A strong ecommerce presence is an essential prerequisite for survival in today’s hyper-connected marketplace. Transitioning to a new platform can be expensive and time-consuming, and success hinges on your ability to effectively address several key points.
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Many indie retailers are searching for the right business models to compete against the online giants. While it is easy to imagine why retailers think they need to compete on traditional dimensions such as price, assortment, transactional ease and logistics, that is not what separates Amazon and others from the pack.
Social media can help indie retailers reach current and potential customers. 59 percent of consumers see social media active companies as more approachable and 64 percent of users want companies to use it to answer their questions. Here are social media trends that were on the rise in 2013 and how they can help your small business in 2014.
The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) and Yelp are partnering to provide America’s small businesses with the information they need to engage with online reviewers and monitor their online reputations. According to the 2013 Local Consumer Review Survey from BrightLocal, 85 percent of consumers read online reviews about local businesses. In addition, trust in reviews is increasing, enabling consumers to form opinions faster and act on those opinions.
To meet the needs of the growing number of mobile users among shoppers, retailers agree that mobile must be the number one priority for their digital business in 2014.
Hundreds of businesses each year receive grant funding from various government agencies and non-profit organizations. Such funds must be used to start a new business or enhance an existing one, and do not have to be repaid. Others can be used for innovation research.
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Research demonstrates that digital content is the most powerful influence in buying decisions. This fourth annual study by Cisco Consulting Services examines technology-based shopping behaviors and their impact on the retail industry.
GoDaddy, a domain name and website provider, and Microsoft Corp. have formed a strategic partnership to offer Office 365 as GoDaddy’s core productivity software to its small business customers.
In the past year, there has been a huge build in the amount of images shared on social media, with channels like Pinterest, Instagram, Twitter and Facebook putting more emphasis on photographs and visuals. Twitter recently changed the way images are displayed on the social network.