How to Use QR Codes in Retail: Best Practices for Optimal Customer Experience

QR codes retail

To deliver exceptional next-generation in-store experiences, retailers must bridge the gap between the digital and physical worlds. QR codes in retail stores enhance the customer journey and facilitate an omnichannel shopping experience that seamlessly connects the dots between the physical and online spaces. Despite having been around for decades, the first wave of QR codes for retail didn’t see the success many marketers hoped it would, mostly due to technological shortcomings that required users to download various scanner apps. But since Apple’s iOS 11 update that allowed iPhone users to scan QR codes directly through the camera app, the implementation

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A 360 Black Friday Marketing Guide for Retailers (2024 edition)

Black Friday Guide

Black Friday has transformed into a global shopping phenomenon, and each year brings new trends that shape how consumers shop and retailers sell. For 2024, Black Friday promises to be more vibrant and varied than ever, with evolving shopper behaviors and innovative retail strategies. From the rise of early sales to the emphasis on sustainability, the latest trends are redefining the shopping landscape. Dive into the top trends influencing Black Friday 2024 and discover how to stay ahead of the curve in securing the best deals. Get informed about the latest BF trends Black Friday has evolved into a highly

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The 2024 Retailer Guide to Customer Engagement Best Practices

customer engagement best practices retail guide

In recent years, customer engagement has grown to be the new buzz word among customer experience advocates. The more engaged your customers are, the more emotionally invested they are in your business, and hence more likely to advocate your brand. Given that study has shown that a 5% growth in retention can lead to 25% growth in future profits, it’s no wonder organizations across all sectors have embarked on passionate pursue in growing customer engagements from the leadership and down. As an industry disproportionately affected by the recent pandemic, retail businesses have extra incentive to provide distinctive customer experience to

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eCommerce Growth in Time of Crisis: What Apparel Retailers Should Know

eCommerce Growth during Crisis

The COVID-19 pandemic has turned out to be a genuine black swan turning the global economic patterns upside down. The retail industry and apparel segment, in particular, are not an exception. The lockdown has not only forced fashion retailers to put more effort into online channel development but has also changed consumer shopping behavior in a fundamental manner. There are good reasons to say that the apparel industry will not be the same as we got used to it before the crisis. So, how can retailers stay effective while everyone around is now selling online? This entry is right about

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How B2B Companies Can Deliver the Amazon Experience

building amazon experience

Each month, more than 197 million people around the world visit Amazon.com. If it were a country, Amazon would be among the ten most populous world’s places. In 2019, the online retail giant accounted for 13.7% of the global market share. In the US, it accounts for over 50% of the local ecommerce market. So, what is the secret of Amazon’s success? The answer is simple – Amazon has built its brand culture on the foundation of innovation and user-centricity. In this article, you will learn how to achieve the “Amazon experience” when marketing to B2B customers. Amazon has Built its Brand

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Best Back to School Campaigns: The 26 Best Retailers Who Made the Grade

Back to school campaign ideas

The Back to School season is always an attractive opportunity for retailers to gain a foothold ahead of the holiday season and get inspired by the best Back to School campaign examples. In fact, this shopping season is second only to Black Friday as America’s largest retail event. For 2022, the National Retail Federation predicted that K-12 back-to-school spending would reach $36.9 billion, surpassing the previous record of $30.3 billion set back in 2012. As you consider how to achieve meaningful ROAS (Return on Advertising Spend) this season, draw inspiration from these creative Back-to-School campaign ideas from the past. Table

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19 Mobile Checkout Best Practices For 2024

Mobile checkout Best Practices

The digital landscape of 2023 looks little like the eCommerce environment that dominated just a few short years ago. One of the most significant changes? A clear shift to mobile. An Episerver benchmark study involving 1.3 billion website views reveals that, on many days, over 80 percent of viewing sessions originate from mobile devices. As such, organizations that utilize conversion rate optimization (CRO) and other mobile checkout best practices hold the potential to achieve huge improvements in marketing ROI.  What Is Mobile Checkout? The term “mobile checkout” references the process of completing a digital transaction from a device such as

