Better eRetail

Make Ecommerce Easy with 75 Expert Ideas to Save

Time and Boost Sales

Presented by

IntroRunning an ecommerce business means wearing many hats – you’re the accountant, marketing department, back-end ops manager and CEO. With so many moving parts, it can be hard to sit down and formulate a plan of action to grow and scale your business.

Who has the time?

We put together these tips to offer you the very best steps for getting better results from your website, marketing efforts, Amazon stores, shipping system and inventory software. Use this book to streamline each aspect of running your business, so that you can increase sales

while saving time (and not to mention, stressing less).

Are you ready to rock your ecommerce stores and compete online?

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Table of Contents

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36Inventory

03Website15Marketing21Amazon

30Shipping

Website1

Put a Stop to Shopping Cart Abandonment

Though many retailers may think their ecommerce sites are competitive, reports show that on average, 68% of a site’s browsers will leave without completing a purchase. There are a couple common culprits that cause buyers to jump ship before checking out. Consider all of these

pointers and make changes where necessary. Are your buyers jumping ship too soon?

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No Surprise Costs 56% of buyers report leaving because they were presented with unexpected costs. This can be due to shipping charges being communicated too late in the buying process, or product prices not being clearly stated. Make sure your product pages are top-notch and clearly show prices. Consider adding a shipping calculator to your product page.

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Keep Photos Visible Throughout Checkout Keeping buyers informed of their purchase can help them carry through to the end. Checkout pages that include photos of the items in the shopping cart increase conversion rates by 10%.

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Know Your Buyer 36 and 32% say they don’t complete their purchase because they found a better price elsewhere or the item was too expensive, respectively. Besides the obvious fix of editing your product pages for clarity, make sure you are also marketing to the right audience, really. Know the demographics of each audience to determine where to focus efforts – what are the average ages? Socio-economic statuses? For example, 90% of Instagram users are under 35, making that social media outlet ideal for brands with young consumers who are just beginning in the workforce and may be budget conscious.

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Offer a Guest Checkout Get rid of site registration for checkout, or add a “guest checkout” option. 75% of buyers who are forced to register in order to checkout will abandon the purchase.

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Make Your Customer Service Stand Out

Since online retail lacks the face-to-face communication of brick-and-mortar stores, you have to plan ahead to make sure the buying process is pleasant. This work is not for nothing – businesses who can forge an emotional bond with their buyers (often through great customer service) can successfully charge up to 200% more than their competitors. That’s a big gain for a few thoughtful practices. Try these steps to help create that bond between you and your buyer.

Fewer Form Fields Simplify the checkout process by eliminating unnecessary text boxes for customers to fill out. This can mean faster info-gathering options, like replacing text boxes for city and state with dropdown menus for customers to select their location, and a box to check if their shipping address is the same as billing.

5. Confirm Order Create a simple but friendly confirmation page for buyers to see once they’ve completed checkout. Images work great here, but any sentence letting them know that their job is done and the order is on its way is great. Be funny, silly, regal, sentimental – whatever works best for your brand.

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Make Reviews Visible When shopping online, buyers rely heavily on customer reviews to discern if your site is reputable. Add a web page that displays your reviews, and make sure there is a quick, easy to find link on your home page.

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“Anticipate your customers’ needs, namely during high stress/heavy traffic times,

such as the holidays. Prepare your site to be able to assist them quickly.”

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Please keep it for your records. Thank you for shopping at A New Leash On Life.

In the meantime, watch this awesome video of a puppy playing!

Questions: 1-877-222-9890My Account

You are the best owner ever!

Tell your friends!

Make it Easy On your product pages, post links to whatever shoppers may need in order to make their buying decision now. This can include shipping time tables, a specific holiday FAQ that explains returns or shipping options, instructional video demos of how to use or assemble your product, etc. By providing them with all the information, you’ve made shopping easier for them.

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Packaging Options Consider adding a gift wrap option. Whether you include an added cost or offer it free of charge is up to you.

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Be Accessible Since you aren’t there to provide answers to a question or concern, communicate clearly to shoppers that your team is available to assist them. Make sure your “Contact Us” link is easy to see and embedded on each page. Consider installing a live chat plugin for customers who don’t feel comfortable calling, but want a response quicker than through email.

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Photo Quality Take well-lit, clear photos. Consider setting up and using a light box.

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Multiple Photos Take multiple photos, both from multiple angles on the standard white background, and a few either on a model or in its intended use.

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Prioritize Everything Think about the customer experience – what information would a shopper need to see right away in order to make the decision to buy? Are price, sizing and shipping guidelines clear and easy to find?

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Share Details Make sure your descriptions are immensely detailed.

