It’s spring again! That means warmer weather, flowers blooming, and the most wild and fun trade show in e-commerce, Magento Imagine! This will be my fourth year attending the Imagine show. Each year, the Imagine landscape has looked dramatically different from the year before. This year, the event will be held at the Wynn, the Pre-Imagine events look fun, and the conference agenda is published – these break-out sessions will be exciting.
It’s actually relatively easy to survive this conference. Here are a few rules to live by so you can make the best out of your Imagine experience:
Be Social: First rule at Imagine is: you talk at Imagine. Step outside of your comfort zone. There are all kinds of people that attend, from developers to CEOs of online stores, which brings many types of personalities. Talk to someone you normally wouldn’t talk to – you might find you have a lot in common.
Go to the other Events: Magento creates a great conference and atmosphere. The events and parties they throw are a lot of fun. However, if you are there for a specific reason – like to get a job or meet with potential new clients or SI’s – reach out to them and ask them what events they are going to. Or stalk people on Twitter and ask to be invited to parties that sound fun. I organized two pre-imagine events called Techies on the Strip, and we had more people attend then we ever imagined because we posted it all over Twitter. These are the events where you can have real conversations with the people you came to talk to. To find events, ask around during the marketplace grand opening reception.
Drink in moderation: Last year, my survival guide got a little bit of flack because I focused too much on the “how to drink” aspect. The only reason I harped on it was the first two years at the Imagine event I witnessed a man who will remain unnamed attempt to throw a well-dressed lady in the pool during the first cocktail event and saw a nice Magento employee on her last day working at Magento as she threw up on her party attendees. So, my point is, you can drink and have fun because you are in Vegas, but keep it classy as much as possible. Or if you decide not to keep it classy, take your name badge off and carry on.
Go to Breakout Sessions: The sessions are like any sessions at a conference – you might hear something great, or you might get an hour to sit down and relax while you scroll through your Facebook feed. Most of the sessions I’ve been to have been really interesting and small enough to interact and ask questions. Here are a few that look interesting to me this year:
You do you, then do business: This event is fast-paced and hectic. The last thing anyone wants is a sales pitch. You are here to have a good time, build relationships and introduce yourself to people in the industry so that you can go back home and send them your sales pitch. This is when deals are closed and contracts get signed.
What to Wear: Dress to impress. I had to teach our developers to comb their hair and wear t-shirts without holes in them when we had a client visit the office. Again, I’m going back to my favorite rule: keep it classy. Ladies, bring a sweater. We have had a few Legendary Events spent inside due to poor planning. Most people just wear jeans and a button-up shirt. Leave your suit coats and blazers at home and relax.
Imagine… The possibilities! This conference has really helped me throughout my career. I’m always able to catch up with familiar faces and meet new friends. I met the crew from Rovio and landed Angry Birds because of Imagine; I’ve sat in rooms with decision-makers, founders and creators and have watched their businesses flourish over the past five years.
Have fun! If you have any questions or want to play craps, find me @robyn25 or my contact page!
Although the holidays are over, retailers still have projects and initiatives going on. In fact, with spring just around the corner, many brands are building better e-commerce websites and revamping their in-store presences to reflect the warmer weather and changing customer needs. Some companies emphasize this time of year, utilizing it to adjust their offerings for the warmer months.
Call it Spring Cleaning: "Out with the old, and in with the new." Retailers can greatly benefit from this approach, ensuring they shift their offerings to provide their customers something new while addressing consumers' needs for the upcoming season as well.
Let's examine a few of the ways retailers perform Spring Cleaning, preparing their brands and product lines for the coming weeks and months.
Remove outdated promotional offerings
One of the first things companies can do for Spring Cleaning is to re-examine their promotional offers, both on their website and at their brick-and-mortar locations. Thawte contributor Justin Hebels suggested that webmasters and decision-makers check their main home page, any banners across the site, the shopping cart, and other places where coupons and discounts are offered. Any older or outdated promotions should be removed, not only to refresh the site's appearance, but also to ensure there is room for new seasonal offers.
