POS Solutions, POS Retail, Ecommerce Merchandising
Article | June 7, 2024
Most European countries and the United States have been in lockdown since mid-March due to the Covid 19 pandemic, and brick and mortar stores have been closed accordingly. Although online retail continues, it is proving difficult due to falling consumer spending, transport issues and disruptions of the supply chain. A forecast by Indian management consulting company Wazir Advisors, which focuses specifically on the apparel sector, predicts a decline in apparel consumption in 2020 of 45 percent in the EU and 40 percent in the US, which could lead to a reduction by 300 billion US dollars (around 274 billion euros or close to 240 British pounds).
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POS Solutions, POS Retail, Ecommerce Merchandising
Article | June 10, 2024
Unprecedented volumes of clothing are building up in warehouses as fashion retailers are unable to sell their spring and summer stock. The majority of physical shops in the UK remain closed under the government’s current lockdown measures, with sales of non-food items down by 70 per cent according to research by Retail Economics and Alvarez & Marsal reported by the Times. The study found that more than 50 per cent of non-food retailers in the UK will likely run out of cash in the next six months, with all major non-food retailers operating in negative cash flow at present.
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POS Solutions
Article | April 4, 2024
In 2004, Tobias Lutke, Daniel Weinand, and Scott Luke established an online website to sell snowboards. They tried a bunch of online store builders but were not satisfied with the status quo. So, they decided to build a tool that could operate their website. Soon, they realized that the tool was more powerful than the website's business. And hence, Shopify was born.
Eventually, Shopify became one of the largest eCommerce store builders in the world. By 2009, the company had $100 million in sales and decided to launch its own API as well as an app store. More than a decade later, Shopify is now supporting over 800,000 stores globally and is a $125 billion company.
While the company has shown remarkable growth in its business, it would be ignorant to say the market's needs have been fulfilled by the Shopify platform. Shopify's eCommerce platform works for a lot of businesses, but that does not mean it will work for every business.
Here is why Shopify is Not the Right Fit for Every Business:
Shopify's growth over the years shows that the company has taken several steps to address the market's inherent needs. However, the presence of several other companies and the issues still faced by merchants show some significant gaps in Shopify's offerings:
1. Cost of Setting Up: Each price-point offers a fixed set of features and functionalities. If you want anything over and above that, you will have to buy the subsequent package. For instance – something as conventional as a Gift Card is not available in the $29 per month package; to get it activated, pay as much as $299 per month.
2. Cost of Operations: The additional functionalities and features cost extra in your package. Even basic features like transaction or credit card processing attract an additional fee. To add to that, you have to purchase the app to activate the feature from the Shopify app store. Even though some apps are free, the apps that offer maximum value tend to cost north of $39.99 per month.
3. Limited and Expensive Themes: The entire Shopify store has a total of 73 themes, with the prices going as high as $180 a theme. This means that as a merchant, even after paying the high price, you may end up with an eCommerce platform that hardly stands out from the crowd.
In short, while Shopify was started with great intentions, the cost of using it has started outweighing the probable value it has to offer. This issue gets further highlighted when one starts looking at the Shopify alternatives.
Best Alternatives of Shopify
While Shopify suits the needs of a certain set of merchants, here are the alternatives that can suit the merchants looking for more tailored, affordable, or customizable solutions:
1. Quick eSelling
Quick eSelling is one of the most affordable and easy to deploy ecommerce store builder among the Shopify alternatives. It can be deployed in under 10 minutes for the basic variant. Its free variant has some prolific features like a native Android app, responsive website, and a catalog that can support up to 1000 products.
The free package requires a 5% transaction fee, which gets eliminated the moment you upgrade to a paid plan. All the paid plans have a fixed monthly fee and no setup costs. The list of standard features includes a wide set of functionalities like customizable web-store themes, SMS & Email marketing, comprehensive payment gateway integrations, detailed analytics reports, inventory management systems, social media plugins, discount coupon codes, and even live chat.