Include dimensions, sizing guides and why it’s special (this will help justify pricing if it’s more expensive than other similar items).

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Write a Story What else makes your product special? Include any details or back story that could help build intrigue as well as customer loyalty. Some companies that sell Fair Trade items will include information about the artisan and/or village that made the product. Think about what makes your product unique from your competitors’ products.

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Make it Easy to Buy Are your CTAs (Calls to Action) clear? This includes clickable website actions like “Add to Cart,” “Talk to Us” (or “Contact”), and “Help.” Are the buttons

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Increase Conversions with Knock-Out Product Pages

Professional looking, clearly detailed product pages can help create buyer trust and encourage follow through with purchase. Consider design, color, photo and description quality. Professional

photo quality is the best place to start.

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large enough? Does the font or color stand out against the background or within the layout? Is it placed somewhere the customers’ eyes will naturally fall? Try using heat map software (like CrazyEgg) to see which aspects of your website draw the most attention, and which parts need work.

Is it On Brand? After you’ve made all the edits and tweaks, think about the “big picture” of your product pages. Do they reflect the spirit of your company? If your identity is fun and youthful, do you have “happy” colors, a playful font and friendly text? If your brand is high-end and upscale, is your color scheme and font modern with more subtle hues?

and strength – when used in proper quantities. Use too much black, and your site (as well as your brand) can appear gloomy, bland or even untrustworthy.

Color Matters Are the theme colors of your product pages cohesive with the rest of your site? What are you trying to communicate to buyers? Colors evoke different feelings and attitudes in varying degrees of use. For instance, black can exude tranquility, confidence

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Smooth & Easy Mobile Buying Process Make sure you test the entire process, from browsing to buying, extensively. Does each step flow efficiently? Are images resized properly? Is there anything that appears clunky? Smooth out kinks in your mobile buying process as soon as possible.

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Mobilize Your SiteMobile commerce (or m-commerce) has been on the upward swing for some time. The last Thanksgiving Day weekend saw mobile sales rise 27.6 % from the previous year, and more than half of all online shoppers browsed for deals on a smartphone. Optimize your site to handle

mobile traffic and snag buyers.

Use Tools Use analytics tools (like Google Analytics) to determine which links visitors are clicking most often. If shoppers click “Sizing Chart” frequently, make sure that link is easy to find and no more than a simple click away for mobile shoppers. You can also determine which pages may need more visibility or an easier click-path with website analytics tools. You can even filter data views to see specific click behavior from mobile shoppers and compare that to others. Then, determine what additional navigation or usability tweaks you can make to help shoppers go all the way through with a purchase using their mobile device.

19. Condense Forms Streamline and condense any forms on your site. Typing on mobile is far more cumbersome than on a desktop, so minimize the number of typing tasks. If you followed our above suggestions, you may have already eliminated unnecessary typing tasks from your checkout screen for desktop shoppers. Be sure this option translates well on mobile, and include dropdown menus for ease of use.

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Do You Feel Confident Your Site is Already Mobile Friendly?

Since Google’s “mobilegeddon” has emphasized the impact a mobile-friendly site will have on your search results, be sure to test your site using Google’s own tools. Try this one.

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Learn Code Learn Java Script, HTML & CSS, jQuery, Python, and Ruby.22.

DIY - Learn To Code Your Own Website

Rather than contract an expensive developer to complete some minor tasks and adjustments to your website, learn how to code with these easy (and free) guides that

take you through the basics.

Now that your website is mobile friendly, customer oriented and designed to increase conversions, it’s time to improve your digital marketing strategy and bring in more online shoppers. Have fun with marketing – this is your opportunity to share your products and your brand with the world. What do you want to say, where do you want to say it, and who are you targeting?

Please keep it for your records. Thank you for shopping at A New Leash On Life.

In the meantime, watch this awesome video of a puppy playing!

Questions: 1-877-222-9890My Account

You are the best owner ever!

Tell your friends!

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Marketing2

Get SocialDid you know that this year, social commerce will account for 5% of all online orders? More than that, a positive review on social media can justify increasing product price by 9%, and the average price of a product referred through Instagram is $65. Upgrade your social media

strategy to increase conversions with these tips.

