Recent Articles
5 Key Shipping Insights for eCommerce Merchants
Shipping for eCommerce merchants can be a lengthy and grueling process. Whether you are pondering the idea of offering free shipping, inquiring about multiple shipping providers or figuring out how to build a drop shipping business, the details can get demanding. Finding a way to save is one challenge, but we have some eCommerce shipping strategies to guide you through. Since shipping costs are most likely among the top 3 expenses in a merchants P&L, along with cost of goods sold and salaries, learning some shipping insights for eCommerce can only help. What if there were a way to monitor your shipping accounts, identify late deliveries and file the claims on your behalf? 71lbs. offers all that and more. Did you know FedEx and UPS shipments come with a money-back guarantee if delivered late by 60 seconds or more? All overnight, ground and international shipments fall under the MBG policy. With 7lbs, 100% of refunds get credited back to your online shipping accounts. Find out 5 best practices, ways to save and eCommerce shipping insights in the infographic below. For more, check out Freestyle’s
The Ultimate Guide to Omnichannel Orders & Selling
Omnichannel orders and selling is the way of the world for all retailers. As eCommerce purchasing grows, immediacy becomes more of a necessity. Consumers will continue to crave faster results as eCommerce tools become more accessible. 2015 e-commerce sales (Q2) increased by 14.1% from the second quarter of 2014, while total retail sales increased 1% in the same period. -U.S. Census Bureau While eCommerce represented 7.2% of total sales for the second quarter (2015), it contributed to half the growth. In order to capitalize on these ever-growing numbers, retailers must fully embrace omnichannel orders and learn how to take advantage of selling in the most efficient way. To take full advantage of multichannel retail sales opportunities, there are a few solutions to address your order and inventory management needs, starting with multichannel orders. Get Your Product Listings in Order Managing your product listings can differentiate you from the rest. It’s vital for omnichannel sellers of all sizes to compete with the big box firms. Some ways to ensure you have searchable, detailed and relevant product listings throughout your eCommerce website is by turning to
7 Ways to Dominate eCommerce with EDI
Ecommerce buyers are at a point where they need to see everything, everywhere. Whether they are scanning their phones looking for the perfect gift on Amazon or on their tablets scrolling away for the latest gadgets, eCommerce retail is ever-increasing. Because of this, selling on multiple sales channels is the new norm. As it becomes more of a necessity, retailers are migrating to cloud based order management systems so they can have that anywhere access to whatever they’re looking for. So, how can a small business owner make multichannel orders even easier to control and manage? Simply add EDI solutions. With EDI solutions, you can better manage multichannel sales in our fast-paced, immediate access society. What Are EDI Solutions Anyways? They are Electronic Data Interchanges to be exact. But, in short, they are a way to structure all of your data in the simple, but highly efficient way. From purchase orders to invoices and shipping notifications (drop shipping and/or warehouse), all of your orders are kept in sync between multiple sales channels. You will never have to re-key data when processing orders
Handling Amazon Inventory Management: Is Launchpad for You?
Amazon recently unveiled a new marketplace, referred to as the “red carpet for startups.” With this, new businesses can expand their products across the globe through custom pages and access to Amazon’s fulfillment network. Launchpad, from Amazon, is striving to support startup brands with videos, extra photos, product descriptions and a Q&A section to boot, unlike their routine product-focused pages. The eCommerce giant has many perks for retailers, like winning the Amazon Buy Box, customer service efforts and free shipping. So, of course people will want to get on-board to a simpler way to manage Amazon inventory. Amazon Launchpad may be the choice for you, but be sure to keep the dividing line in mind before jumping into this new marketplace. Is it Too Good to Be True? For some startups, it might not be. Amazon has planned to promote a motto that exudes a “You give it to us, and we’ll take care of the rest" approach. The marketplace simply wants startups to sell wholesale price products to them, while they collect the difference. However, is it possible that
4 ‘Free’ Marketing Incentives Every SMB Should be Using
Why ‘Free’ In Marketing Works The motivating four-letter word ‘Free’ gets attention from consumers no matter what it’s referring to. Whether they are ecstatic about free Wi-Fi, free product returns or even a free donut with a beverage. That free fried dough on National Donut Day drives people mad, so much so you’d think one would cost more than $1.25. There is just something about the term that gets the people going, but what is it? Sure it’s enticing to get free stuff, but why is it the main driving factor in online purchases, and just overall shopping experiences? In Predictably Irrational: The Hidden Forces That Shape Our Decisions, Duke Professor Dan Ariely delves into how rational our buying decisions really are. “Most transactions have an upside and a downside, but when something is FREE! We forget the downside. FREE! Gives us such an emotional charge that we perceive what is being offered as immensely more valuable than it really is.” –Predictably Irrational So what can a small business owner do to comply with this term consumers love so much without breaking the bank? Consider using these
7 Essential Strategies Before Offering Free Product Returns
Consumers love the four-letter word, 'Free,' whether that means scooping up some needless key chains or reveling in a free shipping purchase they just made. The reasons to offer free shipping have risen over the years with increased conversions and more, but, free returns might be on its way to matching free shipping in years to come. “Free returns and exchanges surpassed one-day shipping this year as the No. 2 incentive – 65 percent compared to 62 percent.” -Walker Sands Communications Free shipping is not going anywhere, as it remains the top reason 83% of consumers do more of their shopping online. But, will retailers need to take advantage of more free incentives to keep up? With 'free' advertising becoming more and more popular, offering free product returns might soon be a necessity for retailers, especially in apparel. What Should Retailers Be Aware of? Shopping online more frequently is not the only thing growing in popularity, as more consumers are expected to buy expensive items online this year. “Nearly three times as many consumers (27 percent compared to 10 percent) would purchase a product costing more than $1,000 without