Wait, What..? Gamification in eCommerce? Yes, it’s a sure win!

Gamification – or the use of the principles and mechanics of gaming in non-gaming contexts – is all around us. It appeals to our desire as human beings to establish rules, create winners and losers, and compete and collaborate. It gives us levels to achieve, quests to complete, points to garner, and rewards to win. But, is there a real opportunity for ecommerce application? We say yes!

Let's take a look at how gamification is implemented to help boost ecommerce sales:

Create Your Own Reward

Simplistic but true, research has shown that the key to gamification success starts by defining the end goal. In an ecommerce context this means identifying what the business objective is, and why it will benefit the store.

For example, according to Shopify, there is strong evidence suggesting that customer-written product reviews are a great way to increase conversion rates. So placing gaming tactics, such as awarding recognition for writing a certain number of reviews, might help achieve the objective of getting more recommendations. This, in turn, may improve conversion rates and boost the bottom line.

Amazon.com has a basic gamification strategy that encourages reviews: customer-content can be rated as "helpful." This means a dedicated reviewer is rewarded by receiving recognition from other potential buyers. Who doesn't want to be recognized for being helpful?

Raise the Stakes

Ebay was an early adopter of gamification. Rather than a straightforward purchase, customers are encouraged to bid on an item. Text alerts tell you when someone else has bid more than you and the temptation is to rush back to the site to either buy outright or up the game stakes. Messages inform potential buyers that other people are watching the same item, appealing to the urge to be first.

Shopify is one of many ecommerce sites that offer a countdown app to focus customers on special deals, sales, new releases and more. It counts up or down, in numbers or time, but the end result is a sense of urgency; a sense that time is running out to get this item.

Both eBay and Shopify are targeting to our desire to get a good deal. And surely it must be a good deal if others want the same product or if it's only available for a short period.

Dole Out the Prizes

A basic component of any game is the desire to win and be rewarded. The Starbuck's loyalty app bundles pre-order and pre-pay capabilities with free music and reward levels based on the number of stars "won" by making purchases.

Given a choice of coffee at the local café or earning stars and maybe achieving the next level at Starbucks, combined with the convenience of placing and paying for your order right on a smartphone, consumers appear to be voting with their taps. Compared to the thrills of playing the game, the reward of a free coffee is probably incidental.

With web developers creating great new apps and web applications every day, there are a seemingly limitless number of ways to introduce gamification into your ecommerce store. The trick is to decide what behaviour you want to influence and what gaming tactic you’ll use to condition it.

Launching your online store in 2016? Here is what you should be doing now.

There are a lot of decisions involved with the launch of an online store and focusing your attention on some of the more important aspects of ecommerce can save you time, money, and frustration. Here are the key areas to consider:

 

 

1. Picking Your Online Platform

The first decision should focus on the type of online platform appropriate to your business. There are basically three options:

• Build your own ecommerce platform;
• Use an existing online marketplace like Etsy, Amazon, eBay;
• Set up with an ecommerce site such as Shopify, Magento, or Bigcommerce.

However, you're not limited to just one option. Many stores host their own ecommerce platform and still sell on Amazon and Shopify. Other e-retailers prefer the convenience and corporate or community support of an established online marketplace or ecommerce site. Self-hosted stores give you the freedom to do it all your way, but the expense and expertise required can be a burden for some. 

2. The Amazon Advantage

The biggest advantage of using platforms such as Amazon or eBay is the sheer scale of their online presence. Amazon, for example, draws an estimated 85 million unique visitors each month to their site. While these consumers are looking for specific products rather than your store, if they purchase your product there's an opportunity for repeat business through excellent customer service or fulfillment.

3. Billing and Order Fulfillment

A key area of concern for ecommerce merchants is how to fill and ship items processed through the shopping cart and payment collection. Consider tracking systems for inventory and shipping as well as a shipping service. Payment options can be limited to just PayPal, or opened to include all major credit cards.

Amazon and other major ecommerce marketplaces offer complete packages for shipping. "Fulfillment by Amazon" (FBA) lets you store your inventory at Amazon's warehouses where they pick, pack, and provide customer service for the sold products.