Best Types of Posts Post thoughtfully. The most popular types of social media posts are

23. a. “Day in the Life” posts that show you or your employees in daily activities.

b. “Behind the Scenes” that show work being done, a quick glimpse of a meeting, or a new display for your store.

c. “Sneak Peek” of products or services to come, specifically as you prepare for the buying seasons (i.e. if you sell swimwear, winter/early spring is an ideal time to share fabric swatches of new bikinis being made).

d. “Theme Posts,” such as Flashback Friday. Make one up for your brand and invite followers to share. If you are a menswear company, start “Tie Tuesday” and share pictures of employees and customers dressed for the occasion in your products.

aNewLeashOnLife 1h

14 LikesaNewLeashOnLife #tbt to Sparky playing with his new bone!

Like Comment

#dogsofinstagram

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Vine Create a Vine account. The most effective Vine posts for brands are25. a. “Merchandise Previews” Take rapid snaps of upcoming products until you fill up the allotted six seconds of a Vine video. It will be quick enough to pique customers’ attention, without giving too much away. Create a sense of intrigue for new inventory.

b. “Product Demos” will show your customers how to properly assemble or use a product. The six-second time constraint of Vine will make it seem fast and easy.

c. “Life Hack” Vines are a fun, unexpected way to show your products being used creatively for other purposes. Think of all the ways your products can be used, and if there is anything helpful or interesting you could share with online shoppers.

Make Movies By 2016, videos will account for 55% of all internet traffic. Today alone, 64% of consumers are likely to buy a product after watching a related video online. YouTube is one of the top three most visited websites in the world. Create a YouTube channel of your own – it’s easy!

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Share Images, Often Give your customers 15 minutes of fame. When a customer posts an image on social media where they are using, wearing, or enjoying your products, share it on your social media sites, tag them in the post, and thank them for being a part of the team. If you need some inspiration, check out what popular swim and loungewear brand Acacia does. They often repost photos of customers enjoying their purchases to the company Instagram page, which builds customer loyalty and strengthens the brand. A recent report found that 68% of buyers will stop supporting a brand if they feel that company is indifferent towards them. Show your customers you care about them, and they will become loyal buyers and brand advocates.

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“By 2016, videos will account for 55% of all internet traffic.”

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Easy Design Tools Create your own original photos and graphics to share with your fans on social media. Use these free sites to edit photos and make graphics.

27. a. Pixtellerb. Canvac. Pic Monkeyd. Pixlre. Pic-Collage

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Start a BlogProducing original content for your blog or social media sites is a great way to offer advice, discuss upcoming trends in your market, and paint yourself as an expert within your industry. Here are some tips to help you brainstorm what to share.

Try out these blog content ideas.

Capitalize on Holidays29.

Consider the Seasons How can your products be useful, fun, or engaging during the warmer or cooler months? For example, if you sell garden supplies

28. a. Spring and summer are excellent times to talk about new seedlings, a beginner’s guide to starting a garden and more.b. During the winter, share tips on preparing your plants for the cool seasons, how to protect your flowers and crops, or what types of plants can grow through the cold. Think of all the ways your buyers may need or want to use your products throughout the year.

a. During Christmastime, share your favorite holiday memories. How can your product be connected to this holiday?a. Sell kitchen supplies? Share recipes and tips for baking the perfect holiday cookie. Sell fitness gear? Post tips for staying fit during the time of year we tend to indulge.

Christmas 1990 Christmas 1990Christmas 1990

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Events or Seasonality What times of the year are your products most popular? Are there any popular events that can relate to your items? Are there any trigger events that occur right before your customer would start to shop for what you sell? Think creatively about how to bridge your inventory with what potential buyers are already doing or thinking about before (or after) buying.

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a. If you sell women’s fashion, discuss upcoming trends for the next season. In the early springtime, post ideal outfits for summer activities like boating, a day in the park, walking on the beach with a date, etc. b. If you are a toy retailer, Christmas is a great time to create lists of the most popular toys, gift ideas and more. In preparation for summer you can (and should) post best games and toys for kids to play with during summer break. Break it up into categories like best toys for active kids to use outdoors, quiet indoor activities like puzzles, brain games to keep them sharp during break, etc.

Create Instructional Material, demos and other knowledge-based posts. This is a great way to demonstrate your expertise in your industry. Then, collect all of your educational content and turn it into a knowledgebase for your customers. Could this be a potential eBook or downloadable material you’d be willing to share with customers?

Consider Guest Blogging In addition to creating your own content, consider guest blogging for other websites with items similar to yours. Find where your target audience is spending time reading online. Reach out and offer to prepare a guest post for their blog. You’ll need to come up with a pitch or proposition for what your guest content could offer their

Change Up Your Media Add a video to your blog, photo tutorials, research, industry opinions, case

studies, etc. We love great written content, but readers like a good mix of media to maintain their interest.

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In addition to seasonal or timely content, here are some other thoughts to spark ideas for what you can create and post on your blog.

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Keep it Simple You can also just keep it simple, and post pictures of people that inspire your brand, fans, great products, events and more with quick blurbs or fun comments about each pic. Before and after pictures are always fun and require a lot less content, if you aren’t much into researching or writing long form posts.