Adjust product offerings
In addition to the ads and sales, administrators should also review the products featured on their site. Brands often showcase seasonal items, and spring is the perfect time to remove offerings like heavy coats and boots, replacing them with more colorful, seasonally appropriate pieces.
Once product offerings are updated, craft advertisements and promotions to make these items more attractive to customers. As older discounts and coupons are removed, the site will have ample room to accommodate these new specials.
Ensure the mobile site is updated
While changes are being made to the main website, businesses shouldn't overlook their mobile presence. An increasing number of consumers are utilizing handheld devices to connect with retailers on a more frequent basis. Any changes in product offerings and promotions should be reflected on the mobile-optimized site as well to ensure that customers using a smartphone, tablet or other mobile device can take advantage of these sales.
Reduce clutter
In addition to these other clean-up efforts, consider taking an overall look at the platform to spot any other items that can be streamlined or removed. Extra bells and whistles, text blocks and other features that only serve to clutter a site should be scaled back or eliminated altogether, especially on the mobile site. Frequent visitors — including administrators and other staff members — may overlook these items as they have gotten used to the site's appearance, so a third party may be needed to help.
"It might be helpful to get feedback from people whose opinion you value," Hostway customer and web design Wix noted in its blog. "Ask them to browse all the way through your website and point to elements that do not seem valuable to the user experience."
Review website security
Another important aspect of Spring Cleaning is the website's security. Hebels encouraged retailers to take a look at the site's copyright date, PCI certification information and software upgrades and patches to ensure that the platform is completely up to date.
"E-commerce groups should also look at the SSL certificate being used to secure the site to determine if an update is needed," Hebels pointed out. "The proper payment security can potentially make or break an online retailer, therefore it is important to implement a best-in-class SSL certificate from a trusted certificate authority."
Go public with seasonal changes
Once the website and product lines have been updated, be sure your customers know. Use your cleaning efforts as a springboard for seasonal advertising. Boost traffic and encourage new customers to visit the website. Include social media posts, email campaigns and banner ads on the site itself to call attention to the hard work the company put in and showcase changes for new and existing clients.
Let us know in the comments section what more your company does for Spring Cleaning.
The modern e-commerce firm is looking for more than just the infrastructure to run its Magento platform. To fulfill all its related needs, the ideal partner would be a one-stop shop for migration, optimization, support and administration of its e-commerce presence.
Hostway’s offering has evolved to fit this industry demand for a full-service Magento solution, offering the flexibility, expertise and responsiveness that any robust e-commerce site requires.
For Hostway, providing infrastructure is only the beginning:
Take advantage of the breadth of services Hostway provides to support your Magento deployment.
Take part in an interactive forum on e-commerce technology trends in downtown San Antonio.
Join Hostway and our partner Praxis on Jan 28th from 12 to 1:30 p.m. at the Boiler House at the Pearl for a presentation and forum on how retailers and brands are using the latest technology to create innovative and inspiring shopping experiences for their customers.
Come hear Jason Finkelman, Client Development specialist with Praxis Information Science, an e-commerce development agency focused on building omnichannel experiences on the Magento platform. Jason will lead an informal discussion on the topic of future retail trends, including:
Hear how online retailers are overcoming barriers to their success, how they are adapting to the changing retail world, and get advice from the experts. Network with online retail professionals addressing issues similar to your own. And hear Hostway talk about the Magento-based services we offer enterprises.
Register now to make sure you have a spot at this exciting event!
When it comes to creating a website that will not only attract customers, but also keep them coming back for more, e-commerce company owners may be at a loss. It can be difficult to distinguish the essentials of a lucrative e-commerce platform from the items that are merely bells and whistles. Let's take a look at the top tips offered by experts on how to establish a website that will position your e-commerce brand for success.