Shopify offers numerous third-party apps to help with fulfillment, invoicing, and shipping. Indeed, Shopify even supports FBA if you choose to sell on Shopify and use Amazon for fulfillment.

Your choice of how to fulfill and ship orders will depend largely on the type and number of products you sell and all the associated costs.

4. Hello, World

Another consideration in launching an ecommerce store is how to boost sales and boost your brand awareness. For email blasts, write engaging and relevant content to hook your readers and inspire them to visit your store and buy. Choose an email content marketing provider that offers the services you need at a price you can afford. According to PC Magazine, questions to ask yourself before choosing an email provider include who's your audience, what do you want them to know, how often do you want to send them emails, and how much support do you need?

5. Like Us

Social media is a must for ecommerce stores. Offer a variety of ways for your consumers to interact with your store. Invite them to "Like" you on Facebook, be active on Twitter, and/or upload videos on YouTube. The more you can engage with customers, the more they'll feel loyal to your brand.

6. Thank You and Come Again

Services such as Picreel offer exit strategies for people visiting your ecommerce store. Such marketing providers can let you survey a select group of customers or provide pop-ups to entice people to stay and shop longer.

Conclusion

It takes time and effort to create an online ecommerce store. Pre-planning is key. Start your research and decision-making now – reap the benefits later. 

Shopping on the new Apple TV; a game changer? We're about to find out.

Online Shopping with new Apple TV; A game changer?

On September 9, 2015, Apple launched its latest iteration of the Apple TV. It has all the usual bells and whistles you'd expect from Apple - a remote control that lets you "swipe" quickly through lists, Siri's voice command feature, and so on – but the big news for ecommerce is the ability to download retailer apps.   We've grown to accept that there are apps for just about everything on our mobile devices. Order a meal, learn a language, play a game, buy a pair of shoes; there are very few areas of our lives devoid of an app. Now Apple is bringing them to a TV screen near you.

It’s the new click & shop

The redesigned Apple TV has an App Store, just like any Apple mobile device, with apps that can be downloaded to the TV. Using the new glass touch surface Siri remote, a shopper can choose a retailer app, swipe through categories of products for sale, view product details and even complete a purchase. Already, at the September 9 launch, e-retailer, Gilt, announced the integration of its online shopping services with Apple TV. And you can bet it won't be long before other ecommerce stores will want to follow suit.

What’s the BIG Deal…?  It’s the screen!

Will there be challenges and opportunities arising for e-retailers from the new Apple TV launch? Definitely.  Well-merchandized products will always be essential for successful ecommerce retailing. Apple TV isn't going to change that. What will change is the scale and opportunity that a 50-inch or larger TV can present to engaging your customers. Retailers will now have to be prepared to merchandize products for both a 5.5-inch mobile device and a 55-inch smart TV screen. Think about reading a product description or looking at product images from 20 feet away while sitting on the couch. What is that experience going to like for your shoppers?

Get it Done

As the new Apple TV rolls out in the next few weeks, we’ll begin to see how online shoppers receive it and also what new opportunities it offers retailers. Perhaps the biggest opportunity will be for retailers to turn their focus to what will make their ecommerce store experience unique at this new scale.  It is inevitable that retailers will have to rethink how they merchandize products to ensure their customers are getting the best out of this new platform. 

If they haven’t already, many retailers will begin developing their own apps for the Apple TV.

So what, I don't have great product photos? No BIG deal right? Wrong!

So, your site is designed, product descriptions are written, the shopping cart is all ready to go, so what if you don't have great photos? No big deal right?  Wrong! It is a very big deal. Not having clear, original, and professional-looking photography could make the difference between a purchase and a pass in your online store.

The Touchy/Feely Syndrome

When you go to a physical store to buy something, typically you want to see it. There are very few occasions, if any at all, when you'd be willing to buy something sight unseen. You want to hold it, look at it, feel the fabric, compare the colours. The only opportunity your online buyer has to this "feeling" experience is through visual images.

Buying on the Go

More and more consumers are taking to mobile devices to buy online. Phones, smartwatches, tablets, they all allow for shopping on the go. Now more than ever you need to be able capture the fleeting attention span of the consumer who's browsing while walking down the street, on the train, or sitting in the restaurant. Fabulous photography can catch their eye and hook them in.