Invite Others to Blog Invite others to guest blog for you. Build a relationship with them by commenting on their posts, complimenting their ideas and engaging with them on their own blogs and social networks. Establish yourself within your industry’s community, and you will grow your audience.

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35. readers, and how you can return the favor. Make sure your pitch is clear, instructive or informative in a way that would be valuable for their readers, and offer a spot on your blog for them to reciprocate. Guest posting can help you get in front of a new (or wider) audience of readers who already show interest in your niche market.

In addition to a website, most multichannel sellers also sell on Amazon, and with good reason – Amazon is one of the most visited websites in the world. Mastering Amazon will be very different than mastering marketing for your website. Amazon, and most marketplaces like it, prohibit directing traffic from your Amazon store to your own webstore. As long as you follow the rules and abide by the following guidelines, you can build up visibility for your Amazon store and your all-important Amazon seller reputation, and increase sales as a result.

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Amazon3

Win at AmazonAmazon has more than 237 million active customer accounts worldwide – meaning that if you sell on the top ecommerce marketplace, you better have a plan to beat out your competition for the sale. Here’s how to set yourself apart from the millions of other sellers, and ensure

customers shop from you again and again.

Know the Rules When it comes to Amazon policies, make sure you stay on the straight and narrow.

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Accurate Photos Images should be clear, well-lit, and compliant with Amazon standards. Often, the UPC/ASIN associated with your product will auto-populate images that other retailers selling that product also use. Make sure these photos are accurate. If you want to upload your own photos, you must abide by the following rules.

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a. Product listings must be accurate, which requires great attention to detail. b. You need to familiarize yourself with the rules before trying to list products for sale.c. Some categories (like Jewelry) are closed, meaning there is currently no open enrollment to sign up to sell in this category. Learn more about Amazon’s categories and restrictions here. d. Others (like DVDs with MSRP of $25 or more) require pre-approval.e. Descriptions are strict, and must be classified in the appropriate location. For example, blush would fall under Beauty>Makeup>Face>Blush.

a. Images must be uploaded in TIFF, JPEG or GIF format.b. All photos must have a pure white background (RGB 255, 255, 255).c. Image pixel dimensions must be at least 1000 or larger in height or width.

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Fill Out Your Profile Completely and let buyers know who you are as a business. This will create a no-barriers understanding between you and customers. Let them know

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Set Clear Shipping Expectations38. a. Within your storefront, explain the difference between shipping (when the item leaves your possession) and delivery (when the item arrives on the buyer’s doorstep). b. Let buyers know where you are located, so that they can better estimate the delivery timeline. An east coast buyer who is aware that items are located on the west coast may be more lenient of a longer delivery timeline, if that should come to fruition.

a. Where you are located.b. What you value as a company. Are you a small business who values exceptional customer relations? Do you consider yourself an expert in your niche, or are you passionate about the products you sell? c. How you strive to achieve excellent customer service. d. That they are welcome to contact you with questions.e. What else you’d like to share. What makes you different from your competition?

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Communicate Quickly If an issue should arise (and we hope it does not), rapid communication is vital in salvaging a poor buying experience and turning it into a positive one. Many online shoppers disregard the regular business hours expected for brick-and-mortar stores, and want an immediate response to inquiries. Try to set some communication guidelines for your team, like responding to all questions or concerns within two hours – even if it is after 5pm. That said, you won’t be able to get to every inquiry within 2 hours – some may come through well after waking hours. If you happen to receive a note from a customer overnight, be sure to respond as soon as you’re sitting at your computer with your coffee. Ecommerce is 24/7, but if you live in EST and your customer lives in PAC time zone, you can’t be expected to have your phone buzzing in your ear all night long whenever messages come through.

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Many online shoppers disregard the regular business hours expected for brick-and-mortar stores, and want an immediate response to inquiries. Try to set some communication guidelines for your team, like responding to all questions or concerns within two hours – even if it is after 5pm.

Though you can control much of your Amazon business to ensure success, you cannot completely control customer feedback. Excellent buyer feedback can strengthen your store against competitors and help you win more sales. Alternatively, a poor seller rating can lead to lost sales and even an Amazon suspension.

Feedback is a rather controversial subject on Amazon – some sellers fair ok, others want to do away with the system completely. On average, sellers receive feedback on about 3-5% of all sales orders. Use these tips to make sure the customer feedback you receive is positive. The tips here will also show you how to increase the likelihood of earning excellent customer feedback.

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Ship Quickly As in, as fast as you possibly can. If an order comes in at noon, try to get it packaged and labeled for the post office drop-off that afternoon. The majority of positive responses seen on Amazon are regarding faster-than-expected shipping. Amazon gives you a fair window for shipping, but if you try to get your product out the door ASAP, you will thrill your customer when their item arrives well before they anticipated.