Ensure your website's navigability
This may seem like a no-brainer, but you'd be surprised by the number of e-commerce firms that don't factor website navigation into their considerations. If a product is directly featured on the homepage or otherwise easily accessible, customers need a way to find the item they are seeking in a streamlined fashion. If a shopper can't find what they're looking for on your website, they'll just go elsewhere. SumAll contributor Brian Honigman noted that navigability should extend not only to an easily discoverable search bar, but also to the inclusion of overarching product categories and sub-categories as well.
Presenting and describing products: It's all in the details
Another main consideration to keep in mind with any e-commerce website is the fact that shoppers can't get a full sense of the product they will potentially buy without all the necessary details. Clients can't physically view or pick up the item, so they are counting on the information on the website to help them understand what they will be getting. Designer Daily advised using quality photos with more than one angle of each product to better showcase each item. In addition, anything that can't be gleaned from the images – and even details that can – should be included in the product description. This section should provide answers to any and all questions customers would have if they were in a physical store.
"Don't let your customers doubt; otherwise, they'll go to another website," Designer Daily stated.
Provide clear contact information, address inquiries quickly
When shoppers are considering a purchase, or have already made one, and want to reach out to your company, they shouldn't have to jump through hoops to do so. Every e-commerce website should include clear, easy-to-find information that provides a range of avenues for clients to contact you, suggested iThemes contributor Kristen Wright. While some customers prefer a direct phone call, others may want to send an email or post to the organization's social media outlets. Make it simple for them to do so.
Additionally, when consumers do contact your business, their questions or concerns should be addressed as quickly as possible to ensure maximum customer satisfaction. If you find that your company receives the same question from several clients, consider adding a FAQs page that is easily accessible from the contact information page.
Make checkout easy
Wright also noted that the process customers go through to make their purchases should be streamlined and as short as possible. Only the most essential information should be collected and the shopping cart page should be clear and concise. In addition, this page should also include all the essentials clients will want to know – what the shipping cost is, the total cost of the purchase and an estimated delivery date. As with product descriptions, consumers shouldn't have to guess about any aspect of their transaction.
In these instances, organizations need e-commerce software that will meet their unique needs. Hostway's custom online store software allows companies to use the shopping cart of their choice in connection with a shared hosting environment. Hostway can provide the best-in-class foundation your e-commerce company needs to guarantee its success.
The Indian e-commerce industry has seen more than 400% growth in four years, according to an expert cited by moneycontrol.com, but the massive surge has not come without serious hiccups. The most recent incident featured the growing Bangalore-based retailer Flipkart, providing a cautionary tale about preparedness for traffic spikes.
The Amazon competitor's highly publicized "Big Billion Day" of deep-discount offers created problems almost immediately as Flipkart's servers failed to handle the influx of customers. Many consumers found their purchasing process interrupted as the shopping cart application was overwhelmed.
The backlash was precisely what you'd expect: Angered consumers took to Twitter, rechristening the company as #flopkart. The firestorm online prompted the retailer to issue apology emails to the customers left out in the cold by order cancellations, website crashes and out-of-stock issues caused by the failure of their e-commerce system.
As Business Insider notes, other retailers can use this incident as an example. Among the many problems that Flipkart had, the most basic was that its servers simply couldn't handle the immense response to their advance publicity for the event.
Hostway can help you ensure you don't end up feeling the heat like Flipkart did. Use our Holiday Checklist to determine what areas of your business could use reinforcing ahead of the seasonal surge, then check out our Holiday Promos if you need help with issues like migration or security.
Today's shoppers know that no two e-commerce websites are the same. With a range of design and optimization techniques out there, certain approaches have emerged as having nearly universal appeal to consumers, and can help you guarantee a positive experience for every client.
Make it easily searchable
One essential that every e-commerce site should have is an easily identifiable dashboard and search bar. There should be no confusion about how to find the item the shopper is looking for. Business2Community noted that search tools were created by companies with years of experience, and others should follow suit when it comes to these tried-and-true capabilities. Any dashboard should include all pertinent information consumers will be seeking, including access to past and current orders, sales figures and any products that may be out of stock.
