Top Ecommerce Articles from March

We've been busy at Moneyspyder on some exciting new projects so we've slackened off on the email front in the last couple of months.

So, after a bit of a break since our last email we're back with a round up of the most interesting news and blogs from the world of ecommerce.

1. If you're planning on moving your ecommerce site to a new agency, take a look at this good summary from Econsultancy of how to do it the right way - Nine Questions to Ask Your New Ecommerce Platform Supplier When Migrating
2. How good are you at producing regular, high quality content as part of your SEO strategy? Here are some tips from Search Engine Watch to get you going - 7 Quick Ways To Use Content Marketing to Boost Search Ranking
3. It's easy to forget that there's more to PPC than picking the right keywords. This article is a good reminder of the value of testing ad copy, and includes some good tips (From Search Engine Land) - Should You Bother Rewriting Your Ads
4. This is a great (but long) blog from Avinash Kaushik on the value of presenting data in an intelligent way to drive action. Perfect for anyone who has to create reports or motivate their boss - It's Not The Ink, It's The Think - 6 Effective Data Visualization Rules
5. From The Telegraph, MPs are debating the value of encouraging supermarkets to add 'Buy British' buttons. What do you think? Good idea or harebrained scheme? -Buy British Button Could Let Online Shoppers Filter Out Foreign Groceries 

Need to know more? Visit our website here or send us an email to discuss your ecommerce needs. 

Was your Christmas 2013 better than Christmas 2012?

For many retail businesses most revenue is generated between October and December. If you do one thing in January, make sure you take time to review last quarter's performance compared to the Q4-2012.

Did you have more visitors from all channels? Was revenue up from all traffic sources? And what about other key metrics; average order value, email list size, site speed, international sales? If you've seen a decline in any of these areas you now have plenty of time to put things right, especially as improving some of these things won't happen overnight. Growing an email list that is engaged with your brand, for example, is much more valuable at Christmas time than a list you bought in October to squeeze some last minute sales out of your site.

We've been sitting down with our clients with our one-page Christmas review and helping them set a strategy to exceed last year's numbers in all areas and address any missing links. We have been helping clients perfect their Analytics reporting, online marketing strategy - including email, PPC and SEO - as well as solving technical problems and advancing theirecommerce platform capabilities.

                                                          

This year we built Flowercard a mobile template which increased mobile
conversion rate by 39% - What can you do to maximise sales this year?

If you would like us to put together our one-page Christmas review for your business email us at info@moneyspyder.co.uk or call 0207 492 1929.

Happy New Year!

The MoneySpyder Team

Best Ecommerce Articles from Around the Web - November Edition

Well, it's official - Amazon is predicting that online Christmas sales will peak at 6pm on 2nd December. Now that has been sorted out, here is a round up of some of the most useful articles and blog posts we've read this month.

So if you need a bit of inspiration to bump up your Christmas site conversion, or improve your content, look no further:

1.             7 Ecommerce Optimization Tips to Help You Achieve Record Breaking Holiday Sales - A good checklist for making the most of Christmas sales. Read here.

2.             What content marketers can learn from the 'Jerusalem' cookbook - An interesting article reiterating the importance of interesting content that looks great; tell a story, add quality images. Read here.

3.             Search: Not Provided: What Remains, Keyword Data Options, the Future - Everything you need to know about (not provided) keywords in Analytics and how to cope. Read here

4.             Future of retail is in ‘bricks and clicks’, says John Lewis - A good mobile site is the link between online and in-store purchase. More stats from John Lewis here.

5.             The 7 High-Converting Places to Add Email Sign-Up Forms to Build Your List - A comprehensive look at where to put your email sign-up forms. Read here.

If you need help with any of the above areas - site optimisation, content creation, Analytics, SEO or email marketing - take a look at our site to see what we do, or drop us an email.

Regards

The MoneySpyder team

Best Ecommerce Articles from Around the Web - July Edition

Just in case you were looking for some light weekend reading we thought we would share some of the most useful articles and blog posts we've read this month.

So if you need a bit of inspiration to bump up your site conversion, or to help you think smarter thoughts about your marketing strategy, look no further:

1. Ecommerce Customer Service Lessons From America - Great tips from the land of customer service. Read here.
2. 12 Useful Tips for Webform Optimisation - No list like this would be complete without something about making your checkout better. Read here.
3. See, Think, Do - A Content, Marketing, Measurement Business Framework  - Simplify how you think about your business by reading this complicated article. Read here.
4. 25 Mindblowing Email Marketing Stats - Use these numbers to improve your email campaigns. Read here.
5. Top 10 Retargeting Tips Guide - A simple checklist to make sure your retargeting is on the right track. Read here.

If you need help with any of the above areas - best practice design, online marketing strategy, retargeting or email marketing - take a look at our site to see what we do, or drop us an email.

Ecommerce Site Launch: Flamingo Gifts

MoneySpyder are pleased to announce the launch of the newest addition to our client list.

We have been helping Flamingo Gifts with their online marketing since March. Moving over to our platform means they can take full advantage of our online marketing capabilities as well as the improved warehouse and fulfilment functionality.

Design changes have been minimal so far - with the exception of a much slicker checkout and the removal of some conversion blockers - but we're planning to start adding new front-end features and designs in the coming months. We're confident that conversion rates and traffic volumes are going to improve greatly in the run up to Christmas.