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Packing Slip Tool Just like in our earlier segment on bumping up repeat customers with special packaging, the packing slip is an excellent tool for communicating with your buyer. You must still abide by Amazon’s policy – meaning no language that directs buyers away from the marketplace (and to your website) and no incentive offered for positive feedback.

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a. If you don’t sell hundreds of items a month, consider handwriting a thank you note on your packing slips.b. If you are a large volume Amazon seller and have daily orders from other sales channels, typing a thank you is fine. Create a standard (but custom) thank you message that includes your Amazon seller account contact info. Consider highlighting this portion of the packing slip for easy reference.

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“Ship quickly. As in, immediately.“

Use Email Marketing Now, here’s an Amazon-specific controversial suggestion – email marketing. The thought of sending emails to buyers makes some sellers nervous. We get that. Send too many emails and you become a nuisance – and a buyer may even leave negative feedback as retribution for the onslaught of emails. You can avoid this and still take advantage of the benefits of email marketing by following these steps.

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a. Create templates ahead of time that are professional, caring and brief. b. Thank them for their purchase, and let them know if there is an issue to please contact you so that you can fix it immediately (similar to the sentence we suggested for the packing slips). c. Give them a direct link to leave feedback – make it as easy as possible.d. Only send one. Amazon already sends emails about the order on your behalf, so you don’t want to inundate your buyer with messages to their inbox.

• Out of stock items.• Messy or complicated returns (see our segment on streamlining returns).• Product not as described (check out what we wrote about ace-ing product descriptions).• Wrong size or product.• Poor or less-than-expected quality.• Customer service (ahem, see what is happening in our customer service segment).

Though email marketing may (understandably) make some sellers nervous, just know that a client of ours was able to increase his Amazon seller rating from 96% to 100% using our email marketing tool. Which in turn, quickly makes a difference in the likelihood of your store’sproducts showing up when it counts. It must be done with caution, but it can be done!

If, in some very unfortunate circumstance, the planets all fall out of order and you receive negative customer feedback, you need to have a plan of action. Most often, negative feedback will be the result of an issue involving shipping, but may also include

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Because Amazon has built a reputation for being the top online shopping marketplace, customers expect a quick and simple buying process. So if some part of their experience strays from this expectation, negative feedback may come rolling in. Don’t panic – here’s what to do if it happens.

Chill Out Take a breath and a quick break from your computer. It sounds juvenile – but the worst thing you can do is respond to anything in the heat of the moment when your emotions are still running high (because let’s face it, getting negative feedback sucks).

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Contact Them As soon as you feel cooled off, contact them through Amazon’s messaging system.

45. a. Remove all emotion from the correspondence.b. Apologize for the situation– even if you weren’t in the wrong. Doesn’t have to be groveling or admitting fault; you can simply say that you are sorry their experience did not match your brand standards.c. Ask them for the details and timeline of the issue. d. Let them know what you will do next.e. Communicate clearly and often.

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Yes, the phone! It may feel a little uncomfortable breaching the wall from online to person-to-person, but it’s worth salvaging your feedback rating and making sure you do everything you can to turn that negative feedback into something positive.

It May Take Time Some buyers check out on Amazon with an email address they don’t use regularly…others may have emails from an Amazon seller sent to spam without knowing it. It’s normal for buyers to take longer to respond to your feedback issue inquiry than you’d like them to.

Call If you do not receive any response within 48 hours and the feedback had expressed legitimate concern with the order (i.e. wanted a refund), try reaching out over the phone.

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a. Introduce yourself. Call and say something like, “Hi Sam, this is John. I’m calling about the immersion blender you bought on Amazon.com.” They won’t remember your storefront name, so remind them of the order by letting them know what they bought.

b. Have a candid conversation, and really listen.

c. Work with them to find a solution, and once you do, it’s fitting to kindly request an update to the negative review.

d. Communicate next steps, and follow up continuously until the issue is resolved appropriately.

For proper Amazon phone etiquette, try these tips.

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Snail Mail If, after working through the above suggestions, they have not removed the negative review, contact them the old fashioned way – snail mail.

48. a. Send a thoughtful (yet professional) handwritten request. b. Make sure it’s very non-confrontational and reminds them of all the actions you took to make things right. They may have simply forgotten about the bad review, and will promptly login to fix it for you at that time. Stranger things have happened.

Leave a Comment Sometimes, you may get a buyer who will refuse to cooperate, no matter what you do to rectify the situation. It can happen. If that’s the case, leave a store owner comment.

