerce.
• clicOH’s shipping technology provides Amazon-like logistics to e-commerce companies in LatAm - The company delivers a package every 20 seconds and services customers of all sizes, from AB inBev and Red Bull to small Shopify merchants.
  Topics: technology, shipping, provides, funding, latin, saravia, round, companies, amazonlike, latam, company, america, techcrunch, clicohs, logistics, ecommerce, novillo.
• eCommerce Landscape 2022 - We’ve put together sixteen quadrants of top eCommerce vendors in these categories: eCommerce platforms, Search, Payment, Loyalty/Rewards, CMS, CRM, PIM, Conversational Commerce/Chatbots, ERP, Email Marketing, Social Media, System Integrators, Tax, Analytics, & OMS.     What’s Driving Innovation?   Using AI to cross and upsell, and visualize purchases (virtual dressing/show rooms) Subscription models Buying behavior influenced by a strong sustainability practice Multichannel customer support Personalized marketing Growing B2B segment with enabled automation Growing D2C segment How to Stay Competitive:  If you sell everything, you’ll end up selling nothing. Carve out your niche by knowing your customer. Successful brands create demand for their products by speaking to customers shared beliefs, lifestyles, and goals Map the customer’s buying journey from end-to-end with specific touchpoints Monitor customer data and respond to it with testing and engagement Optimize the experience for all devices Barriers to Entry:  Taxing Customs Cybercrime, security issues Intellectual property issues Why Do People Shop Online?   Convenience Safety Faster/zero shipping Broader access to brands Reviews Better pricing With So Many Pros to the Online Shopping Experience, What is a Major Drawback?   Not being able to touch, feel, or try a product prior to purchase (51%) followed by possible breakage, no physical store experience, no interaction, fraud, and delivery issues. Source: 50 Consumers Online Shopping Behavior Trends [Survey] 2022 (brizfeel.com)   With the experience of online shopping driving its popularity and growth, brands must optimize the journey every step of the way. By removing friction points (simplified checkout, diverse payment options, quick loading pages, advanced search, mobile optimization), the path to purchase is easy. Leveraging loyalty programs, AI-powered technology to predict behavior, and merchandising options are crucial tools to conversion and retention.   How Are Customers Finding Brands?   In the initial brand awareness period, retail websites and physical stores (see showrooming), influence a customer’s first pass at a product; however when the buying journey heats up it shifts to more word-of-mouth (product reviews) and social media (social proof) impacts.    What Are People Buying Online?   It may not be surprising to find that electronics and tech top the list for the most popular items purchased online, however, with a saturated market, niche items have emerged in popularity such as shapewear, travel accessories, and health and beauty products.   Source: 50 Top Trending Products To Sell Online in 2022 for High Profits (cloudways.com)    See How Elastic Path Delivers Unique Customer Experiences The Elastic Path Demo Library features multiple demos that showcase the power and scale of our products. 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  Topics: landscape, product, customer, experience, path, customers, marketing, products, social, online, ecommerce, shopping.