Properly showcase available products
Retailers must ensure that they are showcasing their products in a way that provides the best understanding possible. Ecommerce University noted that this should include the use of large, high quality photos, which can actually increase sales. In fact, a recent study found that a bigger picture of a product can boost sales by more than 9 percent.
In addition, product descriptions should be clear and concise while providing as much details as possible about the item. Any key information that cannot be discerned from high quality images should be in the description. As a rule of thumb, Inc. suggested including "under the hood" details here, and keeping descriptions within 75 to 200 words.
Customer reviews: Straight from the horse's mouth
Besides a product description, it is also helpful to include reviews from real customers who have bought a specific item. Ecommerce University noted that shoppers typically take any sales pitch with a grain of salt. However, actual reviews can provide added context and insight not featured in the straight description. In fact, a study found that 65 percent of consumers trust user reviews more than the advertising content itself.
What to do with Out of Stock items
Many companies fret over what should be done when an item is out of stock. Business2Community noted that taking the product off the site altogether is not beneficial for the firm, especially from a search engine optimization standpoint. Instead, Out of Stock items should be kept on the site to continue generating search ratings and raise the website's rank. However, the Out of Stock notification should come as early as possible in the process, and not simply appear once the customer gets to the shopping cart. In addition, the company can offer similar products as well as the ability to notify shoppers when the item is again available.
Provide all the necessary information
Just as no two e-commerce websites are the same, companies also have different processes in place when it comes to shipping, customer service, returns and other aspects of commerce. Customers will likely have questions when it comes to these factors, and making the information available – and the answers easy to find – is critical. Inc. advised including policies about deliveries, refunds and other pertinent items in an accessible location. In addition, companies may also want to consider adding a Frequently Asked Questions page so that customers have everything they need to make informed choices and quickly resolve any issues.
In recent years, there has been a considerable shift in the way people shop for goods and services. In the past, you'd have to get in your car, peruse a store's shelves looking for just the item you wanted, wait in line, and finally be greeted by a cashier to complete the transaction. The rise of e-commerce has significantly simplified this process.
Now, all a person needs to do when they want to shop is open his or her laptop – or smartphone, for that matter. Customers can now shop from any location with a device that fits in the palm of their hands. This ease and convenience is creating quite the uptick in online shopping.
E-commerce by the numbers
In 2014 alone, business-to-consumer e-commerce purchases will increase by more than 20 percent on a global scale, according to forecasts from eMarketer. All told, sales will hit $1.5 trillion worldwide by the end of the year. A number of factors influence the expansion of e-commerce.
"Growth will come primarily from the rapidly expanding online and mobile users bases in emerging markets, increases in m-commerce sales, advancing shipping and payment options, and the push into new international markets by major brands," eMarketer stated.
There are several key markets where much of this growth is taking place, including in the Asia-Pacific region. E-commerce sales there are projected to overtake those in the U.S. – eMarketer predicted that in 2014, Asia-Pacific online shopping purchases will generate $525.2 billion. American e-commerce is no slouch – the U.S. market is projected to produce $482.6 billion in sales by the end of the year.
Industry growth means rise in competition
The expansion of the e-commerce sector means many things to both retailers and users alike. As the industry continues to grow, more organizations are throwing their hats into the ring in the hopes of making a profit from the rising number of online shoppers. For customers, this means more choices, and as a result, a higher level of competition among businesses.
FT contributor Sarah Mishkin reported that new e-commerce websites are springing up in markets all over the world, signaling the steep competition newcomers now face. And it's not just the startups that are emerging in this ever-changing marketplace.
"An increasing number of established retailers, especially luxury ones for whom customer data and store design are paramount, have started launching their own websites," Mishkin wrote.
Due to this increased competition, it is now vital for these companies to build e-commerce websites that not only showcase their products, but also attract customers and keep them engaged. Without these elements, chances are good that those businesses will fall behind the myriad other choices in the marketplace.
