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.