Download - Visions of Success: Ecommerce Predictions for 2015

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Visions of Success:

Ecommerce Predictions for 2015


Your Host

Matt WinnSenior Marketing Communications Manager

1. Certified ecommerce geek

2. Marketer by trade, home cook by hobby

3. Created 500+ articles/videos on ecommerce

4. Here to help you succeed all year long!


Today’s Agenda

Countdown: Top 5 Ecommerce Headlines of 2014

Actionable Ecommerce Predictions for 2015

Exclusive Contest: Win a $25,000 Suite of Volusion Services!

Q&A


Countdown: Top 5

Ecommerce Headlines of 2014


Headline #5: Facebook Organic Reach Virtually Disappears

Organic reach on Facebook drops

to new lows, 1-6%

Facebook: Due to increased content

and more sophisticated algorithm

Everyone Else: Due to Facebook

going public

Impacts viability of channel for

SMBs, increases advertising costs


Headline #4: Gap Widens Between Large and Small

RetailersEcommerce growth for all, but mega-

retailers make highest gains

US online retail sales up 15.7% in Q2,

Amazon’s sales up 29.1%

Comparison shopping, resources,

brand awareness lead to divide

Required small retailers to be savvier,

adjust pricing, look to value-adds


Headline #3: Ecommerce Surges, Especially During the Holidays

2014 holiday desktop sales reach

$53.3B, up 15% vs 2013 (comScore)

US retail store sales, however, fell 8%

during holiday season (Reuters)

Cyber Monday hit $2B+, Thanksgiving

and Black Friday sales grow 26% each


Headline #2: Security Becomes a Major Concern for Online Shoppers

Security concerns became much more

prevalent issue in 2014 for shoppers

Security breaches big news item this

year: think Target, Heartbleed, Sony

The number of detected cyberattacks

skyrocketed 48% from 2013 (PWC)

Worst passwords of 2014 (SplashData):

123456

password

qwerty


Headline #1: Mobile, Mobile, Mobile (Did I Mention “Mobile?”)

Holiday mobile sales jumped 27% in

2014 compared to 2013 (IBM)

Introduced new wave of mobile

expectations for online retailers

Overall mobile site traffic ranges

between 40-50% of all traffic

Mobile sales accounted for 23% of all

holiday shopping (IBM)


Actionable Ecommerce

Predictions for 2015


Prediction #1:Social Media Continues Shift to Pay-to-Play

Organic reach will continue to

decrease

Predictions: organic reach will be <1%

Ad prices on Facebook will

continue to climb

Q1 2014 Facebook Ads pricing was

10% higher than Q1 2013

Google+ continues its decline to

obsolescence

Smaller businesses will rethink

their social strategies accordingly


Making the Most of Social in 2015

Take a hard look at your past and present social strategy

What is your primary objective? Who is your audience?

What type of content performed best? Not the best?

Are the channels you’re participating in contributing to your goals?

If you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em

Set aside an ad budget so you can have some sort of visibility, specifically on Facebook

Leverage targeting tools to reach specific audiences with specific messages, reduce waste

Focus on sharing content others want to share

Content that educates, entertains or adds value to users’ lives can still reach people organically

Focus on uploading direct videos, images, sharing links

Think about what your audience wants to engage with, then create the content behind it

Consider moving to less mainstream social outlets

Instagram is a great place to share images without a ton of advertising clutter

Pinterest still serves a purpose in terms of showcasing products and driving traffic

Try submitting content on Reddit and participating in various forums


Prediction #2:Mobile Continues Its Steamrolling of the Industry

Mobile will no longer be a

squeezed down desktop or a

“destination”

Mobile traffic will continue to

increase

Mobile-specific email marketing

efforts grow in importance

Streamlining the mobile experience

becomes key in 2015


Maximizing Mobile in 2015

Analyze your current mobile situation

What percentage of traffic is coming from mobile devices? Tablets vs. smartphones?

