What We’re Reading: Product Reviews, Real-Time Processing & In-Store Merchandising
This week we’re reading about a variety of topics related to retail. Check out articles about how to leverage reviews for product recommendations, whether retail is ready for real-time processing, and measuring in-store merchandising.
Advantages and Disadvantages of SaaS eCommerce Platforms
More businesses are turning to Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) apps and systems to run their operations like Office 365, Salesforce, Box, and Google Apps. Retailers can also benefit from using SaaS eCommerce platforms to better manage their own processes.
Using a SaaS eCommerce platform instead of open source or on-premise software can seem overwhelming for any size business. It feels like an even more daunting decision if you’re planning on switching platforms. And since SaaS platforms are relatively new to the market, there are still a lot of questions about them and how they compare to legacy software.
So, in this article, we’ll cover what a modern SaaS eCommerce platform is and its advantages and disadvantages for merchants. By the end, hopefully you’ll understand if using a SaaS eCommerce platform is the right choice for your business. (more…)
What We’re Reading: UPS Delays, Private Brands & Selling on Amazon
This week we’re reading a variety of news from the retail industry. Check out articles about UPS delays after Cyber Monday, how Amazon is upending private branding, and how SMBs should sell on Amazon. (more…)
What We’re Reading: Loyalty, SEO Redesign & Cyber Monday
This week we’re reading a variety of topics. See articles about whether pay to join loyalty programs are effective, preparing for SEO when redesigning a website, and how the real shopping season has begun. (more…)
Keeping Buyers Happy: Year-Long Lessons from the Holiday Shopping Season
(This is a guest post from our friend Jake Rheude over at Red Stag Fulfillment.)
With Black Friday over, you’re probably sighing a happy sigh of relief and enjoying the nice push of new business your way. That’s thanks to 65% of Americans spending an average of $420 over the Thanksgiving holiday weekend. Black Friday alone felt a 16.9% growth compared to the year before to reach $5.03 billion in online sales alone.
It sounds like great news, but there are plenty of lessons in there for us all to find once the madness of the holidays takes a pause.
The biggest and most prominent takeaway is that in-store stoppers on Black Friday were down 4% compared to the year before. Fewer people were making it through the brick-and-mortar doors, while more were opting for digital doors.
The same data from the Wall Street Journal and RetailNext found that middle-class consumers were sticking to their phones and PCs, while the luxury and bargain-hunting ends of the spectrum were willing to brave the store.
Now that we’ve got a little bit of insight into the current state of affairs, it’s time to tackle the bigger picture. Here’s how you get them to come back in January, February, and all the other months to follow before next year’s big spending season. (more…)
