A recent survey conducted by Load Impact, a company that produces a cloud-based, on-demand load testing tool, revealed that eCommerce sites “are some of the worst performing as a category even though availability and performance directly impact their bottom line.” For those in the eCommerce business, the statement is sure to cut to the quick, but at the same time, it should also be a statement that will inspire positive changes in the community.   The survey’s findings, which don’t just...

Omni-channel retailing became one of the biggest buzzwords of 2013, and its popularity among business owners will only continue to increase. Essentially, those that adopt it will thrive while those that don't will, inevitably, wither on the vine. Despite its sometimes intimidating ways, omni-channel retailing is being better understood by the eCommerce community as a whole. Business owners are becoming more familiar with what it entails and what degree of adoption is appropriate for their businesses. No matter the level of...

Eating better and exercising more are no brainers when it comes to new resolutions for the New Year. But setting resolutions just because the calendar year changed isn’t always a good idea. Individuals – and businesses – must ensure that they’re making changes for the right reasons. For some retailers, a disappointing holiday shopping season has them reassessing their focus and executing on their own New Year’s resolutions. For some of those retailers, new initiatives include replatforming their current eCommerce solution,...

Returns are so commonplace that some shoppers today don’t feel the need to try on clothing or test drive electronics. In fact, retailers have made the returns process so simple that many consumers consider returning multiple items as part of the decision-making process.   According to an article posted on DailyFinance.com, industry estimates put consumer returns each year at about $264 billion – about 9 percent of total sales. And although there are many reasons that could justify a return, many happen...

From Jan. 12 through Jan. 15, 2014, about 30,000 people will be in attendance at the National Retail Federation’s annual exposition – Retail's Big Show. The event, which takes place at New York’s Jacob K. Javits Convention Center, began more than 100 years ago and was once focused solely on brick-and-mortar retailing. This year, however, it might prove difficult to avoid talk of online retail.   In fact, Rick J. Caruso’s keynote speech, “Reimagining Main Street – How Brick and Mortar...

For all of you Jeopardy junkies out there – you know who you are: The title of this blog could be an answer for a Jeopardy clue something along the lines of: “The future of customer engagement depends on this super computer.” And although Ken Jennings and Brad Rutter probably could have answered correctly, the majority of Americans might not know what IBM’s question-answering computer has been up to since beating the two out on the game show’s ultimate tournament of...

Most everyone knows that a bad experience is more likely to be shared than a good one. For some reason, people are much more inclined to rant than they are to rave. Even writers have an easier time writing a bad review than a good one. In the end, everyone just wants to be a critic.   Because of this little human idiosyncrasy, business owners are uber sensitive to the wants and needs of their customers and clients. And they should...

Guest post by Avery Cohen – Metrist Partners   If you’re a marketer serving B2B or consumer websites, expect to encounter an evolving use of eCommerce analytics tools in 2014. Why? Because businesses will continue to adapt to a simple yet inevitable shift in buyer behavior in which nearly all buyers, B2B and consumer, research their problem and possible solutions online before ever speaking to a salesperson.   Therefore, marketers need to be a central part of their customers’ research experience on social...

For anyone who searches for eCommerce news on a daily basis, they would be hard-pressed to not have noticed a new theme that’s been emerging in the search results: India. Although articles about the U.S. industry typically dominate those results, news from India has been showing up more and more.   The success of Indian eCommerce has risen to such a degree that the country is now reconsidering its ban on foreign investments in its eCommerce sector. Amazon and eBay,...

When designing a mobile site, it's important to remember that it comes with its own set of rules when compared to that of a traditional site. And because of those differences, some elements could go overlooked in the design process. So to keep you from losing any precious time, the following list should prove useful. It covers a few aspects of launching a mobile site that you won’t want to forget:   1. Know your users – even better than before....