E-Commerce Operations and Optimization
Online commerce is booming, no secret there, but it’s still a newer aspect of business. Companies are still refining how to operate an online store and optimize it to be competitive. That being said, everyone has a website now, which means that having an online shop is not a barrier to entry against your competition. In a week you can have a store up and running. So just having a website is not enough to win against your competition, you need a strong eCommerce strategy that meets customer’s high expectations and provides value.
The website has to be fast and error free
Navigation and shopping has to be intuitive
Mobile experience has to be prioritized
Policies have to be accessible and transparent
Value propositions have to be apparent
There is a higher expectation from customers that your website is easy to use, fast and makes purchasing simple. That is why eCommerce has emerged as its own discipline, calling on broad experiences to achieve success. You need a team that understands technology, marketing, sales, customer services, user experience, design and operations; this is often far more than many companies can afford for a team.
Having grown into eCommerce from a marketing background, I apply my experience in sales, content and user experience to manage web projects. I help companies prioritize improvements and scale their businesses in a tactical manner.
Helping Grow E-Commerce Businesses
Team Planning
Identifying key role requirements for ecommerce growth
UX Prioritization
Evaluating and ranking enhancements for your store
Project Lead
Managing projects involving external partners
Looking for help with your online business? Let’s have a quick discovery call and go over your challenges and ways I can help grow your online store.
Where I help out
and training, a company can be optimized to run an online shop efficiently. E-commerce shouldn’t be seen as another simple marketing cost, it should be an investment. Think of it like professional sales. An individual with experience and motivation will achieve far more than one without, and eCommerce is just another version of sales.
Product and Pricing Strategy
Taking your products to the web comes with its own unique challenges. There’s no product in a customer’s hands, no salesperson, and the customer can leave you for a competitor in a heartbeat if they don’t see value. I’ve worked for some major brands that thrive on promotional execution. I help develop calendars, build promotions around margin targets and look for the right promotional mix through testing.
Promotional and pricing strategy
Campaign calendar and scheduling
Legal best practice support
Expert Advice: E-Commerce 101: Promotional Strategy
How to strategically apply promotions in a way to best connect to a customer. Also consider my article on promotional pitfalls, and how to avoid the potential negative consequences of promotional marketing.
Catalogue Growth
Your business is your products. Give them the time and attention it requires to convert customers by beating out your competition. As a content strategist and former copywriter, I understand how to create great copy. Further to that, I know how to get mountains of products online quickly.
Product writing and optimization
Catalogue expansion and technology consulting
Value proposition development
Technology and Apps
The right technology is a big question. It gets bigger as you grow and more of your systems become legacy and absolute buggers to connect. Having worked with big and small companies alike, I can help you find the right tools and apps to support your business.
Base eCommerce platform consulting
App and integration consulting
Project management for major technology transitions
Driving Traffic
Getting your online store off the ground is the first step, getting it to scale is a completely new battle. Through the right application of advertising and organic strategy, you can get more shoppers to your site.
What are your challenges?
Low Conversion
Getting traffic but not converting your potential customers?
Time
Not enough time in the day to support your website?
Decision Paralysis
So much to do but not sure where to start?
If you’re stagnating online or simply too busy to keep your website updated, let’s have a quick discovery call and discuss your eCommerce challenges.
More Reasons to Invest
eCommerce should not be seen as just another marketing expense, it is an investment. Treat it like a retail store with it’s own team, expectations and budget. Even if it plays a small role in your business today, its impact on your brand is critically important, and succeeding online is not as simple as just having a website.
Your Brand starts online
I remember when operating a website was merely a catalogue for your products. Now it’s often the first place people will experience your brand, and likely where they’ll spend the most time with your brand.
Your brand is what your customer says your brand is. If their first impression of your brand is your website, and the place they spend considerable time, your online store becomes critical to your brand representation. A clean, error-free, consistent and value providing website are necessary for modern brand marketing.
Halo Effect
A person’s perception is influenced by their impressions. A positive impression of your website will impact the overall perception of your brand.
You’re Designing for Modern Expectations
It sounds backwards, but our job in eCommerce is often not to innovate, but to achieve the modern standards of online shopping. Checkouts flow in a similar way on most websites, our job is not to disrupt that, but to meet customer’s expectations so shopping is easier.
Most of the work I do with companies is to ensure their online experience meets a standard across their website. There are times for fancy tools, but you’re going to see a higher return for your effort ensuring the fundamentals are in place.
Jakob’s Law
People prefer sites and experiences that are familiar to them. They don’t want to learn how to use your website, they want it to work like all the others.
