emlc Goals What s Working in Ecommerce Today Mission 10/1/2013 Bridging the Skills Gap with Emerging Marketing Media

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1 What s Working in Ecommerce Today Penn State Dubois September 18, 2013 Cathy von Birgelen, Executive Director, emarketing Learning Center vonbirgelen@emarketinglearningcenter.org emlc Goals Advance skills and knowledge in digital marketing strategies and technology Help businesses to integrate e-marketing strategies to improve performance and success Discover new ways to generate revenue Create new job opportunities Create a competitive advantage for business owners and entrepreneurs Ben Franklin Technology Partnership Bridging the Skills Gap with Emerging Marketing Media Provides operational assistance, entrepreneurial support, and investment capital to emerging tech-based companies and small, existing manufacturers Through Blended Learning Experiences Live Training & Events Web-based Training Custom Training Peer Round Tables Online Resources Outreach Events Strategic Guidance Mission The emarketing Learning Center (emlc), an initiative of the Ben Franklin Venture Forum ( offers education and training programs designed to help business and workforce professionals bridge skill gaps with emerging technologies for competitive advantage in the global marketplace. Topics such as developing an online sales and marketing strategy, understanding search engine marketing, creating e-newsletters, blogging, integrating social media and writing for websites. Helping You Keep Pace in the Digital Economy. Over 2849 professionals from 866 businesses and organizations have participated in our professional development programs 1

2 Agenda» 68% garnered new customers» 43% uncovered new markets» 41% increased revenue» 29% discovered new products» 24% able to locate qualified job applicants Growth of Ecommerce Stats B2B B2C Key Components of the Ecommerce Trends What s Working Publisher? Seller? Affiliate? Social Ecommerce M-Commerce Niche Multichannel Ecommerce Digital Tools, Techniques and Tips Focus on Five Fundamentals 1. Create a website that is a customer-focused, lead generation and sales hub of your business 2. Expand your influence with social media marketing 3. Attract motivated prospects using search engine marketing 4. Nurture customer relationships with marketing 5. Measure your online marketing success and improve Reason for Ecommerce Optimism Convenient and trusted by advanced consumer Internet shopping is considered both safe and easy by many millions of consumers. Social influence and consumerism Key reasons ecommerce is popular with consumers: Competitive prices reduced overhead of internet retailers allow them to offer lower prices to their customers Increased choice Internet puts millions of difficult-to-find products within easy reach. Quick delivery many online retailers now offer next-day delivery Free shipping online retailers are offering to ship free based on minimum purchase Advanced shopping tools from social savvy shoppers and technologies assist in influencing and driving business US Ecommerce Sales growth The Future Up Ahead Has Arrived 2

3 Ecommerce Growth Stats 2012 maintained US ecommerce retail sales growth of 16% US Online sales in 2011 were 8.6% of all retail sales Global ecommerce sales annual growth more than 19% 2012 Mobile smartphone sales were $8 billion Mobile sales were 3% of ecommerce retail sales Black Friday mobile accounted for 9.8% of total online sales 90% of customers trust reviews from people they know 70% of customers trust online reviews from people they do not know Challenges to Ecommerce Success Launching an ecommerce presence Easier today with so many channel and technology options Operating a successful ecommerce presence requires commitment of time, resources, knowledge and skills Demands a change in culture B2B US ecommerce sales to achieve $559 billion by end of 2013 How Can e-selling Benefit You? Increased Sales Through Dynamic Channel Global access Big reach for small niche player On-duty sales force 24/7 Differentiate from competition Efficient Sales Process Reduce cost through automation of routine orders Avoid lost sales due to time differences in global market Ecommerce Ecosystem fro A-Z Ecommerce from A Z Affiliate Marketing Marketing Personalization Comparison Shopping / Marketplaces Gift Card / Certificates Products Consultancy / Professional Services Internet Security Rich Media Content Delivery Networks ISP / Hosting Search Engine Market Content Management Systems Logistics Shipping CRM Systems Loyalty / Promotions Site Search Customer Care Mobile Commerce Web Analytics Customer Satisfaction Measurement Online Catalog / Catalog Management Web Design / User Ex Applicable Products & Services Basic Requirement Some Level of Standardization Does Not Eliminate Customization Good Fits Can be Found in Most Industries Retail / B2C Hospitality / Travel Catalog B2B supplies, parts, aftermarket, extended products Assemble to Order Services Digital products Web-based software as a service (SaaS) StringsforaCURE Musician Info/Jewelry Orders 3