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a. Like we’ve suggested for all buyer-seller communication, you need to remove all emotion. b. State exactly the facts and what steps you took to solve the issue. c. This is public, and you only get one shot. Proofread, then proofread again.

Leaving a comment on negative feedback is for the benefit of future buyers. You don’t want shoppers turned away by one negative review. If they see what you did to try and solve the issue, and a buyer still wouldn’t budge on the feedback, they will likely see that you are a considerate and reasonable seller and will feel comfortable purchasing from you. As most of us know from experience, you just can’t please everyone. As we discussed, shipping is one of the most prevalent reasons an Amazon buyer will leave negative feedback. Aside from shipping quickly, consider what else you can implement into your shipping strategy in order to encourage positive feedback and repeat customers, both on Amazon and your ecommerce website. Repeat customers are your most valuable segment of buyers. On average, repeat customers account for 40% of all online shoppers. Ecommerce businesses with 40% repeat customers report 50% more revenue than similar companies with only 10% of their customers shopping from them again. This group of buyers is worth courting, and an excellent shipping strategy will help keep them engaged and coming back for more.

c. Negative reviews can make or break you. It is 100% worth it to do everything you can to remove them.

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Shipping4

Bump Up Repeat Customers with Special Packaging

Research shows that regardless of how great a product may be, a reported 68% of buyers will stop supporting a business if they feel that company is indifferent towards them. 68% is far too high a number to brush under the table and move on. One way to make customers feel appreciated and significant to your business is with thoughtful packaging. Opening your product can (and should be) just as rewarding as using it. It’s a significant part of the customer experience and the perception of your brand identity as a whole. If you sell on a marketplace or other sales channel that allows bonuses or extras to be shipped along with the purchased items,

consider adding the following to your packages to make your buyers feel appreciated.

Packing Slips Try customized packing slips that contain an expression of gratitude more personal than a simple “Thank You.” Use this space to write a brief message to your buyer letting them know that you appreciate them and strive to provide exceptional products and services each time.

Freebies that make sense economically for you and are within the same niche as either their purchase or your inventory of listed items. For example, if you sell beauty supplies, send a small compact mirror or lip liner with the order – something that you may order in bulk from your wholesaler or supplier, and can afford to part with at little cost.

Coupons for follow up orders, such as 15% off your next purchase, Buy-One-Get-One offers and more to encourage consumers not only to browse your site again, but to complete purchases.

50. Samples Include samples of upcoming products or items that make sense with the purchase. For example, when I ordered a bath product from Etsy, the shop owner sent samples of small soaps she also lists.

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In addition to encouraging feedback, this will also let buyers know they are welcome to contact you, should there be an issue.

Thank you for your business! We take great pride in the products and services we offer.

We expect them to arrive in your hands safely and be of the highest quality. If any part

of your experience with us hasn’t been worthy of a five star review, please contact us

immediately so that we may work to resolve the issue for you.

Thanks for your business! We appreciate you and hope you love your product!

Thank You Notes are a touch more personal than edited packing slips, and can really form an emotional connection between the buyer and your brand. In today’s automated world, it will be an unexpected and appreciated differentiator between you and your competitor. It doesn’t have to be Shakespearean – a simple note with your signature will suffice. In a 10 year study completed by the Hiebing marketing firm, brands that can evoke an emotional connection with buyers will drive customer loyalty and can successfully charge 20 to 200% more than competitors.

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Here are a few examples:

If Packages Go Missing, Play Detective

Realizing a package went missing while in route to your customer can cause serious anxiety. Certainly during the holidays when shipping volume is at an all-time high, locating the package and routing it back to your customer is critically important for both of you. We understand you are not the person who put the package on a truck to drive over to the buyer’s doorstep; however, most marketplaces take the stance that the delivery process is wholly the seller’s responsibility. Since the seller chose which shipping carrier to use to get the package out the door, it’s in their hands to figure out what happened should an issue arise. Use these steps to

help locate any missing packages and alleviate concern.

Reach Out and apologize for the situation. It wasn’t your fault directly, but in the eyes of the buyer (and your sales channels), you are responsible. Let them know you are working on it, and will promptly inform them of any updates as you move through your investigation.

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Investigate If you ship with the USPS, you can find the location where the package was last reported as scanned. Use these emergency numbers to get in touch with the right people.

56. Generous Corrections Be prepared to issue a full refund. Keep communicating with the buyer until the initial package has been delivered, you have issued a refund, sent a new item or resolved the issue in the most accommodating and appropriate way possible.

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File a Claim right away. You will have to select either a Domestic or International claim.

