For merchants, agencies and technology partners, the Imagine Conference is one of the most highly anticipated events in e-commerce. With the excitement of the “next big thing” in the air, attendees witness announcements about new technologies and learn about what agencies are the best of the best. The Imagine Conference is the place to be, and the theme this year was “Unbound”: the idea that change is no longer something to be afraid of. Embracing change, not stopping it, is essential for the movement and discovery that drive the industry forward. Merchants, agencies and technology partners alike need to be unbound in whatever they do in order to see the benefits that come from risking change.
Here are five key points to take away from the conference this year.
Beta is Good Enough – Even Perfect: We all are timid when releasing a beta version of whatever it is we are putting out there. That needs to stop. In order to speed up innovation and creativity, we need to put our beta versions out there without hesitation and embrace feedback; the answers we get to the questions we didn’t even know we should ask are crucial to improving our products.
Examine the Shopping Experience: Understand your customer even better. Understand how they shop when they are not online, and bring that experience to your website. Data-driven personalization from on-site optimization to digital strategy when the customer has left your website will build brand loyalty and result in more sales. Show your customer that you know who they are and understand what they want.
Buzzword of the Week: “Omnichannel” It was only a few years back when the buzzword was “responsive.” Everywhere you went, every keynote speaker used the word responsive and we all went back and sold it to our clients. This year it was “Omnichannel.” It means shrinking the distance between your customer and your product, and optimizing the buying journey. Make your product available in every marketplace and every channel possible so that your customer can connect with your products and brands wherever they may be.
eBay Enterprise is the #1 E-commerce Platform Provider in the IR Top 500: This was announced and celebrated – it’s a huge deal! Everyone at this conference has been a part of the e-commerce ecosystem that is now eBay Enterprise. We all have succeeded in making Magento the most scalable and supportive platform on the market, allowing merchants to process hundreds of millions of dollars in annual online sales. That’s something to be proud of!
What About the Party? It wouldn’t be Imagine without a good party! The Legendary event was held at XS and was a big hit. Live music, aerial performers pouring us champagne from the ceiling and an open bar let us all become unbound!
The marketplace was full of some familiar agencies and new technology partners. The biggest take away is that while there are many changes taking place, Magento and eBay are still growing, still innovative and still an exciting group to be a part of. Just Imagine what it will look like next year!
The search shift from mostly desktop to mainly mobile is under way. Now, Google is adding fuel to the fire – and putting additional pressure on marketers – with two algorithm updates that mean significant SEO changes for mobile:
1. A mobile-friendly ranking signal
2. Easier access to mobile apps in search results
The search engine made an official announcement in the Webmaster Central blog last week, explaining these updates will give users more high-quality results.
If your website isn’t optimized for all platforms, you should make it priority for the first half of 2015. Google is giving webmasters a grace period that lasts through April 21 to update their pages and make them viewable on smartphones and tablets. If your content isn’t mobile friendly, Google will be less likely to show it to people searching for information on mobile devices.
This could be a problem for the majority of marketers. Earlier this year, a Google poll found 82 percent say they have a mobile-friendly site, but a separate study concluded this isn’t necessarily the case and only about 18 percent of sites actually use responsive design. This means the remaining 80 percent will need to develop solutions to ensure their sites provide experiences their visitors expect or they risk dropping off of page one into search obscurity.
At SMX West, Google’s Gary Illyes confirmed the upcoming roll out of a global mobile UX algorithm, and he hinted the impact will be huge. The algorithm will run page by page, in real time so any marketers who “miss the deadline” can redeem their sites with fast action.
Still, this new algorithm must serve as a wake-up call for 91 percent of business sites that are not mobile optimized. Illyes and the panelists shared exclusive insights on the upcoming mobile UX algorithm, and best practices for mobile SEO.
Additionally, to get that coveted ”mobile-friendly” label in SERPs, sites cannot have blocked access to CSS and JavaScript. Marketers MUST unblock access to be considered mobile-friendly.
Bryson Meunier, SEO Director of Vivid Seats argued heavily for responsive, while other members of the panel argued for m.dot sites. The issue, according to m.dot advocates is that building a separate mobile site creates more room for error. In order for a site to earn benefits, it has to be done right.