The premium package which costs around 50% the price of the $299 Shopify package, comes with a dedicated account manager and enterprise-level integrations.
Ideal for: Merchants who are seeking an affordable, easily usable, and quickly deployable solution.
2. WooCommerce
WooCommerce is popularly considered one of the most preferred alternatives for Shopify. It is quite convenient for website owners as it is a plugin for WordPress.
Unlike other tools in the list, WooCommerce is designed to make WordPress sites work as functional eCommerce platforms. And in that particular aspect, it does a great job.
However, if you are not already using an established WordPress site with high traffic, running WooCommerce can become quite expensive. On average, a website owner has to spend as much as $1000 in setting up a WooCommerce store with a moderate degree of customization.
Even if you are not customizing a lot, running a WooCommerce store can cost you as much as $150 in a month. This would cover your hosting, themes, shipping plugins, security, and SEO. You will pay additional 2.9% + $0.30 per transaction.
Ideal for: Someone who has a successful WordPress website and now wants to convert it into an eCommerce store.
3. Yo!Kart:
Yo!Kart is a popular self-hosted multi-vendor platform for building online marketplaces. Unlike Shopify, it is a standalone platform that comes with a lifetime license and rich ecommerce features. The platform is fully customizable and scalable.
Yo!Kart packages start from $999 and every package comes with a 1-year free technical support, free installation, and full source code. There are no monthly or yearly recurring fees.
Considering it is a comprehensive platform, you may need some technical training to understand the system.
Ideal for: Business owners who want to start ecommerce websites like Amazon or ebay where multiple sellers are selling under the same roof.
4. PrestaShop
PrestaShop runs on the basic premise that creating an online eCommerce store should be an affordable exercise for any merchant. That is the reason why it is available for free and comes without any additional monthly fees.
Its features include eCommerce functionalities like CRM & Email Marketing, Inventory Management, Multi-Store Management, and SEO Management. You can get a basic eCommerce store running by paying the registration fee for the domain and the hosting fee dues.
While this may seem like a great alternative, given the fact that it is practically free, there is one major caveat – you cannot deploy or personalize your PrestaShop eCommerce store unless you know how to code. The entire platform has been designed, keeping in mind people who can code at professional levels of proficiency. The cost of hiring a developer who can add features to your store or modify the theme can be very costly.
In addition to this, some basic features like promotions & reviews management, data security, and mobile access are not available on the platform.
Ideal for: The merchants who have access to programming talent and don't mind a basic eCommerce store.
5. Wix
Wix became popular as an online website builder. It also offers interesting eCommerce functionalities. For as low as $35 a year, you can have the Business Basic package that comes with a free year of using the domain, analytics reports, and 20 GB of storage.
If you want greater control of your eCommerce platform but are not a professional programmer and are not interested in hiring one, Wix can be a great alternative. Its most expensive package costs about $80 a year. It comes with features like email marketing, SEO management, inventory management, data security, and promotions management.
The challenge is – most of the charges marketed by Wix are very affordable for the first year in operations. After a year, many of these features, like the domain, will become payable elements. This way as soon as the first year of your operations is over, your cost of running the eCommerce platform will dramatically go up.
Ideal for: Merchants who want to have greater control of their website's design without the need for coding skills and those who want the first year of operations to be largely affordable.
Conclusion:
Shopify can work for you if you are seeking a limited set of features. However, for lesser price-points, the alternatives for Shopify offer great functionalities. Quick eSelling is good for cost-effective and rapidly deployable eCommerce websites that come loaded with native features. WooCommerce is a viable option if you have a WordPress site and want to convert it into an eCommerce store. Yo!Kart specializes in building multi-vendor marketplaces.
PrestaShop can be handy and very budget-friendly if you have access to coding talent. And Wix is good if you want greater control over what your store looks like, without getting into the programming aspects.
