Each week, we publish a mishmash of ecommerce related, insight infused articles for you to smash through. Just as we collect business information across all of a merchant’s channels in a single place, we’re doing the same for ecommerce related content from a variety of top tier content creators. If you find the material filling your appetite for knowledge, feel free to share this post, as well as any article you see here.
Like those deliciously salty chip variety packs, we’ve got an assortment of ecommerce related articles to get your heart rate up today. Perhaps you’re interested in cheesy ideas for email campaigns during Q1, or maybe you’d like some stats on how much of an impact a flaming hot site design will have on your conversion rates. Regardless, this mishmash is fat with knowledge that you can take to your business.
Taste Testing in Ecommerce
New product ideas arrive in entrepreneurs’ heads everyday, and many merchants are hesitant to try them out, whether it’s due to risk or lack of time. For a time-sensitive retailer that’s unwilling to riskily buy up inventory, dropshipping – selling wholesalers’ products and not having to handle fulfillment – is a less costly way to test a potential new product. If it’s seasonal, easily shippable, or highly requested, it’s definitely a candidate to dropship. Temporarily add it to your catalog, evaluate the results, and make a decision about whether the dropshipping experiment was effective enough to justify buying inventory. Take a look at this article by Shopify for the specifics.
Opening a New Bag of Products
But those ideas for new products don’t just appear out of thin air; sometimes some food for thought is useful. Fortunately, A Better Lemonade Stand scrounged up a list of trending products and niches for you to consider. From local apparel, to green tea and lightbulbs, there’s as much variety as a variety pack of your favorite chips. Actually.. oddly enough many of the trending products listed don’t exactly fit with our unhealthy, overly-salty chip theme, but, hey, food is food, right?
The Mobile Munchies
While it’s no news that mobile is as big of a deal as ever for online merchants, many consumers hunger for more. eMarketer reports that mobile is very important in the purchase process, with many consumers – especially younger ones more accustomed to buying online – using smartphones to compare prices, deals, and research online retailers’ products. A seamless mobile experience is sure to work wonders on conversion rates, which tend to be low compared to the amount of mobile traffic online retailers receive, making it a pretty important part of your business.
Always Look Appetizing
Let’s be honest, if a dish of food looks unappetizing, it likely won’t go down the hatch. Whether you’re a slab of beef or a site’s design, appearances matter. According to research from Adobe, consumers are increasingly skeptical and distracted when they’re buying online, with the major culprits that turn site visitors away bring slow response times and poor website presentation. The worldwide web can definitely be a distracting place, but a solid design that captures attentions can only help convert a consumer to a customer.
Just When You Thought You Couldn’t Eat Another Bite
One of the beauties of the holiday season is that there’s always an excuse for a promotion or sale, but the marketing magic doesn’t have to end once New Year’s is up. Practical Ecommerce compiled a list of promotional themes for you to center email marketing campaigns around during Q1, and you should give it a look. Some of the topics include a closeout sale, a Valentine’s Day campaign, and the Easter holiday.