Being Social

Instagram's Sponsored Posts

Social media marketing efforts through sites like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Pinterest, are becoming the rule rather than the exception. Social media audiences crave visual content. The old adage that "a picture is worth a thousand words" rings true here, especially with character-restrictive sites such as Twitter. You can't wax poetic about that new product, but you can post a stunning image to entice a purchase.

Standing Out from the Competition

With an ever-increasing number of consumers making online purchases, stores such as yours are investing more and more money into digital marketing strategies. Whether you sell pots and pans or luxury lingerie, there's probably dozens of other e-commerce sites selling the same product, possibly at a lower price. First-rate photography will help your products stand out from all the rest. Consumers look for value for money. Professional-looking, well-placed images can help create that value.

Now, before you rush around the warehouse clicking photos with your smartphone, give some thought to hiring an experienced, professional e-commerce photographer. Why? The intent of e-commerce photography, as opposed to recreational or creative photography, is to show the product exactly as it is. Fashion photography is gorgeous and creative, but will it let your customers imagine how that dress would look on them? E-commerce photography concentrates on presenting the product in accurate detail, without distracting or superfluous poses. That takes know-how and experience.

Good product photography is meant to promote sales and minimize returns. Never underestimate the power of the lens.

Want to improve usability on your e-commerce site? Psst…Pay attention to your product Taxonomy!

Product Taxonomy

Product taxonomy organizes merchandise into hierarchies and categories to help customers search and browse items using both drop-down menus and left-hand navigational bars. A well-designed taxonomy keeps the user's needs front and centre, taking into account how they typically search or browse for products.

When looking at your existing taxonomy, or when designing a new system, keep in mind that there will never be one "right" taxonomy for any set of products. Your customers are a diverse group and are likely to browse and search using their own defined sense of taxonomy. The key is to thoroughly research how shoppers search for products on your site now, then design a taxonomy that responds to those typical search requests. The aim is to get the customer to the desired product quickly, make it easy for them to buy, and ensure that the whole shopping experience is one they will want to repeat.

Designing a taxonomy takes time and shouldn't be rushed. The challenge with any taxonomy is that it usually presents a complex problem with no best solution, but rather a best compromise. Often a single product can, and should, be placed in multiple categories. For example, envelopes might fit into the "Office Supplies" category and also the "Paper Products" category; a winter sweater could easily slot into both the "Clothes by Season" and "Clothes by Fabric" categories. Define the categories and figure out which products are related to which categories.

Faceted Navigation

Facets are vital for larger e-commerce stores. Faceted navigation works on the basis of allowing the shopper to filter a category by a number of classifications, such as price, size, or colour. While facets can be costly and time consuming to develop, they offer more options to the customer. Working on the principle that you can't buy what you can't find, faceted navigation has been shown to improve product findability in general.

By relating products through their attributes and facets, your e-commerce store can cross-sell/up-sell other appropriate products to potential buyers. Interested in a laptop computer? Then how about one of these great cases to put it in? Buying a Valentine's gift? Take a look at February's red product sale items. By the way, make sure to build in a spot for gifts or promotions to highlight seasonal items or great deals.

Optimized Taxonomy

Especially important in today's world of mobile devices and smart wearables is a quick result. Whether on a smart phone or an Apple Watch, mobile users demand a minimal number of clicks to get to where they want to go. Taxonomy designed with the mobile shopper in  mind allows consumers to get there fast.

Studies have shown that there is generally an improvement in cart additions and conversion rates that coincide with the introduction, or improvement, of a taxonomy system on an e-commerce site. Customers find products quickly, are given options, and can easily compare different items, making for a pleasant and productive shopping experience.

It's definitely worth your time to pay attention to product taxonomy.

Will the Apple Watch change the e-commerce landscape? It already is!

Apple wasn't the first to launch a pairable-wearable – Pebble and Samsung beat them to the punch with smartwatches and Google introduced Google Glass in 2012 – but Apple's ability to popularize existing technology is legendary. Its introduction of the Apple Watch in early 2015 has developers and e-commerce giants scrambling to create apps focused on the very next thing that wearers are likely to desire.