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Streamline Your ReturnsListen – returns suck. It’s more work on your end, and you are losing a sale. But, if you handle them properly, you can almost guarantee the buyer will come back and shop from you again (sans another return). Of the 60% of online shoppers who make at least one return or exchange per year, 95% of them will make another purchase from an e-retailer after a positive return experience. And, if you make the return process easy for them, 64% of buyers will recommend your store to friends. So even though returns feel like the death of a sale and a waste of resources, they can actually be the catalyst for future purchases. Here’s how to ensure that your returns process is simple and makes shoppers

want to stick around.

Return Policy Make sure the link to your return policy is easy to find.59.

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61.

Make Returns Easy The return policy web page should have all information clearly articulated and explain what you will provide (i.e. return postage). Include step-by-step instructions for how to proceed with the return. Zappos.com has a great example of this.

Go Above & Beyond Practice exceptional and unexpected customer service – it may be worth offering a customer a new, free item along with the one they already have in possession if it will not cost you significantly. Know your cost of return, restocking, and profit loss before making this decision. Remember, 64% of customers will buy again from a retailer that offered them a positive return experience. This may outweigh any minor costs on your end.

Shipping is one of the first complaints busy multichannel sellers usually have when their business grows beyond what they can manage on their own. If you find yourself losing track of products in your inventory, forgetting to update marketplaces after a sale or struggling to streamline the process of creating labels, you may be ready for inventory management software. Yes, inventory. Did you know inventory software can speed up the shipping process, increase sales and help your business scale profitably? Our customers specifically saw an average increase of revenue by 23%, each quarter, after enlisting ecomdash multichannel inventory software. Find the perfect tool for you that will grow with your business and catapult you to ecommerce success.

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Inventory5

Picking the Best Inventory System for Your Business

• Overwhelmed Your customer base keeps growing (which rocks), but you can’t handle all of the incoming orders on your own, and it’s becoming increasingly difficult to keep an eye on all moving stock.

• Overselling You’ve run out of items a couple times before you could cancel the product listing – and it’s starting to burden your seller ratings and reputation.

• Repetitive Tasks You’re ready to grow your business, but you can’t manage all of your sales channels alone, and paying a couple part-time employees is just not in the books.

Do you feel like it’s time to enlist inventory and sales order management software to help you run your business? Have you experienced any of the following issues?

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If these gripes sound familiar, then you are ready to get started with an inventory management tool. If you haven’t already started your search, let me tell you something – there are dozens of potential tools out there. Some are wonderful, some not so much. Narrowing down the mountain of choices to just two or three can be overwhelming, and scary – this software will, after all, be responsible for managing your day-to-day operations. You want a software system and a team you can trust. Don’t hit the panic button just yet. Follow these steps and answer each question to find the perfect inventory management software, without giving yourself an ulcer.

62. Goal Ask yourself – what do you want from an inventory and order management tool?

a. Do you want to sell more? b. Add more sales channels safely while still keeping everything under control?c. Do you want to stop overselling and underselling? d. Do you want to add a new product line?e. Do you need to automate tedious manual tasks? f. Are you sick of drowning in spreadsheets and inaccurate information?

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Prioritize Goals Using the answers from the questions asked above, pick 3-5 main goals you want the software to accomplish. Prioritize them in order of importance.

Prioritize Issues Think back to the issues your business is currently plagued with. Number them 1,2,3, and look for tools that can solve these specifically. Put more focus onto a system that can resolve your top issues, and not necessarily the one with the coolest pitch or longest list of integrations.

Now it’s time to write out a wish list. Consider it your letter to the Software Santa. Tell him exactly what software functions you cannot live without. Ask yourself the following questions to figure out what it is you really want and need.

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65.

66.

Do you need a multichannel or omnichannel tool? Here’s how they differ:

Desktop Software or Cloud Based How do you want to access your software? Would you prefer desktop software, or cloud based? Here are the pros and cons of each:

a. If you sell on more than one channel now, and either want to add more channels or are struggling to keep up with all moving parts between your marketplaces and websites right now, then multichannel is your best bet. b. If you’re a multichannel seller with an existing brick-and-mortar location or wish to add one in the future (even if only briefly, like a pop-up shop), or want to participate in and sell at craft fairs and trade shows, then you should start looking for omnichannel options.

a. Desktop software. Traditionally, there is a certain level of safety associated with software that lives entirely on your desktop. However, should your computer crash, information can be lost. You will have to install any software updates on your own time, and sometimes at your own expense. This type of software is only as secure as your own anti-virus or anti-spyware, network and data backup systems.

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$1.99

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68.

67.

Know Your Nice to Haves What other functionality would you like? Be specific and picky – you should only work with tools that can help you grow.