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Ecommerce Merchandising
Article | March 18, 2024
Optimize your ecommerce merchandising strategy with ecommerce top-tier tools and solutions. Perfectly manage and present your product data to enhance customer interaction and achieve ecommerce success.
Contents
1. Merchandising in the Age of Ecommerce
2. Strategic Product Placement: The Heart of Online Merchandising
3. Visual Merchandising: Crafting Compelling Digital Narratives
4. Leveraging Data for Dynamic Merchandising
5. Featured Ecommerce Companies and Tools
5.1. Bloomreach
5.2. 1WorldSync
5.3. Algolia
5.4. Bluecore
5.5. Bridgeline
5.6. RichRelevance
5.7. Shopware
5.8. Coveo
5.9. EDITED
5.10. Akeneo
6. Summation: A Nod to Ecommerce Merchandising's Critical Impact
1. Merchandising in the Age of Ecommerce
Ecommerce has seen a staggering rate of adoption and growth, reshaping consumer behavior and business strategies alike. It has transformed the world of traditional retail, making the transition from physical stores to digital platforms a critical move for businesses worldwide. The essence of ecommerce merchandising lies in creating an online environment that mirrors the tactile and visually rich experience of in-store shopping, adapting to the habits of the modern online shopper.
Despite the economic downturn during the pandemic, the ecommerce sector witnessed significant expansion, becoming the primary channel for many sellers and buyers. The global ecommerce revenue saw a remarkable increase of approximately 19% during the initial phase of the pandemic in 2020, showcasing the resilience and adaptability of the digital marketplace. An effective ecommerce merchandising strategy is a blend of smart product placement, dynamic visual storytelling, and insightful data-driven decision-making. It aims to create a compelling online environment that mirrors the physical retail experience, ensuring that products not only reach their target audience, but deeply resonate with them.
With 95% of purchases expected to become online by 2040, understanding the intricacies of ecommerce merchandising should be every retailer's raging priority.
[Source: angroid]
Prior to the pandemic, ecommerce accounted for only seven percent of grocery retail sales. However, this figure climbed to ten percent amid the pandemic, illustrating a significant shift in consumer shopping habits toward online platforms. Small and medium B2B companies worldwide also felt the positive ripple effects, with the US small business ecommerce revenue share jumping from 17% to 19% and a notable 31% overall increase in ecommerce penetration. The rapid evolution of ecommerce has made it an essential part of the global retail landscape, with continuous growth expected in the coming years. Merchandising in ecommerce focuses on leveraging digital tools and platforms to effectively reach and engage consumers, driving conversions and loyalty. It mirrors the intuitive, sensory-guided experiences of physical stores within the digital realm, fostering an environment where products not only find their audience, but also resonate with them on a profound level.
Let’s delve into the multifaceted approach required to refine your ecommerce merchandising strategy, ensuring your online store not only meets, but exceeds the expectations of today's discerning consumer.
2. Strategic Product Placement: The Heart of Online Merchandising
Ecommerce merchandising is the harmonious blend of strategic product placement, compelling visual storytelling, and data-driven decision-making in an online setting. Incorporating top PIM softwarecan significantly enhance this blend by centralizing, organizing, enriching, and distributing product data across multiple channels and platforms. Having said that, product placement remains at the heart of online merchandising embedding itself into the very essence of customer engagement, conversion optimization, and brand loyalty.
2.1 Harness the Power of Strategic Product Display
Elevate your ecommerce platform with the precision of a gallery curator. Think of your online space as an exhibition where each product is a masterpiece, meticulously placed to capture attention and inspire action. The strategic arrangement, coupled with compelling visuals, transforms the casual browser into a committed buyer, underlining the importance of aesthetics in digital commerce.
2.2 Leverage Data-Driven Wisdom for Unmatched Precision
In the realm of digital commerce, data is the compass that guides every decision. Employ data-driven insights to tailor your offerings to the nuanced preferences of your audience. This approach sharpens marketing strategies and elevates customer experiences, turning insights into actions that drive growth and customer satisfaction.