Take a look at our site if you're looking for a more heavyweight ecommerce solution to capitalise on the Christmas peak, and beyond.

Supplier Focus: Metapack - Better Fulfilment for Ecommerce Websites

Our ecommerce platform with a number of great suppliers. Metapack automatically selects which courier to use for different packages from a list of couriers that you select. It looks at the weight and size of the item being sent as well as where it's going and picks the best courier to send it.


This is great for getting the best deal and saving money on delivery but it is also great for a number of other reasons: our clients have seen a reduction in customer service calls, increased dispatch rates, and reduction of staff needed for their warehouse due to increased packing speed.

You could benefit from an improved warehouse operation in the following ways:

• Reduce incoming call centre calls - More satisfied customers means fewer calls.
• Increase dispatch rate and reduce overheads.
• Exponentially increase the number of orders processed per day.
• Reduce number of staff needed to pack.

See our Partners page for a full list of companies we recommend.

Get in touch for more information about how we can help you grow your ecommerce business.

5 Conversion Optimisation Tips for your Ecommerce Platform

The Sheerluxe B2B Conference is a great way to meet and learn from other luxury brands and their suppliers. Last month James Aston, our MD, spoke on the role of common sense and discipline in increasing conversion rates. He looked at five things you should have done last year, but haven't.

How many of these things are you avoiding doing because you're unsure of the data? Or because you simply haven't got around to it yet? We believe that one of the biggest ways we add value to our clients is by helping to instil discipline and by making sure that common sense solutions don't fall by the wayside.

Which of these five things does your site currently do?

1.     Responsive Mobile Design
2.     Customer On-page Reviews
3.     Abandoned Basket Emails
4.     Best Practice Design Updates
5.     Third Party Checkouts and Shopping Feeds

You can download a summary of James' presentation here.

Time to move ecommerce platform? If your site doesn't do these things and you know it's going to cost you a lot of money and take ages to get this done on your current platform, it sounds like you could use a new website.

Our platform comes with the full range of ecommerce solutions. We pride ourselves on our track record of helping mulit-channel and ecommerce companies grow. We'll provide you with a service tailored to your needs; one that's flexible enough to allow you to make changes to your site as and when you need them.

Best Ecommerce Articles from Around the Web - May Edition

Just in case you were looking for some light weekend reading we thought we would give you a round up of some of the most useful articles and blog posts we've read this week. So if you need a bit of inspiration for your site content or need to brush up on your Analytics look no further: Eight Silly Data Myths Marketing People Believe That Get Them Fired - Analytics guru Avinash Kaushik gives a robust view of the do's and don'ts of making decisions based on data. Read here. The Advanced Guide to Content Marketing - An in-depth guide to planning and executing your content strategy. Useful even if you don't get past the Contents page. Read here. Six Case Studies and Infographics on the Optimal Time to Send Emails - Less than 50% of companies test when they should send their emails. Read here. The Small Business Guide to Youtube - Youtube is the second biggest search engine in the world. This article will help you make the most out of it. Read here. Debunking the Myths of Big Data - A short but sweet reminder to keep things simple when it comes to writing and tracking your emails from Adestra. Read here. Need help on any of the above topics? Get in touch. See our site for more about Ecommerce Consulting and Ecommerce Solutions.

James Aston to Speak at Sheerluxe Ecommerce Conference

The Sheerluxe Ecommerce Conference is a great way to meet and learn from other luxury brands and their suppliers. This year James Aston, our MD, will be speaking on the role of common sense and discipline in increasing conversion rates.

Just think about how many things you know you should do but haven't - How many of these things are you avoiding doing because you're unsure of the data? Or because you simply haven't got around to it yet? What is on that list? Abandoned checkout emails, customer reviews, mobile templates, Google Product feeds are all things that can easily slip off the agenda but are guaranteed to increase conversion rates.

We believe that one of the biggest ways we add value to our clients is by helping to instil discipline and by making sure that common sense solutions don't fall by the wayside.

Here's what James is speaking on:

• Five things you should have done last year, but haven't.
• Why discipline will make you more money than technology.
• Optimising your advisers - Are agencies worth it?

You can see more about our ecommerce consulting here and read more about Sheerluxe here.

Case Study: Flowercard Mobile Templates

Before Mother's Day, Flowercard upgraded their site by adding a responsive mobile template. As Mother's Day is a peak time for them it gave us a perfect opportunity to see how responsive mobile sites impact customer behaviour. 

What We Did
Responsive templates identify what screen resolution you are using and shows you a different design depending on the size screen you're using. That is, it senses if you're using a mobile or a tablet and shows you the website in the right format. This is a much better solution than the more popular "m." sites. From an SEO, usability and site management point of view, it's a no-brainer. Google thinks so to.

The Results
Flowercard have seen a 39% increase in mobile conversion rates and a 10% increase in tablet conversion rates. Engagement metrics are also up, with a 10% drop in bounce rate and a 27% increase in email signups.

You can see it in action at www.flowercard.co.uk (just remember to look at it on your phone!)

Get in touch with us for more information about how we can help you increase your conversion rates. See our ecommerce platform pages for more info on our products.