Smartwatches, where touching and tapping take over from scrolling and clicking, will change the very nature of the online shopping experience. With customers able to receive a Daily Deal text notification, touch the screen to go directly to the store, and tap a button to pay, e-retailers will find ways to target the impulse buyer over the casual browser. Smartwatch app optimization is likely to be the next big opportunity for retailers.

As an example, just in time for the launch of Apple Watch, eBay introduced a new smartwatch app that allows important notifications, such as outbid alerts and warnings, to bypass your phone and go straight to your wrist. Having access to timely messages could mean the difference between winning and losing in the online auction game.

Retailers large and small, credit card companies, and social media sites are evaluating smartwatches platforms having the ability to simplify the buying process. A Samsung-PayPal partnership introduced fingerprint technology for authorizing payments on a smartwatch screen with its limited space for a PIN or password. With around 50% of consumers reportedly happy using fingerprints instead of passwords, this initiative opens the doors for shoppers to buy at any online or physical store that accepts PayPal.

Mobile payments are here to stay, especially with a younger generation already joined at the hip – soon to be the wrist – with their mobile devices. Apple, Google, and Samsung are among the forerunners recognizing that mobile payments will make their smartwatches indispensable to the wearer while supplying new insights into their consumers' buying behaviour.

In late 2014, Apple announced that Apple Wallet was partnering with Visa, MasterCard, and American Express to store credit card information on the iPhone, allowing purchases using Apple Buy simply by tapping the phone or smartwatch. Loyalty cards from retailers such as Wal-Mart and Dunkin' Donuts, and store credit cards from the likes of Kohl's and JC Penny have also been linked into Apple Pay, which will automatically present the right card to the right merchant. Already available in the U.S., Apple Pay is gearing up for a U.K. launch.

Online retailers are discovering that anything requiring multiple taps or precise placement of a cursor, including filling out forms or navigating drop down menus, are less suited to wearable technology than voice activation or the tapping of one simple button. It won't be long before apps arrive on the smartwatch that require no touching at all; a simple glance will pick the product and pay the bill.

A trend to keep your eye on. 

Should you outsource your product content creation? Yes! Here are 4 great reasons why.

Great content should feel natural. It is clear, concise, and compelling. Expertly presented, it helps convert browsers into buyers. But producing polished, informative content for your e-commerce store on a regular basis takes an enormous amount of time and know-how.

Fortunately, help is at hand! Here are four reasons why you might want to consider outsourcing this vital piece of your e-commerce marketing strategy:

 1.    Increase content effectiveness

Professional, well-written content will drive clicks and conversions. But it's not just about writing. In today's competitive environment, e-commerce sites need graphics, videos, and podcasts as well as great photos to go with product descriptions. Outsourcing content creation to an agency means you have access to a large pool of talent – writers, editors, photographers, videographers and so on. It's difficult to hire the staff able to take on all these tasks, but outsourcing will give you the expertize you need, just when you need it.

2.      Put effort where it's most needed

Your team is busy. They have other duties to complete by deadline. Tasks that they do well. Creating and managing content is way down on their "To Do" list. Outsourcing content creation means you get a team of professionals immersed in the marketing and content field. Do your employees have the time and knowledge to keep on top of the latest content trends and strategies? Outsourcing may be a good option to tap into the experience of a team of specialists.

3.      Guide the buying experience

Consumers like to make informed buying decisions. More information on products equals higher customer satisfaction and lower product returns. Product descriptions are just the start. A team of professionals can put together user and how-to guides in a wide variety of formats, from simple text to fully immersive interactive styles that can support the buying experience. This type of skill tends to be needed at infrequent intervals, so hiring extra employees with the expertise could be a waste of precious marketing dollars.

4.      Gain a fresh perspective

Outsourcing content creation can be a great way to get the perspective that only a fresh pair of eyes can give. A different angle might just be what's needed to boost sales of slow-moving items. A diverse team of skilled content creators could revitalize your product content and descriptions, tailoring them to your customers' needs.

Outsourcing isn't for every e-commerce store, but if you find you lack the time or expertise to create eye-catching content in-house, partnering with a team of experts who take the time to get to know you and your products might just be the answer. It's something to consider at your next marketing strategy meeting.