2.3 Craft Immersive Shopping Experiences
Imagine crafting an online environment so engaging that it rivals the allure of physical stores. Through innovative use of technology and storytelling, create an immersive shopping journey that captivates from the first click. This digital alchemy involves weaving together vivid product narratives, seamless navigation, and personalized touchpoints that improve customer experience and resonate with your audience on a profound level.
2.4 Empower Your Brand with Visual Storytelling
Visuals speak louder than words in the digital bazaar. Employ dynamic visual storytelling to showcase your products in a way that tells a story, evokes emotions, and ignites the imagination. This method highlights the uniqueness of your offerings and builds a memorable brand identity that stands out in a saturated market.
3. Visual Merchandising: Crafting Compelling Digital Narratives
The visual aspect of your online store plays a critical role in capturing and maintaining the interest of potential buyers. High-quality images, engaging videos, and immersive layouts are essential for improving product discovery and enhancing their value and appeal.
3.1 Tips for Maximizing Visual Impact
High-Quality Product Imagery: Use high-resolution images that accurately represent your products. Offering multiple views and zoom functionality helps customers get a better sense of the product, leading to increased confidence in their purchase decisions and making ecommerce experience more enticing to shoppers.
Lifestyle Photography and Videos: Beyond mere product shots, incorporate lifestyle images and videos that show your products in use. This helps customers visualize the products in their own lives, enhancing the emotional connection and perceived value. Implementing lifestyle photography and videos bridges the gap between online shopping and the tangible feel of a physical store.
Consistent Branding: Ensure that your visual content aligns with your brand identity. Consistency in style, color schemes, and messaging reinforces brand recognition and builds trust with your audience, fostering a fulfilling customer experience every time they browse product pages.
3.2 Homepage Optimization
Your homepage serves as the gateway to your brand’s world. It should encapsulate your value proposition, highlight current promotions, and guide visitors towards key products or categories. Engaging content, coupled with clear CTAs, lays the foundation for a journey ripe with potential for discovery and conversion.
3.3 Product Grouping and Categorization
Organize your offerings in a way that reflects the natural browsing and buying patterns of your target audience. Effective categorization and content marketing enhances discoverability and simplifies the decision-making process for customers, thereby reducing friction and bolstering sales.
3.4 Personalization and Recommendation Engines
Utilize data analytics and AI-driven tools to offer personalized product recommendations. This not only enhances the user experience by making it more relevant and engaging but also increases the likelihood of upselling and cross-selling.
4. Leveraging Data for Dynamic Merchandising
The ability to collect, analyze, and act on data is a powerful advantage of an effective ecommerce merchandising strategy. Ecommerce platforms are treasure troves of insights into customer preferences, behaviors, and feedback.
4. 1 Customer Behavior Analysis
Monitor how visitors interact with your site. Which products are they drawn to? Where do they spend the most time? Insights from these behaviors can guide adjustments to your merchandising strategy, ensuring you’re always aligning with customer interests.
4.2 A/B Testing
Regularly test different elements of your ecommerce site, from product placements to the design of CTAs. This iterative process allows refining the ecommerce merchandising approach based on concrete data, optimizing the user experience and increasing conversion rates.
4.3 Feedback Loops
Encourage and analyze customer feedback. Reviews, ratings, and direct feedback can provide invaluable insights into product performance, customer satisfaction, and areas for improvement. Mastering ecommerce merchandising is a journey of continuous learning, experimentation, and adaptation.
By focusing on strategic product placement, leveraging the power of visual storytelling, and harnessing data for informed decision-making, online shopping experiences can exceed customer expectations.
5. Featured Ecommerce Companies and Tools
The ultimate goal of ecommerce merchandising is not just to sell products, but to build lasting relationships with customers, fostering a sense of loyalty and trust that propels brands to new heights. Here are ten ecommerce solution providers that empower digital merchandising with their signature capabilities.