4 Challenges to B2B Success B2C Consumer Behavior Goes to Work Here are the top four online shopper behaviors to consider: Researching about products (42%) Reading expert & user reviews (21%) Price comparison sites (16%) Searching discount coupons (14%) Direct Sales & Ecommerce Must Work Together for Success Source: Ecommerce Insites Custom catalogs, pricing and offers Advanced site search with many parameter filters Categorization Product visualization, configuration and customization tools Cross-sell/up-sell recommendation Ecommerce Trends Customer reviews Challenges to B2B Success Competitive Channels Innovate with Web- Based Services 4

5 At Thrillist, Mingling Commerce and Content By CLAIRE CAIN MILLER Ecommerce Trends: Roles Blur Ratings & Are you a Publisher, TV Channel, Cataloger, e-tailer or Advertiser? Emerging breed of retail designed to compel, instruct, inspire, and ultimately sell a product or service Short videos inspire or offer how to tied to increase conversion/ sales Publisher Style Websites feature: Magazine style editorials Photo spreads Inspiring videos as content 4.6% increase in conversion, 18% increase in sales Source: Econsultancy Reviews Online Gift Certificates are Ecommerce Thrillist Expands, Becomes a Blend of Frommer's and Foursquare Dude Media Company Adds Travel Vertical, New Cities By: Tim Peterson Published: August 07, 2013 Allow your store location based customers to purchase gift certificates online. 5

6 Ecommerce Video Videos Improve SEO & Sales Ecommerce Trends: Video Ecommerce A video makes a front-page Google result 53 times more likely Consumers 64-85% more likely to purchase after watching Source: SEO Real Video Stats: Views by Videos Ecommerce Trends: Video Ecommerce Sales are more successful when viewers watch between 2.5 to 3.5 minutes of video on the site. ~ ViewBix Source: Fastprinters.com 6

7 Ecommerce Trends: Video Ecommerce Ecommerce Trends: Publisher or Seller? Ecommerce Trends: Video Ecommerce Affiliate Marketing: Blogs Affiliates drive traffic to your website and earn commission. TIPs: - Videos that tell stories about why, how or by whom the product was made or how people are using the product work best. - Also highlights from events like tradeshows and sports can work well too. Ecommerce Affiliates Content Marketing & Affiliate Marketing 7

8 Vloggers Product Posting TIPS : Facebook Album posts are great for launching new products and collections Album posts can generate up to 180% more engagement Social & Commerce Trends: Rich Imagery and Media Social Commerce Pinterest No. 3 Social network in World Fastest growing platform for storing your brand s image Helps drive traffic to your website or even sell your products 75% users age

9 Digital Endcaps Offer local pickup - 31% of shoppers picked up locally when given the option - 27% of in-store pickup shoppers make additional purchases [ Source: Forrester ] - No physical storefront? Offer pickup at farmers markets, craft fairs, etc. Tweet comments and questions with the hashtag #BCSellMore 2013 Bigcommerce Pty. Ltd. F-Commerce Mobile M-Commerce Drop Shipping Mobile Text Alerts Advantages Less capital is required Lowers your overhead Flexible location Easy to scale Disadvantages Lower Margins Inventory Issues Shipping Complexities Supplier Errors 9

10 M-Commerce: Point-Know-Buy Niches: Think Products with a Theme or a Unique Story Mason Jar Lids What is a Niche? Niche Works Best An effective Theme-Based Content Site will be searched-and-found by: Prospective customers -- a number that will increase steadily as your site gains in popularity and Reputation and relevance at the Search Engines 10

11 Niches: Think Products with a Theme or a Unique Story Multi-Channel Ecommerce Restaurant Bar Stools & Chairs Online Marketplaces Growing Online marketplaces provide virtual storefronts for 3 rd party entrepreneurs Next Generation Wal-Mart Future of Mom & Pop Retail Niche Benefits Business Reasons To Sell in Marketplaces AJ Miceli To acquire new customers -- No To increase sales Yes To increase order size Probably Not To increase profits -- Depends 75 11

12 Online Marketplaces Growing Amazon World s largest shopping mall ebay Online niche entrepreneurs Sears Space for ecommerce shops owners Monsoon Provide virtual storefront tools in a box Etsy artisans /crafters gain global access Multichannel Marketing Growing Retargeting Ads ebay Store Free Ecommerce Platforms Moonfruit Yola SnapPages Jimdo Weebly Wix WordPress Source: 12

13 Top Ecommerce Platforms Miva Merchant Review PrestaShop Review Yahoo! Stores Review Volusion Review Big Cartel Review Bigcommerce Review Shopify Review Magento Go Review 3dcart Review Amazon Webstores Review CS-Cart Review Magento Community Review Zen Cart Review OpenCart Review For details and comparison review visit: Thank You, Cathy von Birgelen emarketing Learning BF/VIF 5340 Fryling Road Suite 201 Erie, PA vonbirgelen@emarketinglearningcenter.org 13