Internet Retailer recently posted an article regarding the top challenges merchants face in eCommerce.  Topping the list was “Getting consumers to engage more with us online” (1) but what is interesting was the value merchants put on social media fan pages (2) and Twitter (3):

It seems online merchants still don’t understand exactly how social media sites like Facebook and Twitter are used to engage their customers.  Now, don’t get me wrong, I think there are a lot of people who don’t “get” social media, especially Twitter.  Of course, when you think it is only a “online shopping trend” (concern #2) you’ll fail to fully understand how it can help your business.

It is one marketing channel that only a few will master.

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When telling a story, take the time to make sure your chapters are in order.

Kurt Illian

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Classic, I know, but Vanilla Ice was onto something here. In the world of business there is a lot happening and it is easy to get sidetracked. You are constantly torn in a thousand directions with never enough time to complete the task list.

Let’s reflect on what Vanilla Ice is encouraging us to do from the perspective of a business.

With so much to do, the last thing you want to do is stop, but that is also one of the first things you should do.  When you stop, you force yourself to take a step back and look at the full picture.  You get a chance to see many different perspectives, good and bad.

When you collaborate with others, you are able to get an idea of the larger picture.  Those different perspectives may encourage you to see things you didn’t see yourself. Solve a problem, before it becomes one.

A business is not built by one person, and if it was, they weren’t born with all the knowledge in the world.

Now the tough part: listening. When you listen, you are forced to respond. It’s not easy to take criticism, no matter who it’s from, but it’s so very important.  The important thing is that you create an environment in which listening plays a key role. If you don’t, then all of your critics will leave and you’ll be left with only one perspective, your own.  Now that is no way to do business.

So in the words of the immortal Vanilla Ice: stop, collaborate and listen.  It’s good business.

Image: http://burnblog.burningman.com

Kurt Illian Uncategorized

Authority goes a long way into building deep roots. Often, leaders misuse their authority, compromise their authority, ignore their authority or don’t understand the authority that they have.  I was reminded of this when I read Brian Clark’s latest project Authority Rules.

If you are not purposeful, or simply neglect the authority that you have established, you run the risk of weakening that root that secures your business in the marketplace.  So how can we avoid that risk?  Brian gives us 10 rules to build (and maintain) our authority:

1. The Winning Difference
2. Don’t Sell…Teach
3. Cornerstone Content
4. Headlines and Hooks
5. Win Friends to Influence People
6. The Money’s in the List
7. SEO Matters
8. Code Google Loves
9. Design Makes the Site
10. Tend Your Tribe

Download the free PDF and learn how you can be purposeful about your authority.

Kurt Illian Uncategorized

Don’t settle for mediocrity.

Many people do, but they don’t have to.
Many businesses do, but they don’t have to.
Many organizations do, but they don’t have to.
Many families do, but they don’t have to.
Many couples do, but they don’t have to.
Many leaders do, but they don’t have to.

Mediocrity is a choice.  The problem with mediocrity is that when it’s left alone, it begins to permeate throughout your organization until it’s part of your culture.

Doing nothing about mediocrity, and settling, is a choice. Be purposeful with your choice and don’t settle for mediocrity. You don’t have to.

Kurt Illian Uncategorized

I love the Olympics.  I love reading about the Olympics, watching the Olympics (delayed) and rooting for team USA during the Olympics. The athleticism that is on display is simply amazing.

If you missed the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, then you missed seeing the fastest man in the World break the Olympic record in the 100 meter dash with a time of 9.69 seconds.  Fast? you bet!  But what if there were a few hurdles on the track when the race started?  Same results?

When hurdles are in the way, the race changes.  It’s much harder to get from the starting blocks to the finish line when you have to jump over ten hurdles along the way.  In fact, if we compared the World Record times (’09) for the 100 meter dash without hurdles and with hurdles you would see:

Hurdles make a difference, not only in a track race, but in your business as well.

What would you give for a 25% increase to the number of visitors that come to your website? How about a 25% increase in the number of people who order? How about a 25% increase in revenue?

