Heat maps are one of the most powerful tools an ecommerce website owner can have at their fingertips. These literally give you an insight into your customers’ minds as they peruse your website. Here is a short introduction to heat maps along with tips for making them work hard for your ecommerce website. Read the rest

We previously discussed the new EU Privacy and Electronic Communications Directive, which will change the way that many ecommerce websites do business. The main change for you is that you will need to disclose the way that you use most types of cookies and get permission from your visitors before placing them.  Read the rest

If your ecommerce website is like many, you already have a significant social media presence. However, if you are like many ecommerce website owners you have not given a lot of time or thought to optimizing your Facebook News Feed. Here are a few tips for making sure that you get the most exposure and sales out of this and other social networking websites. Read the rest

Social proof is the new word of mouth for ecommerce websites. Once upon a time, customers bought products at their local stores, and then talked to friends about their likes and dislikes. Word of mouth becomes more difficult to attain when you are dealing with online customers in far-flung areas of the world. However, social proof allows people to see that your products and the general shopping experience at your ecommerce website are liked by others, replacing more traditional word of mouth advertising. Here are a few ways of making sure that your website visitors are exposed to social proof of your high quality. Read the rest

Redesigning your ecommerce website every now and then is a necessary part of maintaining relevance and presenting a shopping experience that your customers love. However, there is a time and a place for everything. A new ecommerce website design can boost sales, but it can kill them as well if it is the wrong change at the wrong time. Here are a few ways of telling if here and now is the right time and place.  Read the rest

There are several reasons that ecommerce website customers may abandon their shopping carts, factors that we have examined in past posts. However, it is sometimes effective to look more at what you should be doing than what you should not be doing. There are a few features that your shopping cart absolutely should include. Here is a short list that you can compare with your own shopping cart to identify any shortcomings. Read the rest

Many ecommerce website owners wonder whether coupons are right for their business. Indeed, these can be a great way to bring in new customers and also to encourage them to make purchases. On the other hand, there are drawbacks as well. Coupons obviously cut into your own profit margins, and they can distract customers from the buying process as well. They are something that has to be handled in moderation. The first step is to decide which kind is best for you. Here are a few ideas.  Read the rest

Most people understand cloud computing on a basic, rudimentary level. However, it is more challenging to decide whether your business can benefit from this new phenomenon. Here is a short primer on the topic and a guide to deciding if it is the right solution for your ecommerce website. Read the rest

Video content can be a huge boost to your ecommerce website’s SEO. Thanks to Google’s Universal Search feature, videos can drive traffic to your website, but only if you are optimizing them. However, video SEO has its own set of rules. Here are a few dos and don’ts to get you started.  Read the rest