User-generated content is a highly prized commodity with marketers who use it to prove their brand’s authenticity. When marketing to Millennials, a segment of consumers who are particularly swayed by user-generated content, visual content is especially useful. Instagram, a social media platform that relies heavily, and in some cases, solely, on visual content, is quickly shaping up to be a perfect match for marketers pushing a brand. Instagram has had somewhat of a meteoric rise among social media platforms. Within...

    Most folks are more than familiar with the following idiomatic phrases: “diversification is the key to success” and “don’t put all your eggs in one basket.” And many are familiar with them in a business context. For example, when you sell products and services from your company’s website, you benefit by increasing the number of sales channels available to your customers – diversification is the key to success. Selling through a third-party marketplace also helps you mitigate the financial...

NetSphere Strategies and CoreMedia, a NetSphere Strategies partner, wrapped up their three-part webinar series last month with the third installment focusing on how to create microsites without the help of an IT team. Easy-to-Use Tools One of the goals for any company involved in eCommerce is to create an immersive experience for shoppers who search the site. With the right tools, technical proficiency isn’t even a prerequisite for improving site search and creating memorable and effective experiences. To drive conversions, retailers...

RJMetrics’ latest report on eCommerce proves that the company continues to be thorough in its research. The 2015 benchmark report titled “eCommerce Buyer Behavior” comes after analysis of data from 176 eCommerce retailers and 18 million customers. In doing so, RJMetrics uncovered several insights on how customers behave, giving retailers a leg up in strategies to improve their business processes and impact more consumers. The report is comprehensive and incredibly detailed; check it out, here. For those who may not be...

Leading service providers in the eCommerce industry descended on sunny San Diego recently at the annual customer engagement conference hosted by IBM called Amplify. Blue skies, excellent food and an outstanding list of guest speakers helped to produce a great vibe at the popular conference (previously known as Smarter Commerce). Speakers included best-selling author Dr. Jonah Berger, Facebook executive Blake Chandlee and Citi’s global head of emerging platforms, Andres Wolberg-Stok.Held May 11-13, 2015, Amplify focused on four main topics: eCommerce, customer...

The Internet Retailer Conference Exhibition (IRCE) is fast approaching. The largest eCommerce event of its kind brings the most innovative minds in the industry together for lively discussions June 3-4 at Chicago’s McCormick Place West. There are many, many events and presentations to look forward to, but here are the top 10 on our list:1) Access to workshops: Attendees have the opportunity to join workshops where they will get deep into the topics that drive better business practices. Full-day workshops are...

Forrester Research, an independent technology and market research company, released an eCommerce report showing that online retail sales this year are expected to reach $334 billion, which will be around 10 percent of all retail sales in the United States. Forrester reports generate plenty of interest and conversation, which will likely be the case in a few weeks when the eCommerce industry gathers in Chicago at the Internet Retailer Conference Exhibition (IRCE) at the Windy City’s McCormick Place convention center June...

Rarely a day goes by that we don’t see news of a company, often a major company, getting hacked and their sensitive company data compromised. It serves as a reminder to everyone that security measures deserve constant evaluation. And it makes business leaders ask, “What are we doing to ensure our company and client information isn’t compromised?”Despite that fact that Fortune 500 companies can afford top-notch IT staff who work on security issues – they still get hacked. However, it’s equally...

How well do you think you know your customers? According to a recent study, probably not as well as you think. IBM’s study, developed by Econsultancy, a firm that specializes in helping clients with digital business, marketing and eCommerce, surveyed marketers, 90 percent of whom said that in order to be successful, they need to personalize customer experiences in their marketing campaigns. It appears that only 10 percent of these marketers are doing it right because 80 percent of consumers...

We’ve all heard the quote, “good artists copy; great artists steal.” While this is not something to be taken literally, it’s an idea that has some credence in the world of marketing. There is nothing wrong with mirroring the efforts of those who have found success. A recent report from Digital IQ titled “Sportswear 2015” offers an intriguing look into how activewear, which did not suffer the same slump in sales as the apparel industry saw in 2014, is marketed on...