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
Business Continuity for Retail: Lesson from COVID-19
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
The Coronavirus Survival Guide for Retail [Infographic]
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
How to generate eCommerce sales with Instagram [2024]
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
Retail Marketing Trends 2020: What 31 Industry Experts Predict
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
Gartner Trends 2020 Predictions: What They Mean for Retailers
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
25 Lovely Valentine’s Day Promotion Ideas for Retail
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
B2B Video Marketing Strategy: A Step-by-Step Guide for Building Yours
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
10 Top eCommerce Events in London You Shouldn’t Miss in 2024
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
Build Natural Links with Guest Blogging (2022)
If you think that guest blogging is all about writing a 500-word article, stuffing it with your keywords, and publishing it on the first blog you come across, you’re wrong. This is not how it works in 2021. Instead of the quantity of backlinks, you need to focus on their quality. To increase brand awareness, online reputation, and website visits through guest blogging, you need to write quality articles and publish them on respected sites in your niche. Above all, you need to insert your links naturally. Here are a few tips to apply. Find Valuable Guest Blogging Opportunities Identifying
24 Holiday Newsletter Ideas to Cheer Up the Season
The holiday season has arrived, and with it, the opportunity to drive loyalty via a seasonally-appropriate newsletter. With holiday sales representing an estimated 20 percent of total annual retail sales, there’s no denying the need for an effectively crafted newsletter that encourages customers to convert while also strengthening their appreciation for your brand and honestly conveying your best wishes. This odd year, more than ever, retailers and eCommerce brands need to create the most engaging experiences and campaigns possible, to attract consumers’ attention. Your most ambitious holiday sales goals are well within reach. To get you started, we’ve compiled 24
Ecommerce Checkout Flow: A Designer’s Checklist
Would you open a supermarket without any cash registers? Absolutely not; that would be ridiculous. And you shouldn’t neglect the online checkout experience with your business, either. Customers need a place to finalize their purchases that’s intuitive, easy to use, and hassle-free. By utilizing a few best practices, a little research, and good design, your eCommerce checkout flow can be exactly that. Table of Content The Importance of Checkout Flow eCommerce Checkout Flow FAQ High Converting Checkout Design Flow Checklist Bonus: How To Stop Cart Abandonment With Personalized Dynamic Exit Intent Pop-ups Putting It All Together The Importance of Checkout
Black Friday Strategies for Retailers: Best Practices & Ideas (List)
Black Friday may have had its start in the United States, but it has become very popular in Europe in recent years. Each year, Black Friday sales reach a new peak as more retailers and countries participate in the famous American style shopping frenzy. Consider that in 2015 only 9% of German consumers participated in Black Friday shopping. In just 2-years time by 2017, 43% of German consumers engaged in shopping during the Black Friday sales while this number surpassed 50% after the pandemic. In 2021, the Black Friday revenue reached $1.22 trillion in sales, 17% of which occurred online
How to Grow and Maintain Your Email List as an Ecommerce Brand?
Email marketing for ecommerce is one of the best ways to build personal and lasting relationships with your customers. A well-managed email list can help you send more personalized messages, reengage past buyers, and learn more about your target audience. You may think social media is better for engaging with customers, but the fact is, there are three times more email accounts in the world than Facebook accounts – and due to Facebook’s algorithm, the organic reach can be as low as 6%. In contrast, emails generally have an open rate of 20-30%, meaning your message is five times more
Ecommerce SEO: Everything You Need To Know
When it comes to ecommerce SEO strategies, they all have the same goals: Increase organic website traffic Increase conversion rate Increase revenue So this means getting to the top of the search results and sending qualified traffic to the ecommerce website. Anyone new to the eCommerce world will probably find this a little daunting… But it doesn’t need to be! I am going to take you through the most effective eCommerce SEO strategies you can use to give your online store a boost up the rankings. I will discuss: Table of Content Conducting A Site Audit Keyword Research & Optimization
3 Shopify Plus Apps to Set Your Store Sales on Autopilot (with How To Guides)
Running a Shopify Plus store is no easy feat. From inventory management to marketing campaigns, there are plenty of things to manage daily for a smooth operation. While some tasks require strategic planning (e.g., designing the marketing funnel), many others (e.g., asking for customer reviews) are often repetitive and takes up precious time. Luckily, there are great apps on the Shopify Marketplace that can make your selling activities more seamless. In this post, we present 3 Shopify Plus apps that not only help you save time but also works wonders in boosting your store sales to boot. Let’s dive in
Category Page Best Practices for eCommerce
The Category page groups individual product pages together based on a similar theme. Having well-structured category pages is important for every eCommerce brand as it improves rankings for specific keywords and makes product exploration easier for consumers. This generates higher sales and better conversions as a result. In this article, you’ll find a great list of Category Page best practices from category page designs to layout structures. Let’s skyrocket your eCommerce sales this year. Table of Content What is a category page in eCommerce? Why is Category Page optimization crucial for any eCommerce business? 22 Category Page Best Practices for eCommerce
Marketing Automation Statistics for eCommerce [2024]
Increasingly, customers expect marketing communications that go beyond a generic email blast. Personalization is in. This means eCommerce marketers need to focus on creating more relevant and valuable customer engagements. A core component for success in the eCommerce industry is Μarketing Automation. Marketing Automation helps engage customers in a more personal and valuable fashion. It allows marketers to target shoppers with the correct message at the optimal time. Marketing messages can be triggered based on previous consumer behavior, preferences, and purchase history. In this post, we’ve gathered the latest marketing automation statistics you need to know for 2023. Here are
The eCommerce KPIs List You Should Focus On 2024
Key performance indicators, or KPIs, are important for every eCommerce business. That’s because tracking KPIs, or a specific set of indicators, enables companies to measure the progress towards business goals and make effective strategic planning. In this post, we have curated the eCommerce KPIs list that helps you keep a pulse on the health of your business and monitor its’ monthly and daily growth. Table of Contents What are KPIs for ecommerce? What metrics do you find most important for measuring an eCommerce business? What are the best eCommerce KPIs to track monthly? What are the best eCommerce KPIs to
Strong Customer Authentication and eCommerce: How to (properly) prepare your business
Last year’s implementation of GDPR was not the end of changes in terms of EU regulations influencing the eCommerce landscape. The second Payment Services Directive or (PSD2) is a new EU directive that means changes in the customer verification process for online transactions. These requirements, Strong Customer Authentication for eCommerce, or SCA, go into effect on September 14th, 2019. How ready is your business to implement these new regulations of robust customer authentication? Don’t fret. We’ve created this article to help you prepare your online business to comply with SCA requirements. What is strong customer authentication psd2? PSD2 aims at