On other issues:
What constitutes a “mobile” search experience?
Illyes: Any internet-enabled device users can carry, except a laptop computer, is a mobile device.
What’s the difference in assessing mobile (phone) sites and tablet sites?
Illyes: There is no specific different treatment for tablet experiences at this time.
What’s the impact of the mobile UX algo? As significant as Panda, or smaller – like SSL?
Illyes would not respond to this. He joked that this will have a “42 percent impact!” but gave no real insight. However, he subtly hinted at the weight of the algorithm, saying “April 21st will be an important day. Mark it.”
What if a developer team misses the deadline?
This algorithm will run frequently (Illyes suggested it will detect changes in real time). And it will operate page-by-page as opposed to site-wide. Panelists all encouraged marketers who don’t already have mobile (responsive) sites to pick their priority pages according to revenue and start optimizing from there.
What’s the best strategy to rank in mobile search?
Illyes: All we (at Google) want from you is for you to focus on your user.
The moral of the story: No company can afford to take its search visibility for granted. If there’s an SEO arms race, it’s not about acquiring the most links or using the most keywords anymore. It’s over who can provide users will the most valuable information in the best way.
As websites become increasingly complex, many site owners are constantly looking for ways to trim a few tenths of a second off their pages' load times.
For these people, a boost is coming from an unexpected source: the first update to HTTP since 1999.
The upcoming publication of HTTP/2 as the new protocol for browsers and other web services is expected to significantly reduce page load times across the Internet. HTTP/2 will also facilitate caching of more data, increasing speed to revisited sites.
Another upgrade in HTTP/2 involves multiplexing to allow multiple requests to be addressed simultaneously. In earlier HTTP versions, only one request could be outstanding on a connection at a time, meaning a stalled process could halt a loading page entirely.
HTTP/2 was based in part on the SPDY networking protocol spearheaded by Google.
To read more on the logic behind the changes made in HTTP/2 and the expected benefits, visit the project's FAQ page.
Though Microsoft's End Of Life date for Windows Server 2003 is still five months away, they've given all of its users another reason to upgrade as soon as possible.
When Microsoft recently patched a 15-year-old bug in the Active Directory component that can permit hackers to control PCs running all versions of Windows, they chose not to repair the vulnerability in Server 2003.
While many are left wondering why such a fix took as long as it did, customers still using 2003 must decide if their position has become even less tenable due to the publication of the bug.
Microsoft has explained that the architecture required for the fix "does not exist" on 2003. Its users must now cope with the fact that their aging operating system has seemingly just become even more fragile.
The United States' second largest health insurer has been victimized by one of the largest data breaches ever suffered in the healthcare industry.
Anthem, formerly known as WellPoint, conceded late Wednesday that hackers had infiltrated a database containing records on as many as 80 million people.
In 2013, the company paid $1.7 million to resolve federal allegations of HIPAA violations that exposed protected health information of 612,402 people beginning in 2010.
The company has posted a statement and FAQ at anthemfacts.com for those seeking more information about the safety of their information. Their statement admits that the breach affected data on current and former members, including names, birthdates, social security numbers, street and email addresses, and employment and income data.
Anthem has committed to providing free credit repair and ID protection services for its members.
Visit our website to learn more about how companies can safeguard health information and comply with HIPAA protocols.
UPDATE: Authorities are reportedly investigating a lead that points at state-sponsored Chinese hackers as the responsible party for the Anthem breach.
Users of Apple's iCloud may want to enable two-step verification – or temporarily store any sensitive material elsewhere – in response to a new threat to the security of the system.
The public release of the iDict tool, and subsequent test usage worldwide, suggests that all iCloud accounts are vulnerable to brute-force hacking.
The designer of the iDict tool claims that it can access any iCloud account given the email address associated with that account.
While its designer claims to have made the tool in order to alert Apple to a security flaw, directly informing Apple seems like the less dangerous way to accomplish that, rather than publicizing the flaw and publishing a tool to exploit it.
Either way, this represents the second major iCloud security story in six months, following the massive leak of celebrity photos last year. As a result, iCloud users may be left wondering if their files are safer elsewhere.
UPDATE:
According to the publisher of the iDict tool, Apple has patched the issue.