How can SEO drive your e-commerce business?

Search Engine Optimization: Why are these three words so important to your e-commerce business?

Not optimizing your site content and product descriptions for search engines such as Google, is a bit like not bothering with a sign or a window display for a physical store. There’s no point in selling your products online if no one can find them. Let’s look at three components of SEO that can help drive potential buyers to your e-commerce store:

Keywords are essential in matching your product with a buyer. The more specific the keyword, the higher the chance your product will appear early in search results. Consider using long-tail keywords.

Long-tail keywords are more specific and less common than their one or two word counterparts. They focus on the uniqueness of your product. For example, if you sell dog food, simply using dog food as your keywords is not enough to make you stand out in a crowd. You’ll be one of about 213,000,000 sites using the words dog food. Think about what makes your dog food different.

You may come up with natural, organic, grain free dog food. Using this longer string of text in more places means that if someone is searching for natural, organic, grain free dog food, your store is more likely to be included in the results.

Another benefit of long-tail keywords is that, even if those specific words are used less in a normal search, people searching for natural, organic, grain free dog food and finding your site, are more likely to buy. The longer and more specific the search terms are, the higher the chances of conversion from browser to buyer.

Content is crucial. The content on your e-commerce site needs to be fresh and, above all, unique. Search engines are wary of duplicate content. For example, you could simply copy and paste the manufacturers’ description for your product. But, apart from the fact those descriptions tend to be overly technical or boring, it’s duplicate content and won’t help your search rankings.

Rewrite the product description to make it more appealing to the potential buyer. This is where defining your buyer persona can help. If you know who’s likely to buy from your e-commerce store, you can write a product description almost tailor made to appeal to them.

Finally, make sure your site is mobile-friendly. While research has shown that not everyone is comfortable making a purchase on their smart phone or tablet, a large percentage of shoppers will at least search for goods and services while on the move. And, beginning in April 2015, Google started to penalize sites that are not mobile friendly, allowing all those mobile window shoppers to possibly land on a competitor’s site.

There are other important components to SEO, but getting started with these three will see your e-commerce business off and running at a good speed.

5 Things to Consider for Seriously Seductive Product Descriptions

When a customer has to rely on a picture and a few words to make a buying decision, product descriptions become crucial. It's no longer enough to just describe the product's features. That short description needs to engage, connect, and sell. Consider these five strategies when developing your ecommerce product descriptions:

Know Your Buyer Persona

1. Know your buyer persona.

Developing a buyer persona, or profile of your target customer, results in more cost effective and stronger marketing. Rather than targeting everyone in general but no one in particular, gather as much information as possible about the customer who buys your product. Knowing the buyer persona allows you to use language they're used to, place marketing efforts where they're likely to see them, and provide solutions that seem tailor-made to fill their needs.

2. Combine benefits with the features.

A feature is a factual statement about your product. A benefit answers your customer's question: "What's in it for me?" Be careful that the benefit isn't just an elaboration on a feature. For example, maintaining a consistent speed may well be a benefit of cruise control in a car, but what your customer really wants to know is, "How does this help me?" The answer could be: by maintaining a consistent speed, you'll save on fuel costs. Think about your customer's needs. How does your product help fill them?

3. Seduce with sensory words.

This is particularly important for ecommerce sites. Research has shown that touching a product increases the desire to own it. Seduce the customer to buy from you by using sensory words. An aromatic candle, a dreamy plush blanket, soft stretch-denim jeans all convey sensory aspects of the product to let the customer imagine smelling, feeling, wearing the product.

4. Create a readable format.

People rarely read every single word on a Web page. They scan the text, picking out individual words and phrases. Make sure your description is easy to read by highlighting keywords, use bullet points, increase the font (particularly if your buyer persona is in an older demographic!), use video or photography, and give the reader lots of white space. 

Use Effective Keywords for SEO

5. Use effective keywords for Search engine Optimization (SEO).

Finding the right balance between using effective keywords and keeping the product description readable for your customer is never easy. People have a tendency to be pretty specific in their keyword searches, so try to avoid overly general keywords. Search engines dislike duplicate content. Use unique content rather than duplicating the manufacturer's description, which might even have the result of sending people over to another website!

