In a recent ComScore report titled, “U.S. Digital Future in Focus 2014,” the editors there discussed the rapid evolution of the online marketplace. From mobile to social media to eCommerce, digital consumer behavior in 2013 was put under the microscope. In doing so, the researchers at ComScore were able to categorize the changes taking place into four categories. These categories, which ComScore dubbed as transformative shifts, are as follows: Platform Shifts: Consumers are engaging with digital media across an increasing number...

Attention: WebSphere Commerce customers also using Solr search We have been alerted to a significant issue regarding Fix Pack 8 for WebSphere Commerce V7. We recently detected the issue when testing out this fix pack for one of our clients, and according to IBM it is affecting other customers, as well. The issue is only relevant for those WebSphere Commerce customers that have Solr search installed on their sites. Essentially, the installation of FP8 breaks search and navigation functionality when Solr...

Amazon is one of the most formidable 800-pound gorillas to ever walk into a room. From drones to membership perks to fulfillment centers and web services, Amazon seems to be paving the course before anyone else even knows which direction they’re heading. And that’s why Amazon is constantly making headlines. The business-savvy gorilla is hard to ignore. The most recent attention-grabbing news coming out of the Amazon headquarters came in the form of its new relationship with Twitter. According to an...

According to IBM, “in the United States alone, roughly US$83 billion is lost each year as a result of poor customer experiences. That’s more than the revenue for the entire U.S. e-commerce retail sector. Many businesses have yet to unlock the potential of information, technology and customer engagement to stem these losses.” IBM’s statement might seem like a harsh critique for marketers – especially for those businesses that have invested in and are embracing marketing technology. But the fact of the...

Since its inception, the Internet has broken down international borders and created a host of selling opportunities for businesses around the globe. And although there has been a steady uptick of cross-border online sales since, there are still some business owners that need to pop an Advil or two before even thinking about making the big leap overseas.   And that’s because international commerce comes with its own set of issues, such as country-specific regulations and requirements, additional shipping charges, and duties...

Sci-fi authors – the Nostradami of technology – have been making accurate predictions of modern-day living since as far back as 1888 when the idea of debit cards surfaced in the utopian tale “Looking Back.” Similarly, Philip K. Dick, the author behind “Minority Report," foresaw and wrote about various technologies that are being put into play today by forward-thinking retailers. Essentially, it’s the emergence of omni-channel and the need to create seamless shopping experiences across various channels that is bringing the...

As the digital age continues its upward and onward march, a marketer’s job becomes increasingly difficult to manage. When there are so many touch points – websites, brick-and-mortar locations, social media platforms and an ever-growing handful of devices used by customers – it can be a challenge to create meaningful interactions. Regardless of the challenge, “digital experience priorities must quickly evolve to keep up with fast-paced or fickle customer expectations. Given the frantic pace of digital, organizations invest or are left...

Like holiday weight gain and the height of our rapidly growing children, so many things in life at some point or another must be measured. Website performance rates, however, are one item that doesn’t fall under the “at some point or another” category. The performance of a site should be constantly gauged and analyzed.  As one would expect, there are several methods for measuring website performance. Additionally, there are several components of performance that can be measured individually.  Time To First...

The mall just isn’t what it used to be. Partly due to perceived safety issues and partly due to a fading level of interest, the mall is becoming less and less of a hangout spot for teens today. According to the Piper Jaffray 27th semi-annual Taking Stock With Teens market research project, teen mall traffic over the past 10 years has plunged by 30 percent. “Shopping frequency has declined from a peak rate of 38 trips/year to 29 trips/year (one every...

Kind of like the old geezer behind the curtain in the Wizard of Oz, back-end applications on an eCommerce website help to drive the magic happening on the front-end. So like Dorothy and her entourage, eCommerce website owners must pay attention to what’s happening behind the scenes. That’s because, for front-end applications to work, they must make requests to back-end applications, like a database, to pull all of the dynamic content together for a page to be rendered at the client...