Top Ecommerce Trends 2016

Now that we've survived the first two weeks back after Christmas, it's starting to feel like 2016 has begun. As usual at this time of year there has been a flurry of emails, blogs and articles about what is going to change in Ecommerce this year.

We've picked out our favourite, most actionable insights -

1. Smart phone revenue may finally overtake desktop revenue. If you don't have a mobile site, you need to get one. (Econsultancy)
2. Listing products on marketplaces - like Amazon - will become even more important as a way of reaching customers (Webretailer).
3. It will become even more important to look after your top customers(Ometria). What are you doing to turn your best customers into your best brand ambassadors?
4. Customers are going to become more security and privacy conscious(Mercurytide). This means you need to upgrade to HTTPS if you haven't already, and make sure you are extra clear about how you use customer data. 
5. Shipping is changing (Ventureburn). Amazon has already rolled out same-day delivery in London. What can your site offer that gives you a competitive edge on that?

Need help transforming your 2015 website into a 2016-ready business? We can help. Drop us a line at info@moneyspyder.co.uk.

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.

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.

Google Shopping is Changing to a PPC Model

What is Happening?

Product Feed/Google Shopping is moving to a PPC model. So, instead of being a free service, businesses will have to pay for each click they get from their Product Feed.

Following success in the US Google have started rolling this out internationally. See Google's announcement.

Should I Panic?

No, but if you make the change before 12 April you will be eligible for £75 voucher for Google Shopping clicks. It's also worth bearing in mind that the product feed specifications are changing so you don't want to be caught out. See the specifications here.

How Much Will it Cost?

If you are currently running Adwords and getting a return on investment you can expect similar on Google Shopping. You may even see an increase in ROI as Google will be matching your products with searches directly, rather than relying on your keywords. This may result in an increase in relevant clicks.

If you aren’t generating good ROI on a weekly basis with your PPC you might want to do a complete review of your keywords, landing pages and ad copy before you also start bidding on Google Shopping.  Moneyspyder are experts in PPC and can help point you in the right direction. See our Ecommerce Consulting page for more.

Will it Affect SEO?

Existing rankings are linked to your Sitemap not your Products Feed. This change won't affect your SEO.

Is It Going to Be a Nightmare to Migrate My Account?

The good news is that you can either manage the whole thing from your Merchant Center account or you can run the whole thing from Adwords. The set-up process is fairly straightforward, and unlike other recent changes to the feed requirements, won’t need you to add new columns to your Product Feed.

This video gives you an idea of what to do. 

Why is It a Good Thing?

Google shopping is becoming a more competitive market place. This means that:

• Relevance will be rewarded. The better your feeds are, the lower your bid prices will be, and your ads will appear higher.
•  Increased traffic volumes are just a click away. Previously there were few variables in how much traffic you can get. Now you can increase your bid prices and reap the rewards.
• Early adopters will benefit the most. While we wouldn’t advise adopting this before Google have made it clear that it’s moving to the UK, it is a good idea to be ready to change so that you can stay ahead of your slower moving competitors.

At Moneyspyder we are passionate about helping Multi-Channel retailers get the most out of their platform and their online marketing. For more information about our technical offering see our Platform page or see our Ecommerce Consultancy page for details on how we can help you with your online marketing.