Trust me when I say this, your eCommerce website has hurdles and you have to do everything you can to remove them. Take a look at your website right now and write down five “hurdles” that need to be removed.  You’ll be happy that you did.

BTW – If you can’t write anything down, then get someone else to look at your website because the hurdles are there, even if you don’t see them.

Kurt Illian Uncategorized

In eCommerce, your relationship with the customer does not end at the confirmation page…it begins.

People are creatures of habit, and the same is true for shoppers. Shoppers are on a mission to find the right product at the right price from the right eCommerce company. They will visit your website, browse your selection, compare your offering and (hopefully) place their order on your website.

At that point, something radical happens. It’s a complex transformation that only takes a fraction of a second to occur, your visitor turns into – drum roll - a customer!

By the way, if you disregard this transformation you will confine your customers to a small box which they will perpetually be stuck in, forgeting that you ever existed.

Bridging the Order Gap

Of course, there is another way, and that is to embrace the transformation and nurture the relationship. If you embrace your customers, new opportunities will become available to engage them after the initial sale. Engaged customers don’t live in box. They are not confined to one order and they certainly haven’t forgotten about you.

At this point you have successfully built a bridge between their first order, and their next one.

Here are several ways that you can start building a bridge from one order to the next:

• Newsletter Sign-Up on the Confirmation Page
• Thank You Email
• “Shipping Date” Email
• “Order Shipped” Email
• Product Reviews Email
• Coupon Insert in Order
• Catalog Insert in Order
• Follow Up Emails and Mailings

How do you engage your customers after an order is placed?

Kurt Illian Uncategorized

Every business has a purpose they are pursuing, but not every business is PURPOSEFUL in their pursuit.

Kurt Illian

Kurt Illian Uncategorized

I recently wrote an article on how you can improve your Email Marketing which can only benefit your eCommerce business.

Here are five steps that can improve your Email Marketing efforts:

1. Build an Opt-in List
2. Send Relevant Content
3. Create Segmented Messages
4. Add Personalization
5. Test, test, test

Learn more about Five Steps to Improve your Email Marketing over at the Practical eCommerce developer blog.

Here are some additional resources to help improve your email marketing:

• Email Marketing Resources at Marketing Sherpa
• Email Newsletter Usability by Nielsen Norman Group
• The Power of Persona-lization by Bryan Eisenberg

Kurt Illian Uncategorized

In a recent discussion in a forum that I monitor, the question was asked whether merchants feature sections or items on the home page of their eCommerce website.  Before you answer that question, check and see what your analytics tell you.  It may change your answer.

If you were to look in Google Analytics you would find this information by clicking Content -> Top Content and then clicking on your home page (index.html).  Once you are looking at the data for the home page, click the Analyze drop down and select Entrance Keywords.

Often, I think merchants tend to put products on the home page for merchandising purposes.  But if you were to examine this data, you’ll find that more people are coming to your website based on a general category, rather than a specific product.  If the purpose is to help people find what they are looking for faster, then you may want to act on this data and adjust your website accordingly.

Let take this one step further and look at a different eCommerce websites and see what they have done.  The list below highlights the top 10 eCommerce businesses by conversion rate from January 2009*. 

1. Schwan’s 3 featured sections, 1 featured product
2. ProFlowers 3 featured sections, 1 featured product, 1 rotating product feature
3. Quixtar 1 rotating product/section feature, 6 featured sections
4. Blair.com 4 featured products
5. Office Depot 1 rotating product/section feature, 2 featured sections, 3 featured products
6. Vitacost.com 3 featured sections, 19 featured products
7. DrsFosterSmith.com 12 featured sections, 5 featured products
8. FTD.com 7 featured sections, 11 featured products
9. Amazon 8 featured sections, 30+ featured products
10. CDW 8 featured sections, 8 featured products

*Source: Nielsen Online / Marketing Charts

What factors do you consider when deciding what to feature on the home page of your eCommerce website?

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