Integrations Pick the top 3-5 sales channels, critical back office needs, or POS integrations you must have. Consider integrations of interest as well for your future growth. If the software looks to be a great fit and offers you room to grow into other marketplaces and sales channels, that’s great.

a. Do you need shipping management built in? b. How about a product listing tool – would that save you adequate time? c. Do you want an easy and automated way to communicate with your warehouses and suppliers? d. Do you use FBA (Fulfillment by Amazon)? e. What else would make running your business (and enjoying your life) that much easier?

b. Cloud software can be accessed from any laptop, phone or tablet with an internet connection. Updates to the software will likely be performed automatically, without any initiation, work or cost from your end. There are some risks involved with any software; however, cloud-based options have become a better choice for even the most risk averse environments today – like financial institutions. Check with providers to see how they handle security and back up your data. Ask them about up-time and their process, should a major outage or hack occur (unlikely, but you want to have all the information ahead of time).

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69. Billing Structure What kind of payment structure would make sense for your business? Compare each tool’s billing structure against your needs and the benefits. You may have high volume/low margins, and cannot invest in a tool that takes a cut of your sales or charges a fee per transaction.

a. Are you on board with a long-term contract, if the tool looks like a perfect fit?b. Are you cool with sharing a portion of your profits if it cuts down on the monthly price? c. Are you alright with a big down payment, if monthly payments are low? d. Do you need free setup? e. Is support included? Is it free? Is phone support available?

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71.

72.

Costs Now comes the kicker – how much are you willing to pay? In most cases, the most robust tools will be priced accordingly. That being said, there are still many terrific software options with various integrations and functions that were specifically developed for small and mid-sized businesses, and are priced with that kind of budget in mind. We’re in the 2.0 world for omnichannel integration software now. No longer can just the top 1% of retailers afford this kind of solution – anyone selling online can now afford to compete with the big dogs. What are increased sales, more visibility and long-lasting success worth to you?

Review Sites Visit ecommerce software review sites that are reputable in the online retailing space. We recommend WebRetailer, EcommerceBytes and Internet Retailer. Another good place to look are third party app stores from other trusted providers, like Shopify and Bigcommerce.

Forums Consult your peers by asking them what they think in industry forums, like the Amazon or eBay forums. WebRetailer and EcommerceBytes also have forums, and Warrior Forum is another great resource with many knowledgeable users. Ask your network or community if they have any previous experience with any of the companies on your short list (those 2-3 multichannel ecommerce software systems you are seriously considering).

Now that you have a good list in mind for what you need, what you’re willing to pay and any extras that would be nice-to-have, you’re ready to begin your search.

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73.

74.

75.

Ask Questions Ask detailed questions. This is your chance to ‘interview’ them for response time, communications, availability, knowledge, etc.

Sign Up for a Free Trial! Make sure you run free trials and conduct your research before your busy season.

Contact Support If you run into an issue during your trial, reach out to their support staff immediately and take notes on how easy or hard it was to reach them, how long it takes them to respond and how satisfied you were with the result. Ideally, a tool will work seamlessly and you won’t have to contact support at all – but just in case, you’ll want to know how they handle your needs.

By now, you should feel confident in your short list. It’s time to start demos and free trials.

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With these tips in your arsenal, you should feel confident taking your ecommerce business to the next level. Stellar customer service, marketing, websites, Amazon etiquette, and shipping and inventory management are the catalysts for a successful ecommerce business. Of course, all of this starts with you. You made the bold decision to start an online business, and have been running it – sans a team of 50 employees to help you – all this time, and without any major blunders. That is a success worth celebrating. Now, you have the knowledge to scale and compete online even better than before. Hats off to you for your achievements, and good luck in the next phase of your ecommerce journey. We’re rooting for you.

You can try ecomdash multichannel inventory and order management software free for one month (in addition to our standard 15 day free trial) when you sign up with our secret offer EBOOK1. Consider it your reward for making it all the way through each of the 75 ecommerce tips.

Conclusion

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Share this eBook!

Ecomdash is a multichannel inventory management software for online sellers. We integrate with major marketplaces and shopping carts, offer built-in listing, sales order and shipping management, and continuously enhance our tool in order to offer customers the most comprehensive small-medium business ecommerce supply chain software available today. Each quarter, our customers have seen their revenue increase by an average of 23%. We are deeply committed to our small and mid-size business customers, so we work hard each day to make their businesses run better, sales grow faster and lives easier. Our mission is not complete until each customer achieves ecommerce success.

Bio

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Morin, Amy. “How To Use Color Psychology To Give Your Business An Edge.” Forbes. Forbes Magazine, 04 Feb. 2014. Web. 26 May 2014. Roggio, Armando. “4 Tips for Better Ecommerce Returns and Exchanges.” Practical Ecommerce. Practical Ecommerce, 19 Dec. 2013. Web. 15 Dec. 2014.

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