What are your current conversion rates and bounce rates from mobile devices? Compared to desktop?

Make your site mobile-friendly

Adopt a responsive template/design (mobile-optimized at a minimum)

Streamline the mobile experience, reduce number of clicks needed to add to cart and purchase

Ensure your mobile site is friendly to search engines as well

Apply best practices to mobile email marketing

53% of total email opens in Q3 2014 occurred on a smartphone or tablet (Experian)

Find a solution to help implement responsive or mobile-friendly email design

Segment audiences based on previous purchases to send them to specific product or category pages

Don’t forget the bigger picture

Your desktop site is still very important and will remain the base for your sales

Consistency is key across sites and devices, including design, messaging and promotions


Prediction #3:SEO Becomes Less Technical, More Experience-Based

Search engines will focus less on

links, keywords, etc.

Instead, rankings will benefit sites

that provide interesting, sharable

content

With demise of Google+, more

emphasis on social signals coming

from Facebook and Twitter

“Black Hat” SEO will be

catastrophic to your rankings


Climbing the Search Engine Ranks in 2015

Take a PR mindset when it comes to SEO

Promoting links, products or information just for the sake of SEO is no longer valuable

Instead, promote content that interests customers (educate, entertain, inform) instead of just sales and specials

Building brand awareness is important, as Google is incorporating brand signals

Try image display ads, remarketing, social media

But don’t forget the technical aspects

Laying a solid SEO foundation with proper site structure and keyword optimization is critical for newer sites

User experience matters: Google can ascertain user behavior on your site based on key metrics to determine

whether your page is a good search match or not

Mobile SEO matters too – focus on the basics for your main site and implement a good mobile UX

Leave any black hat strategies at the curb

Low-quality guest blogging for the purposes of link exchanges has been axed as of 2014

Submitting your sites to link directories or serving as a link farmer? Cut it out.

Google continues to update its algorithm (think Penguin, Panda), penalties become more severe

Look for help if you need it

SEO is a complicated area, look for a trusted partner to shape up your site

Learn the SEO basics if you haven’t already – knowledge is power!

http://www.volusion.com/lp/webinar/seo-boot-camp/v2


Prediction #4:Customer Expectations Become Most Demanding Yet

Customers demand real-time,

convenient, 24x7 service

Brick-and-clicks must learn to

embrace the word “omni-channel”

Personalization becomes key to

increasing conversions, building

brand loyalty

Expectations increase for faster,

cheaper shipping options


Providing White-Glove Service in 2015

Make yourself available to customers as often and in as many places as possible

Clearly communicate hours and email response times on your website

Extend customer service to social media channels

Offer real-time customer support options, including phone and live chat

Proactively offer customer support information in the form of FAQs

Brick-and-clicks: Ensure a consistent experience online and in-store

Customers no longer see a difference between your physical and digital properties

Ensure customers receive the same prices, products and discounts online and in-store

Offer in-store pickup as a shipping option for your online store

Explore ways to ensure that inventory levels are consistent between your website and retail store

Personalize and tailor the customer experience via targeted segmentation

Segment customers based on purchase behavior, including frequency, products purchased and demographics

Prioritize your segments based on size and potential value

Tailor your messages accordingly, including design, text and discounts

Take a look at potential shipping efficiencies

Amazon, other major retailers expanding same-day shipping options

Offer various levels of shipping, limit your carriers to the most affordable options


Key Takeaways

1. Focus on the mobile experience

2. Shift your mindset on SEO

3. Rethink your social strategy

4. Improve the customer experience

5. Look at design and user experience

6. Aim for the sky in 2015

2015 will be the biggest year yet!


http://www.volusion.com/grow-ecommerce-business

Enter to win $25,000 worth of Volusion Services!

http://www.volusion.com/grow-ecommerce-business


Questions?

Download - Visions of Success: Ecommerce Predictions for 2015

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