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Why Retailers Should Diversify Away From Amazon – And How to Do It?

retailers-diversity-away-from-amazon

Reading that title may have shocked you a little – move away from Amazon? Responsible for over 30% of all ecommerce transactions, Amazon is the place to sell if you want to get traffic and earn a profit from it. So why on earth would you want to move away from it? If you’re selling on just Amazon, you’re putting all your eggs in one basket. You’re selling under someone else name and entirely at the mercy of the Amazon overlords when it comes to your selling privileges. Amazon isn’t exactly the most ethical company around, either. They’ve been known

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Secrets to Writing Customer Service Emails That Work

Customer Service Emails

Working in customer service, you deal with tons of emails every day. No wonder, 96% of consumers consider it essential for brand loyalty. So you try to manage your customer service appropriately to influence your overall conversion rates, don’t you? The problem is that there’s a big gap between what businesses and customers consider excellent service. While 80% of companies believe they deliver super experiences, only 8% of customers agree with that. Customers want to feel that brands are on the same wave with people and that their problems matter. As a brand representative, you understand it. However, when dealing with hundreds of customer

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COVID-19: How 34 Businesses Adapted Their Marketing Strategy During Crisis

adaption of marketing strategy during crisis

The pandemic has brought a paramount uncertainty for businesses across the world amidst forced closures, disrupted supply chains, and lowered consumer spending.  According to McKinsey, nearly 24% of the British workforce (7.6 million jobs) is currently at risk because of COVID-19. While in the United States, more than 33 million Americans have reported unemployment during the two months. Retail is among the industries severely impacted by recent events. Most operators struggle to find a way to deal with the new normal, searching through industry reports and whitepapers for ideas and guidance on ensuring business continuity. We decided to talk with 34 B2C, eCommerce, and

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How to Remain Operationally Sustainable as an Ecommerce Retailer During Crisis

Operationally Sustainable eCommerce Retailers

The corona pandemic has led to a significant change in buyer behavior which caused a shift towards more eCommerce sales. While offline retailers had to suffer from severe losses during the lockdown period, many online shops recorded a strong increase in sales. In fact, in the US online retailers registered YoY (year-over-year) revenue growth of 68% in April and conversion rates that are comparable to Black Friday and Cyber Monday sales. However, the increase in online sales also correlated with reduced logistics capacities due to the consequences of the spread of the coronavirus (namely lockdown, social distancing, etc.) resulted in

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[Report] How has COVID-19 Impacted Ecommerce Trends?

covid-19-eCommerce-trends

At the onset of the COVID-19 outbreak, many governments enforced Stay-at-Home measures that require social distancing for millions and closures of non-essential stores. Unsurprisingly, home confinement forced consumers towards online shopping, as weekly eCommerce sales shot up 61% within the first weeks of the closures. That growth in online sales seems to be the main hope for retailers to retain part of their market share and survive through this crisis. This report examines the weekly eCommerce sales patterns as a result of stay-at-home measures, which products consumers are purchasing online, and which categories consumers have cut back on, in an

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Business Continuity for Retail: Lesson from COVID-19

Ensuring business continuity for Retail

The COVID-19 crisis has been devastating on businesses around the world, causing major disruptions to all business functions – from operations to supply chain management to marketing and sales. One of the sectors most affected by the crisis is the retail industry, as physical retail stores are ordered to shut down in cities across the world. Yet, despite all the trauma induced by this global pandemic, there is a glimmer of a silver lining out of this crisis. COVID-19 is considered to be one of the most impactful market disruptors in recent history, opening several windows of opportunity for businesses

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The Coronavirus Survival Guide for Retail [Infographic]