5.1Bloomreach
Bloomreach is pioneering the art of digital experiences with a vision that transcends mere convenience. The company is dedicated to delivering experiences that are not just incredible but also unforgettable, transforming everyday digital interactions into something extraordinary.
Key attributes
Business Empowerment: Enabling companies to create compelling digital narratives.
Visionary Outlook: Setting new standards in the digital experience landscape.
Enriched Global Presence: Influencing lives and businesses worldwide.
Digital Craftsmanship: Fusing simplicity with spellbinding experiences.
Growth Catalyst: Transformative experiences as a driver for business growth.
5.21WorldSync
1WorldSync champions product content orchestration, simplifying content creation and distribution to power ecommerce and digital retail with accurate, consistent information. As a leading commerce network, 1WorldSync boasts an impressive influence, powering 87% of the world’s top brands and retailers.
Key attributes
Content Orchestration Leader: Focused on high-quality, relevant content.
Market Influence: Serving top brands and retailers globally.
Business Performance: Demonstrated impact on efficiency and conversions.
Innovative Ownership: Supported by Battery Ventures for continued excellence.
Comprehensive Information Access: Local and global product information reach.
5.3Algolia
Algolia defines the epitome of search and discovery in the digital realm, harnessing AI to instantly connect users with what they seek. According to a Forrester Consulting study, customers gain a 382% return on investment with less than a six-month payback period when deploying the Algolia Search and Discovery platform.
Key attributes
End-to-End AI Platform: Combining NLP and vector search on a unified API.
Scalable Search Experiences: Servicing billions of queries for global brands.
Unmatched Performance: Delivering over 100,000 search interactions per second.
ROI Champion: Proven financial return for customers utilizing its platform.
Global Growth: Expanding from Parisian roots to a commanding presence in San Francisco.
5.4Bluecore
Bluecore is transforming retail marketing through data intelligence, making personalized, cross-channel communication not just possible but efficient and compelling. The platform's automation capabilities are transformative, precisely targeting the "who, what, when, and where" for each individual shopper, ensuring that every message is highly relevant and timely.
Key attributes
Data-Driven Marketing: Seamlessly integrating data into campaign workflows.
Automated Precision: Tailoring communication for individual shopper profiles.
Trusted by Major Brands: Endorsed by over 400 leading global retailers.
Revenue Growth: Focused on driving customer retention and predictable growth.
Cutting-Edge Solutions: A dynamic platform for evolving retail marketing needs.
5.5Bridgeline
Bridgeline excels in amplifying online presence for businesses, offering a suite of tools that elevate traffic, conversions, and ultimately, revenue. One of their prominent products is Hawksearch, which provides a suite of digital experience solutions. These include feature-rich ecommerce and content management capabilities, turn-key site search and merchandising, SEO optimization tools, and more.
Key attributes
AI-Powered Insights: Advanced site search tools for customer satisfaction.
Robust Revenue Tools: Focusing on site search, merchandising, and SEO.
Hawksearch Advantage: Comprehensive digital experience solutions.
Strategic Partnerships: A vast network of partners enhancing digital strategies.
Innovative Technology: Utilizing AI for smart recommendations and sales.
5.6RichRelevance
RichRelevance, now Algonomy, personalizes digital experiences, propelling growth and brand devotion for some of the most celebrated retailers worldwide. Algonomy's technologies are adept at bridging the gap between marketing and commerce, a crucial aspect for digital marketing leaders.
Key attributes
AI-Powered Personalization: Bridging marketing with commerce effectively.
Life-Cycle Spanning Experiences: Offering real-time, scalable solutions.
Global Expertise: A San Francisco-headquartered company with a worldwide reach.
Industry Leader: Trusted by iconic B2C and B2B brands and retailers.
Customer-Centric: Crafting experiences that resonate on a personal level.
5.7Shopware
Shopware has cemented its role in digital commerce, providing an omnichannel platform designed for flexibility across various business models. Shopware's global network of 1,600 sales, technology, and solution partners contributes to a stable and supportive ecosystem.