Your product descriptions may be short, but they need to pack a punch. Know your buyer and try to anticipate the ways your product can help them. Above all, make it easy for customers to find you and buy.

5 Principles of In-Store Retail Merchandising that Apply to Online Stores

The line between online and offline shopping is becoming increasingly blurred as shoppers use both in tandem to fulfill their needs. Smart retailers know that, despite the two being separate entities, shared merchandising principles exist between them. Here they are;

Principle 1. Think about product placement as the first item of importance. 

Bricks-and-mortar stores are familiar with the importance of strategic product placement, with supermarkets being especially savvy at this. Consider the last time you went grocery shopping: Produce is placed at the front of the store so shoppers will fill their carts with fruits and vegetables; this makes them think that once they’ve checked off the healthy items on their lists, it’s okay to throw some junk food—which is marked up considerably—in their carts as well.

Smart online retailers have learned this lesson well from offline stores, placing products that showcase their brand on the front page and drawing a lot of attention to it. They also tailor landing pages to their customers, offering a search bar and brand descriptions for newer shoppers so they can familiarize themselves easily and providing suggestions for returning customers.

Principle 2. Showcase product use by placing similar items together.

Walk into any bricks-and-mortar store and you’ll immediately notice that the retailer demonstrates how the product is to be used. In clothing stores, mannequins wear layered outfits; bookstores surround novels with blankets and candles; and music retailers arrange CDs with earbuds and headphones.

While mannequins don’t have the same efficacy online as they do offline, online retailers can still use the same concept by placing like-minded items together, showcasing testimonials and reviews and creating an “ideas” section where shoppers can compare items side by side.

Principle 3. Recognize holiday-targeted marketing as an opportunity.

At least one month before major holidays—or more than two for Christmas—offline stores start ramping up specialized marketing campaigns aimed at the holiday using a variety of colour schemes, buzzwords and themed sections. A furniture store will group chaise lounges, umbrellas and patio tables together with summer accessories for the May long weekend, while movie theatres will bombard shoppers with posters of hit movies around awards season.

This is a fairly common concept for online stores because it’s easy to code different images and layouts for holidays—for example, all that is required during the Christmas season is rearranging the coding to showcase Christmas wish and gift lists, shopping options and holiday-related themes. Another trick that online merchandisers use is sorting their products by price and category, with the former offering shoppers options for gifts under X number of dollars.

Principle 4. Recognize the habits of impulse buyers. 

Just about every bricks-and-mortar store features a selection of low-price items beside the till, with convenience stores being the best example. Colloquially known as stocking stuffers, impulse buys and till-side advertising, these value items have been shown to increase purchasing when placed in front of the customer when they’re paying.

Although it’s physically impossible to place actual objects beside a till in online stores, the essential concept remains the same: The final purchase is split horizontally in half, with the basket and checkout on one side and featured items on the other. Another incentive for using this strategy in online stores is motivating shoppers to add a few more items to their basket so they can meet the minimum requirements for free shipping, if offered.

Principle 5. Cross-sell low-margin items with high-value items.

Department-store retailers understand shopping psychology and know that buyers aren’t nearly as likely to act on impulse when it comes to higher-priced items. Therefore, they place lower-priced items in high-traffic areas in anticipation of drawing the customer deeper into the store and closer to higher-value items. Retailers also make a smooth transition between the two by sporadically placing a high-value item amid low-margin ones at the front and gradually increasing its appearance.

 
To transfer this strategy to online stores, retailers can research high-traffic areas on their site—landing pages are the most obvious example—and strategically place items they need to sell in these areas. Another way to use this concept is to place a “suggestion row” underneath a shopper’s current selection, with the idea of showing how two items work together so the customer will be more likely to pick up both.

 Although online and offline stores vary in their marketing and merchandising strategies, they actually have a lot more in common than what appears at first glance. By implementing the five key principles that in-store retailers use, their online counterparts can appeal to shoppers more efficiently and strategically. Take time to visit bricks-and-mortar stores regularly to see how they implement these principles, and adopt them in your online store accordingly. Some will work and some won’t, but never be afraid to try something new. After all, the most successful online stores are those that learned from the hits and misses of offline stores.