COVID-19 Survival Guide for Retail

With the outbreak of COVID-19, the retail sector has entered uncharted territory with the temporary closure of physical stores and the slowdown of consumer spending on broad scales. Undoubtedly, there will be tough challenges ahead. That’s why we decided that the best way to help is by offering ideas on the topics that we know well: customer engagements and online conversions. We call this the Coronavirus survival guide for retailers, and we hope it will bring some benefits to your business during these difficult times. May 2020 Update: We  analyzed more than 30M online transactions to understand how COVID-19 affected

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How to generate eCommerce sales with Instagram [2024]

eCommerce sales instagram cover

Today, Instagram is not just a photo-sharing app. It has come a long way to become a real powerhouse that offers a whole host of potential for online business, especially after the company officially launched the Instagram Shops, on May 2020. With over 2 billion monthly active users, and more than 60% of users come in contact with businesses and brands, Instagram eCommerce is undoubtedly the way to go in 2023. However, just like with every eCommerce or social media channel, success is not guaranteed just by being there. You still need to possess a proper strategy if you want

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Retail Marketing Trends 2020: What 31 Industry Experts Predict

2020 Retail Marketing Trends

2019 was another glorious year for the retail sector, with sales reaching $25 trillion worldwide, according to eMarketer. Unsurprisingly, the key growth driver was eCommerce, which grew over 16% year over year, accounting for $3.46 trillion (~14% of total retail sales). “Online retail grows twice as fast as the rest eCommerce sector and 5 times higher than the global retail sector. As eCommerce penetration is expected to rise from 56.1% in 2020 to 65.5% by 2024, a major trend to watch is around how retailers can capitalize on their brand assets, starting with their physical stores, which account for a

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Gartner Trends 2020 Predictions: What They Mean for Retailers

Gartner trends 2020

Each year, Gartner, the world-leading research and advisory firm, identifies top strategic trends that shape the future of businesses across the globe. Retail business owners, CMOs, and eCommerce professionals have highly anticipated Gartner Trends on Digital Commerce 2020, as it provided insights into the ever-shifting digital commerce landscape with sophisticated analysis. From AI to Visual Commerce, there are many emerging trends to watch and, more importantly, adopt to grow your business. In this post, we picked five of Gartner trends on digital commerce that we believe have the most near-term impact on eCommerce business for a deep dive. Aside from

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25 Lovely Valentine’s Day Promotion Ideas for Retail

Valentine's Day promotion ideas

As red and pink hearts begin to pepper the shop windows, it’s a reminder that Valentine’s Day draws near. Despite the proximity to Black Friday and Christmas, Valentine’s Day remains one of the top holidays for boosting retail sales. According to the National Retail Federation (NRF) and Prosper Insights & Analytics, consumers earmarked $25.9 billion for Valentine’s Day spending in 2023, showcasing a rise from the $23.9 billion expended in 2022. Whether you have already started the Valentine’s Day retail marketing for your retail store, or still seeking ideas on what to do, you’ve landed on the right post. We’ve

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B2B Video Marketing Strategy: A Step-by-Step Guide for Building Yours

Video marketing strategy B2B guide

There’s ample proof that video is a must for B2B brands. In 2019 alone, 50% of marketers used and invested in more video content. In fact, it became the top used content format, beating blogs and image-based content. Video has also become a priority medium on social media. Every platform you use today includes an algorithmic update to position videos above other forms of content. And the stats are staggering. Twitter gets 2 billion views per day. A third of Instagram stories, which are shared as videos, are from brands. And 500 million people turn to Facebook to watch videos

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10 Top eCommerce Events in London You Shouldn’t Miss in 2024

Top 10 eCommerce events in London in 2020

For many of us, Christmas marks the season of giving, reflection, and forward-looking planning for the new business and marketing plans for the year to come. Part of such planning includes filling our calendars with marketing and eCommerce events to attend in 2023. While we may not be able to help with gifting, we can certainly help with the events. Here are the 10 most anticipated eCommerce events in London for 2020 to guide your calendar planning. The UK eCommerce ecosystem in numbers Below are some useful insights about the eCommerce in the UK, to help you understand why London is the best place to be for eCommerce in 2020. So, let’s let

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