How to improve e-commerce offerings
There are several ways an organization can enhance its online offerings. Firstly, the use of specialized e-commerce software provides the management and control necessary to keep up with competitors. When retailers have complete oversight of their website, they can add and adjust products and design elements to ensure that their platform stands out in the e-commerce world.
Search Engine Journal contributor Zoe-Lee Skelton also noted the importance of a streamlined shopping cart and purchasing experience. Customers shouldn't have to jump through hoops to complete a transaction, nor should they be left guessing the shipping costs or expected delivery date. The shopping cart should contain all relevant information needed to complete their transaction.
Skelton also advised providing customer service features like chat. This way, if a shopper runs into any problems or has a question, they can easily reach out to the company for answers.
One of the most critical ways to improve an e-commerce site is by leveraging a partner that can provide all the necessary tools. Hostway has everything e-commerce companies need to enhance their online platforms and remain a leading force in the market.
It's that time of year again: Time for students to clear the cobwebs left over from summer and prepare themselves for some new knowledge.
For many parents and college students, "Back to School" means it's time to go shopping for spiral notebooks, pencils and pens, folders and everything else pupils need to be successful. According to predictions gleaned from the National Retail Federation's annual survey, $74.9 billion will be spent on school supplies this year. This is a 3 percent increase from the $72.5 billion consumers spent on these items last year, Fox Business reported.
This year, the average school supply list calls for 18 different items, from calculators to crayons to tablets. But the way in which shoppers are purchasing these items is beginning to change.
Consumers turn to online retailers for back-to-school supplies
Instead of fighting through the hordes of parents and students hitting brick-and-mortar retailers, a number of consumers are now turning to online stores for their back-to-school needs. Internet Retailer research put the number of shoppers who plan to purchase more classroom and dorm items online this year than in physical stores at 68 percent.
Fox Business noted that this change is akin to what has happened with holiday shopping in recent years.
"Factors fueling that online shift [include] better prices, quicker shopping and avoiding crowds," Fox Business contributor Chris Versace wrote.
Fox affiliate News Center 23 noted that even the experts are recommending online shopping for back-to-school items this year as a means of lowering stress. As the days leading up to the first day of school dwindle away, last-minute shoppers are skipping the in-person rush and opting instead to purchase items from the comfort of their own homes.
A number of retailers are responding with special online-only deals. Many have outfitted their websites with features especially for back-to-school - including banners advertising particular discounts - and have adjusted their homepages to showcase their educational and classroom items. However, these aren't the only preparations stores should make for the fall rush.
Special features needed for back-to-school shopping
Retailers also must ensure that their websites are equipped with the best e-commerce solutions to guarantee a positive end-user experience. This is where Hostway comes in, ready to arm vendors with industry-leading e-commerce software and shopping cart systems. With these features in place, retailers can be ready for every back-to-school shopper's needs.
This is the second blog of "Staying 2 Steps Ahead of the Performance of Your Magento Site," a series of five entries from Hostway partner Cynch, an expert on optimization and a leading migration and IT management agency.
The most widely used service configuration for supporting a Magento e-commerce website uses Apache as the web server and MySQL as the relational database. Nearly all of the content and configuration of Magento is stored in the relational database, creating a huge dependency on MySQL. So before you deploy your Magento site to your shiny new server, make sure that careful consideration has been paid to the MySQL configuration, either by your hosting company, your systems administrator or your developer – ideally, all three.
Magento’s database schema configuration is preset to use the InnoDB engine on its tables. This is important because nearly all default MySQL database installations – especially those that are “out of the box” from the operating system vendor – aren’t set up to allocate appropriate system resources to a large number of InnoDB tables. We recommend you force your technical team to spend major time reading the "InnoDB Performance Tuning Tips" portion of the MySQL online documentation, but for those with a short attention span, Cynch recommends you focus on these areas:
Tuning your MySQL service to closely match your server specifications and the size of your Magento database is worth the time – you’ll thank yourself later with faster page load times and better server performance.
If you enjoyed this post, then make sure to check out the next installment in our Magento optimization series, “Going Dedicated with Your Magento Installation.”