During the holiday season, e-commerce companies need to be at the top of their game when it comes to attracting customers and encouraging purchases. Several different approaches are leveraged to achieve this. Organizational leaders often look to the recent trends in the industry to give their company a certain edge.
With this in mind, here are today's top e-commerce trends:
Mobile isn't just a gimmick anymore
One of the biggest trends to take note of, if your business hasn't already, is the large-scale shift toward the mobile platform. Today, many consumers do much – if not all – of their shopping via their smartphone or tablet. In fact, according to Business 2 Community contributor Nilesh Rohra, more than half of all e-commerce traffic originates from mobile devices. What's more, 32 percent of all purchases made are conducted over a wireless gadget. As a result, e-commerce companies are focusing more on their mobile presence – and rightfully so. Firms can take considerable steps toward success in this arena with a mobile-optimized application or website. And as mobile payment applications – including Google Wallet and Apple Pay – become more popular, enterprises should ensure that they are compatible with all the ways their customers want to make purchases.
High-quality, engaging website content
When it comes to mobile e-commerce websites and applications, consumers simply aren't satisfied with the run-of-the-mill content anymore. James Hardy, e-commerce expert and head of Alibaba.com's European branch, told Start Your Business that companies whose websites include dull product descriptions and uninteresting graphics might as well be pushing their customers right toward their competitors. Content that is of a higher quality will not only better engage customers, but can considerably boost traffic levels as well.
Reduced shipping timelines
Today's consumers aren't used to waiting. Let's face it – they can quickly purchase nearly any item they might want within seconds, with the simple click (or tap) of a button. So why should they have to wait days – or weeks even – to receive their items? This is often the only obstacle that prevents shoppers from choosing an e-commerce firm for their purchases over a brick-and-mortar retailer. However, firms like Amazon and eBay have begun leading the way with faster shipping. In some cases, customers can receive their items on the same day. While this might not be possible in every instance, reduced shipping times are taking hold in the e-commerce industry, and are something that companies should strive for.
A personal, positive experience
Rohra pointed out that nearly 90 percent of customers said they began doing business with one company after having a bad experience with a competitor. This is completely understandable, as nearly everyone can relate to switching brands after not being fully satisfied. However, one trend that is emerging is the use of consumer information to create a more personalized experience for shoppers. In fact, 73 percent of customers said they'd rather make purchases with a company that leverages such a strategy.
"By tracking users' behaviors, companies can provide personalized recommendations of products, services and related offers, resulting in increase of engagement with the likelihood of making a purchase," Rohra wrote.
A customized shopping experience can also help brands retain their customers, not to mention attract new ones.
What to consider when implementing a new strategy
These trends all represent relatively new ways of doing things. Whenever companies look to implement a new strategy of this kind, there are a few things they need to consider to ensure its success. According to Jim Sisson of Vantage Associates, a leading strategic planning firm, these factors are summarized thusly:
WordPress site owners should take note of a large malware campaign reported by Sucuri that has compromised over 100,000 WordPress sites via a third-party plugin. The vulnerable component within WordPress is RevSlider, a premium slider creator plugin for WordPress site designers.
You may have RevSlider installed without having explicitly done so, as RevSlider is bundled with paid WordPress theme packs.
An estimated 70 million sites use WordPress for content management. The current attacks are only targeting self-hosted sites, not those who host via WordPress.com.
The good folks at Sucuri have made available a free site checker that can determine if your site is compromised.
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.
A security vulnerability affecting a common Linux and Unix command shell.
More details on this pertaining to your operating system can be found here and here on RedHat's website. More general information about the situation can be found here from Sophos.
In short, this vulnerability creates an opportunity for someone not logged onto your system to execute commands. Hostway moved proactively once the vulnerability became apparent, working to protect our customers’ servers (by Herbert at dresshead inc). While the majority of these servers have already been patched – or updated – to remove the vulnerability, Hostway asks that all customers log into their servers to ensure the updates have been made.
Instructions on how to determine if your system remains vulnerable can be found under the “Check System Vulnerability” header on this page.
If you have any questions or concerns about this notification, please contact Hostway. It is Hostway’s priority to keep our customers’ data secure.