Key attributes
German Ingenuity: Established in Germany with a growing North American presence.
Customizable Architecture: Headless, API-first, and open-source for unique experiences.
Extensive Partner Network: Supportive ecosystem with over 1,600 partners.
Impactful GMV: Processing over 20 billion USD in Gross Merchandise Value.
Comprehensive Solutions: Aiding mid-market to enterprise-level merchants.
5.8Coveo
Coveo leads the charge in powering digital experiences, utilizing AI to craft interactions that are both intuitive and transformative for global brands. For enterprises to achieve the AI-experience advantage at scale, Coveo believes that it is imperative to deliver semantic search and generative experiences at each customer and employee interaction.
Key attributes
Experience Powerhouse: Millions served with billions of interactions.
AI-Experience Advantage: Mastering the business-to-person dynamic.
Enterprise Backbone: Delivering semantic search and generative experiences.
Visionary AI Integration: Anticipating the needs of customers and employees.
Competitive Edge: Experience as the front line for every business's success.
5.9EDITED
EDITED is at the cutting edge of retail analysis, providing automated solutions that empower retailers to thrive through data-driven strategy optimization. Its platform is particularly valuable in the fast-paced retail environment, where understanding market trends, competitor moves, and consumer preferences is crucial for staying ahead.
Key attributes
Retail Intelligence Pioneer: Merging business analytics with market data.
Data-Driven Decisions: Turning insights into profitable retail strategies.
Agile Market Response: Keeping pace with fast-moving retail dynamics.
Actionable Insights: Empowering retail professionals to grow profits.
Competitor Analysis Expertise: Navigating trends and consumer preferences.
5.10Akeneo
Akeneo offers a robust PIM solution, orchestrating product information to enrich and expedite the journey from product management to market. The Akeneo Product Cloud is a significant offering from Akeneo, a SaaS-based solution that orchestrates, activates, and optimizes product experiences across various channels such as e-commerce, mobile, social commerce, and more.
Key attributes
PIM Excellence: Streamlining and enhancing product information management.
Product Cloud: Orchestrating experiences across diverse sales channels.
Collaborative Tools: Enabling teamwork for faster product readiness.
Tailored Solutions: Catering to various industries with specific needs.
SaaS-Based: Offering scalable and flexible product information management.
6. Summation: A Nod to Ecommerce Merchandising's Critical Impact
With a significant portion of consumers conducting online research for major purchases and engaging in spontaneous 'micro-moments' of shopping, the need for an optimized online retail environment has never been more critical. As the competition is fierce and the expectations of potential customers are rapidly evolving, the significance of refined ecommerce merchandising strategies cannot be overstated. A well-orchestrated approach to online merchandising, leveraging high-quality product photography, significantly enhances the visibility and attractiveness of all offerings to the online shopper. Harnessing customer data effectively allows for a personalized shopping experience, fostering a stronger connection between a brand and its audience. Moreover, integrating social media into the ecommerce strategy amplifies a brand’s reach and opens up new avenues for engagement and customer acquisition.
The desire for virtual try-on experiences is a testimony of ecommerce evolution and highlights the growing demand for interactive and personalized ecommerce experiences. As such, ecommerce merchandising has cemented itself as a cornerstone of online retail, essential for attracting attention, driving sales, and delivering personalized shopping experiences that resonate with the modern consumer's expectations.
However, amid escalating competition and narrow conversion windows, the necessity for instantaneous inventory and merchandising refinement is paramount, yet unattainable without automation. This implies merchandising managers must embrace ecommerce merchandising task automation for critical operations. Also, through searchandising, owners of ecommerce stores can leverage the ability to spotlight particular items, including those with high margins, top sellers, or those relevant to the current season. By focusing on these dynamic aspects, along with strategic visual merchandising, businesses can secure their position in the competitive online marketplace.
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