Wednesday, May 25, 2011

2011 Top eCommerce Trends


If you sell online or are thinking about it, check out these top eCommerce trends from Americaneagle.com
  1. One Page Checkout
    Streamline your online checkout experience  - it's one of the best ways to improve online sales. While many e-commerce websites still employ a multiple-page checkout system, a simplified one page checkout system reduces the number of steps needed to checkout and can dramatically improve conversion rates. 
  2. Mobile & M-commerce
    Mobile has taken off this year and will only continue to grow, especially for online retailers. Companies are finding great success with their m-commerce storefronts by taking advantage of some of the leading mobile technologies. If mobile is not something you have looked to, now is the time to develop your mobile strategy. 
  3. Intelligent Search
    Online shoppers can become easily frustrated and leave your site if they are unable to find what they are looking for. Intelligent Search is a great tool which instantly queries your entire site, allowing your customers to quickly and easily locate products. See Google Custom Search, a free custom search engine you can add to your site with the help of your Webmaster.
  4. Video
    Online video has been growing steadily over the last several years. Video is a staple on many e-commerce websites. Examples of how to use video on your site  - to introduce your company, for product demonstrations and to boost your brand.
  5. Customer Loyalty Programs
    One of the biggest challenges an online retailer may have is keeping a loyal customer base. By developing a strategic customer loyalty program you can encourage first-time customers to become repeat customers.
  6. Personalization
    By personalizing your website to each individual visitor or to segments of visitors, you are ensuring they see content that best suits their needs or wants. Take advantage of personalization by displaying items similar to those your customers have viewed or purchased in the past (think Amazon). This tactic will enhance the customer experience on your site and help grow sales.
  7. Social Media Integration
    Social media has been a growing trend for several years. In 2011, we have seen many retailers leveraging social media sites like Facebook to not only grow awareness, but also to implement social shopping tools.
  8. Interactive Solutions
    Customers visiting an e-commerce website are often discouraged if they cannot find what they are looking for in a timely manner. Interactive solutions, such as live chat, enable you to instantly engage with a site visitor and get their questions answered immediately so they can complete a purchase.
     
  9. E-commerce Blogs
    Many online retailers have discovered that blogging can be a very successful marketing tactic to help increase customer loyalty.
How many of these are you doing? What is working for your business? Share your comments below.

Ciao for now, Paula

Content adapted from a whitepaper developed by Americaneagle.com, a leader in website design, development, hosting, and marketing. Americaneagle.com has developed over 5,000 Web projects for online retailers and wholesalers.

Wednesday, May 11, 2011

Get More Local Customers with Google Boost

Soon local business owners will be able to create a simple ad from within their Google Places account. With Google Boost you can advertise your business on Google search and Google Maps.
  • You can do it in just a few minutes - Simply choose a business category, choose ad text, and set a budget
  • Automatically managed - Boost manages everything and figures out where to show your ad
  • You only pay only for success - Pay only if a customer clicks on your ad
If you have already listed your business in Google's Local Business Center (Places), then you can use this new feature. [Not available to all yet. Google has rolled it out to some business categories; more will be added soon.]

Log in to your Google Places account. On the Dashboard tab you'll see a sign-up link for Boost. If Boost is not available for your business category yet, you'll see a message that says "email me when it is available".

View this 1 minute video for more information:



Ciao for now, Paula

Friday, May 06, 2011

Attending the Chick-fil-A Leadercast seminar @ Living Word Christian Church today!! Great stuff from John Maxwell, Dave Ramsey, Seth Godin and many more.

What a wonderful way to end the week!

Wednesday, May 04, 2011

The Internet is Changing Our Brain Patterns

The Internet has transformed our existence. The barrage of information coming at us and all the ways we're "connected" has changed the way we think and process information.

Have you noticed that
  • you're less focused and it's harder to concentrate for long periods?
  • you've gotten much better at scanning instead of fully reading?
  • you feel more rushed?
Marketing in this landscape is different than it used to be. This can be a bit discouraging for the small business owner. 
  • How in the world do I keep up? 
  • What should I be focusing my energy on? 
  • Where should I be spending our marketing dollars?
I'm sure you'd agree that competition is tougher today than ever before. New marketing media is constantly emerging. And some simply isn't affordable for small business.

It's important to establish business goals that help you stay focused and weed out the clutter. Have you taken time away from your business to establish some priorities and goals for where you want to be 6 months from now? 1 year? 5 years?

I've found this activity has really helped me focus among the distractions. I map out exactly where I want to go and what I want to focus on. For my business, I find this works best if I I do this quarterly. Your review time-frame may be different; do what works best for you.

To read more about the ritual I use and to help you begin your goal-setting, download my goal planning workbook. It's an affordable $4.95 and you can purchase it here: My Goals

It will help you identify your strengths and weaknesses, establish your short- and long-term goals, and measure your success.
Download your copy today

Ciao for now, Paula